Obama planning quick move to close Gitmo
CNN has learned that President-elect Obama plans to close the U.S. military prison located at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (Getty Images/File)
WASHINGTON (CNN) - President-elect Barack Obama is planning to move as early as his first week in office to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay to try and show a dramatic break from the Bush administration's approach to the war on terror, according to two officials close to the transition.
One of the officials said it would be in keeping with Obama's campaign promise to shut down the prison through executive order, a move which was also pushed by last year's Republican presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
"The President-elect has repeatedly said the legal framework at Gitmo has failed to successfully and swiftly prosecute terrorists," said one of the officials close to the transition, who was not authorized to speak publicly about private deliberations.
Such an announcement would be reassuring to liberals, who have been concerned about public comments from the President-elect suggesting he may be back-tracking from quick action on closing down the prison, including an appearance on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday.
"It is more difficult than I think a lot of people realize and we are going to get it done, but part of the challenge that you have is that you have a bunch of folks that have been detained, many of whom who may be very dangerous who have not been put on trial or have not gone through some adjudication," Obama said when asked whether he would close the prison in his first 100 days.
"And some of the evidence against them may be tainted even though it's true. And so how to balance creating a process that adheres to rule of law, habeas corpus, basic principles of Anglo American legal system, by doing it in a way that doesn't result in releasing people who are intent on blowing us up."
Pressed further, Obama tried to make clear that he is planning to shut the prison down, despite potential legal hurdles.
"I think it's going to take some time and our legal teams are working in consultation with our national security apparatus as we speak to help design exactly what we need to do," Obama said. "But I don't want to be ambiguous about this. We are going to close Guantanamo and we are going to make sure that the procedures we set up are ones that abide by our Constitution. That is not only the right thing to do but it actually has to be part of our broader national security strategy because we will send a message to the world that we are serious about our values."
This is a major issue because for critics of the Bush administration, the military prison has become a symbol of mismanagement and overreach in the war on terror. At his final White House press conference on Monday, President Bush was whether the military prison - as well as harsh interrogation tactics used on detainees - has damaged America's standing in the world.
"I strongly disagree with the assessment that our moral standing has been damaged," Bush said. "It may be damaged amongst some of the elite. But people still understand America stands for freedom; that America is a country that provides such great hope."
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And for all you crying GOP whiners who can't stand the thought that we will stop abusing brown peoples' rights, think of it this way: At least if they're running around Iraq, Afghanistan or other parts of the middle east, you can send your sons over there to shoot them. Lord knows how much you love your guns for solving everything.
MIRABILEDICTU:
"G" YOU ARE A FRIGGING IDIOT. A BLIGHT ON THE COUNTRY.
CNN reports that the military prison has become a symbol of mismanagement
By whose account and standard? I haven't heard anything about mismanagement. As a matter of fact, I heard this is run like a model prison.
G,
Prisoners of war are not innocent until proven guilty. They are prisoners until hostilities cease.
You liberal loons are a laugh a minute.
Great plan...release the dangerous prisoners...why not keep them in prison BUT don't torture them....why not give that a shot...
And if we are attacked after Obama takes office, I'll make sure I question his judgement about undoing all the things Bush has done to make it easier for us to squish the cockroaches.
Thank you Mr. Obama!
What happens after we let some of them go and they commit terror acts against US interests overseas like has happened in the past? Yes We Can!!!
Please send all the occupents of Gitmo to Blue states. Thank you.
These officials should brief their new boss, as Obama didn't present a timeline in his interview on "This Week..." on Sunday and would not commit to a swift closure of Gitmo.
What are you talking about Gitmo Terrorists in your neighborhood?
Good...
I have a great idea. Why doesn't the country donate this to the Bush Administration as a retirement community for them, so they can experience the style of hospitality they espouse?!
Where are they going to detain the prisoners?Or are Obama just going to let the terrorist go,or is he going to invite them to live here.Obama is SPOOKY
To those of you criticizing the closing of this travesty in foreign "policy," I suggest you know little, if anything, about the law!
Good, erase everyting the evil Republicans have done.
Everything.
Hey Mike Mundy, Houston, TX
How about a proper trial. Heck McVeigh got one, didn't he?
@Matt
Only racists bring up the race issue. Grow up and move on and stop calling everone racist who doesn't agree with your viewpoint. It gets old really fast and loses all validity.
He can always put them in Illinois with all the other criminals that Hussein Obama knows.
@Matt
Only racists bring up the race issue. Grow up and move on and stop calling everone racist who doesn't agree with your viewpoint. It gets old really fast and you lose all validity.
Obama loves those terrorist...and you're right, that was something that was made known during his campaign
I love all the nit-wits on here that want to bash Bush and Gitmo. You don't take people that were captured in battle into a civilian court. Civilian courts are NOT set up to handle that. Are we going to have our soldiers reading people their rights on a battle field? I think not. You people have NO CONCEPT of what you're talking about. These people are NOT Americans, they DO NOT have a RIGHT to a trial in our civilian court system. I love the internet, this is the place where people who know nothing about a subject can "spout off" and tell the rest of us how things should be done based solely on "how they feel". I am constantly amazed by the number of people I see on here talking about the "rights" of non-americans based on the laws of America.
Darth Vadik, CA
Idiot...he was an American citizen....know what you're talking about before you pull a Biden and say something realy realy stupid
Geez, the ignorance on this blog is appalling! GITMO is ILLEGAL. This is a GOOD move on Obama's part.
Darth Vadik, CA January 12th, 2009 6:06 pm ET
Hey Mike Mundy, Houston, TX
How about a proper trial. Heck McVeigh got one, didn't he?
Yes he did. BUT HE WAS AN AMERICAN AND HE WASN'T CAPTURED ON A BATTLEFIELD. When will you people figure out the difference?