Obama Promises to Follow Through on Gitmo Closure

by Jason Ditz, November 16, 2008

In an interview tonight on “60 Minutes,” President-elect Barack Obama reiterated a promise, made often during his campaign, that he will close the detainee camp at Guantanamo Bay as part of an effort to rebuild “America’s moral stature in the world.”

It has been reported for the past week that Obama’s advisers are preparing a plan that would ship the detainees to the United States to face criminal trials, but adviser Denis McDonough said at the time that no decision has been made, nor is there any process in place on making that decision.

Though the President-elect is under pressure to close the controversial detention center quickly, its unclear just how quickly he will accomplish the task. Moving the detainees to the US for trials will be politically unpopular in whichever districts the trials are to take place, and the administration will struggle to reach deals on the repatriation of the former detainees.

Last 5 posts by Jason Ditz