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Obama Finishing Plan to Close Guantanamo
Obama promised in 2008 that, if elected, he would close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay as soon as he arrived at the White House. Of course, once elected, he learned that was much easier promised than done. Relocating inmates in the states was wildly unpopular with voters and nervous legislators, while few other countries would take the hardened jihadis.
Over his second term, President Obama has gotten much more comfortable governing via executive order. He pens a memo, tells his agencies to proceed accordingly, and hopes the courts don’t interfere too much. Republicans in Congress whine for a half-day, then get back to work passing whatever legislation Obama needs rubber-stamped that week.
Guess what, America: Obama’s going to close GITMO if it’s the last thing he does… and it just might be.
The White House is in the “final stages” of a plan to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, spokesman Josh Earnest said Wednesday… “The administration is in fact in the final stages of drafting a plan to safely and responsibly (close) the prison at Guantanamo Bay and to present that to Congress,” Earnest said.
“That has been something that our national security officials have been working on for quite some time, primarily because it is a priority of the president.”
…The Guantanamo US military facility is also opposed by the Cuban government, with which the US recently restored diplomatic relations. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez called for the return of the territory to Cuba while in Washington Monday.
…Earnest said he was concerned about seeing Congress “repeatedly impede the effort to close the prison at Guantanamo bay despite bipartisan agreement that closing the prison is actually in the national security interest of the United States.”
Just under half of the detainees remaining have been cleared to leave but have yet to be resettled or repatriated.
Democrats desperate for re-election would at least publicly oppose throwing open the prison gates prior to Nov. 8, 2016. But does anyone think Obama will hesitate closing the facility in the weeks following? If he could get away with it, he’d give the entire facility to Cubans before the next president took office.
After the jihadis have been FedEx-ed to disreputable governments around the world or prisons around the country, no judge will drag them back to GITMO. It will be a fait accompli. This president can do a lot of damage before he leaves office, and I expect him to.
Published in Foreign Policy, Law, Military
In other news,
Guantanamo Close to Plan Finishing Obama.
If he could get away with it, he’d give the entire facility to Cubans before the next president took office.
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I think that’s exactly what he’ll do.
And who will stop him? The Republicans have made it their mission to avoid the constitutional crisis this administration so richly deserves. And instead, they’ve collaborated in the nullification of the very document they’ve sworn to uphold and defend.
I knew as soon as I heard the Cuban foreign minister was scolding us over Gitmo at the opening of the Cuban embassy this would be the outcome. And the press will cover our commie-loving commander’s behind while ignoring he’s aligning with the interests of America’s enemies.
We’re so screwed.
Obama can act with impunity. The exception has been on immigration, when a federal judge has limited him to semi-impunity.
He recognizes the Cuban flag before he decides, 5 days later, to order the American flag lowered after US servicemen are killed.
I can’t think of a person less capable and less deserving to be called CiC. He is a petty little man, a charlatan, who has posed as a reasonable politician long enough to get elected, and to do what he’s always wanted to do:
Take the United States down a couple of notches.
Worse, Congress has helped him. We, in fact, may very well deserve what we’re going to get. I don’t think the Israelis do, but we certainly do.
Barry: The Presidency of Peace®
I think he will definitely give Gitmo back. Who will stop him? He could order the miltilary out post haste and executive sign it along with Castro in a week. Notice what Democrats did in Nam and Iraq.
Excellent analysis, Jon. My only quibble is with your closing graf:
You omit the possibility of Obama transferring Gitmo prisoners into the US population. As “undocumented immigrants,” our misunderstood Jihadis could be subject to deferred action by way of the executive exercise of prosecutorial discretion. After all, like the minor children of Mexican illegal immigrants, our Al Qaeda representatives were also brought into the US without their consent.
In further support of my modest proposal, it is pretty much a certainty that each of the Gitmo inmates has a cleaner criminal record than Francisco Sanchez.
The Republicans in Washington are as feckless in their own way as is BHO. Supporting them has become the equivalent of Charlie Brown’s continuing to try to kick the football.
I don’t blame Obama. He’s just being Obama. I do blame the Republicans who fund the White House personnel, though.
Agreed. Gitmo is a gift to comrade Fidel before BO stands on the platform with his replacement. A surprise going away gift.
Yeah, I am sure the Sanctuary City of San Francisco will take ’em in – what could possibly go wrong?
And, yes, Guantanamo Bay will be returned to Cuba.
Yep, I see that coming too. He’ll do anything that’s anti American.
The President doesn’t have the authority to unilaterally return Gitmo to the Cubans. However, as Commander in Chief he has the authority to order all US service personnel to leave the base, which might accomplish the same end, if the Cubans retook the empty base before the next President could order the troops back.
That might, just might, cause a constitutional crisis. Especially if the generals refused the order.
We are already embroiled in a Constitutional crisis. Just one side’s not fighting.
Man. I am abridging an awful lot of furious invective right here. Use your imagination, and fall short anyway. I won the LGF award for most creative, shocking, sustained, and frankly effective use of invective.
Not sure I’d admit to that. :)
I figured the Cuba-thawing was a prelude to giving Guantanamo Bay back to Cuba – after all, friendly relations demand it, and we just want to be friends, gosh darn it.
No one knows the damage Obama will do on his way out. He’s got nothing to lose and a congress and supreme court unwilling to stop him.
It’s going to get ugly in the next 18 months…