As deadline approaches, Obama speeds up Guantánamo Bay closure

[ProSense]

As deadline approaches, Obama speeds up Guantánamo Bay closure

The Obama administration's announcement Sunday that 12 Guantánamo detainees would be sent to other countries followed news that some detainees would be transferred to an Illinois facility. The president set a Jan. 22, 2010 deadline for closing the Guantánamo Bay prison, but seems unlikely to meet it.

By Howard LaFranchi Staff writer / December 21, 2009

The Obama administration is accelerating its efforts to close down the Guantánamo Bay detention facility, with the Justice Department’s announcement Sunday of a dozen more prisoner transfers to three foreign countries.

The announcement, following news last week of plans to transfer some Guantánamo prisoners to a facility in Illinois, suggests the Obama administration is moving quickly in several directions to shutter the much-maligned facility as close as possible to Mr. Obama’s own deadline of Jan. 22, 2010. The different approaches include trial for some detainees in federal court, detention of others on US soil, and transfer of still more to other countries.

The president acknowledges he is now unlikely to meet his Jan. 22 deadline, which corresponds with the completion of his first year in office. With just under 200 detainees remaining at Guantánamo, many analysts say a plan that seemed doable a year ago is bumping up against significant national-security considerations.

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Six of the 12 detainees whose release was announced Sunday will return to Yemen – a prospect Dunbar says does not fill him with confidence. “I hope they’ve made some serious judgments as to what these people are like and what they are likely to do upon return, because I can’t imagine there will be any serious effort to lock them up in Yemen,” he says.

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[cliffordu]

1. Ah, yes, another promise broken.

:sarcasm:

[davidpdx]

4. All the haters can do is borrow Republican talking points

[CreekDog]

9. and use them against liberals

go figure. :eyes:

[Mithreal]

5. Who needs Guantanamo?

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2009/11/20091115114337109563.html

[rwheeler31]

2. I like this, get rid of Gitmo .

[Mithreal]

6. Worse policies and new real estate

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1232665/Why-Bagram-Guantanamos-evil-twin-Britains-dirty-secret.html

[Jamastiene]

3. Good, they should close it ASAP. n/t

[Clio the Leo]

7. Kick. NT

[CBR]

8. Just like Bush...

:sarcasm: