White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest today sought to downplay the chances of President Obama actually fulfilling his campaign promise of closing Guantanamo Bay, saying it would be “very, very difficult” to follow through on.
Though the White House never addresses this, the promise is already long missed, as President Obama pledged to close it within a year immediately after taking office in early 2009.
Six years later, the facility still has 127 detainees, and most of them aren’t intended to ever be released, or indeed charged with any actual crimes. Earnest saw Congress as to blame, however, saying they had created “roadblocks” to closing the detention center.
Congress has tried to block releases of detainees in the past, and is aiming to push new legislation that would further limit the releases, even of detainees who have already been cleared years ago.
Though President Obama has often claimed he could circumvent Congress with executive action on myriad other issues, officials suggest that Gitmo isn’t one of them, and that Congress will remain the excuse for the site not being closed in the years to come.
Gitmo — A torture chamber for the public
The corporate rich who supply 90% of donations to politicians, they want Gitmo to be hot news and forever on the public’s mind, as it greatly enhances fearful submission to authority, a most essential ingredient in this rich man’s paradise called Empire USA.
Problem is, our military is not one bit happy about it, as it produces so many die-hard freedom fighters that it be the number one cause of troop mortality and rotten troop morale.
Truth is, our politicians love Gitmo, as it creates the illusion that all of our wars of aggression are somehow wars of self-defense. For surely, war-time politicians are about the most glorified creatures that ever walked the earth.
I feel Obama has a plan for Gitmo. I feel he is going to close Gitmo and return the base to Cuba as a gesture to normalize relations. This is his ultimate goal and I would not be surprised if this happens sooner than you think.