Marathon Pundit: Gitmo: No difference a year makes

Friday, May 21, 2010

Gitmo: No difference a year makes

One year ago the Obama administration was seeking a home for 100 hardened terrorists currently locked up at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba. The prison at Standish, Michigan, then one in Thomson, Illinois were touted as possible Gitmo Norths.

That hasn't happened. More from the Senate Republican Communications Center:

GITMO: NO DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES

One Year Ago Today President Obama Made A High Profile Address To Resurrect Falling Support For His Plans To Close GITMO By 2010; Yesterday His Plans Suffered Yet Another Bipartisan Blow

PRESIDENT OBAMA, MAY 21, 2009: “Even As We Clean Up The Mess At Guantanamo, We Will Constantly Reevaluate Our Approach, Subject Our Decisions To Review From Other Branches Of Government, As Well As The Public. … As President, I Refuse To Allow This Problem To Fester. I Refuse To Pass It On To Somebody Else. It Is My Responsibility To Solve The Problem. Our Security Interests Will Not Permit Us To Delay.”
(President Obama, Remarks On National Security, National Archives, Washington, D.C., 5/21/09)

House Armed Services Committee Unanimously Voted To “Prohibit Creating A Detention Center Inside The United States”

“The House Armed Services Committee Has Dealt A Blow To President Obama’s Hopes To Shutter The Military Prison At Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, By Unanimously Approving Legislation That Would Prohibit Creating A Detention Center Inside The United States.” (“House Panel Rejects A Plan To Shift Detainees To Illinois,” The New York Times, 5/21/10)

It Says The Committee Wants To See ‘A Thorough And Comprehensive Plan That Outlines The Merits, Costs, And Risks Associated With Utilizing Such A Facility. No Such Plan Has Been Presented To Date. The Bill Prohibits The Use Of Any Funds For This Purpose.’” (“House Panel Rejects A Plan To Shift Detainees To Illinois,” The New York Times, 5/21/10)
“The Bill Also Requires Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates To Produce A Report For Congress That ‘Adequately Justifies’ Any Proposal For Such A Facility In The Future, Suggesting That Lawmakers Could Reverse Course.” (“House Panel Rejects A Plan To Shift Detainees To Illinois,” The New York Times, 5/21/10)