Gitmo closing? Don't hold your breath. From the Times:
Closing Guantánamo Fades as a Priority
By CHARLIE SAVAGEWASHINGTON — Stymied by political opposition and focused on competing priorities, the Obama administration has sidelined efforts to close the Guantánamo prison, making it unlikely that President Obama will fulfill his promise to close it before his term ends in 2013.
When the White House acknowledged last year that it would miss Mr. Obama’s initial January 2010 deadline for shutting the prison, it also declared that the detainees would eventually be moved to one in Illinois. But impediments to that plan have mounted in Congress, and the administration is doing little to overcome them.
Let's stagger down memory lane to Day Three of Hope and Change:
President Obama is expected to sign executive orders Thursday directing the Central Intelligence Agency to shut what remains of its network of secret prisons and ordering the closing of the Guantánamo detention camp within a year, government officials said.
Gitmo was a deplorable symbol of this and that, until actually resolving the situation became too complicated. Anyway, it's the thought that counts:
In any case, one senior official said, even if the administration concludes that it will never close the prison, it cannot acknowledge that because it would revive Guantánamo as America’s image in the Muslim world.
“Guantánamo is a negative symbol, but it is much diminished because we are seen as trying to close it,” the official said. “Closing Guantánamo is good, but fighting to close Guantánamo is O.K. Admitting you failed would be the worst.”
Move on.
"'Guantánamo is a negative symbol, but it is much diminished because we are seen as trying to close it,' the official said. "
Great bleeding Scott. They actually think that way!
Posted by: Danube of Thought | June 25, 2010 at 10:47 PM
I understand the Saudi officials like Hadlaq, being in denial, but it really stretches credulity, what am I thinking?
Posted by: narciso | June 25, 2010 at 10:54 PM
The Left -
fine words over hard action
pontificators vs. doers
intentions over achievements
...that said, I'm glad they aren't closing Gitmo.
Posted by: Janet | June 25, 2010 at 11:04 PM
anybody else blocked by mozilla from accessing gateway pundit. Mozilla says it is a "badware" site. Hmmm.
Posted by: laura | June 25, 2010 at 11:12 PM
Yes Laura...me too. I wondered about that.
Posted by: Janet | June 25, 2010 at 11:22 PM
Here's the message from Gatewaypundit:
First Things website had a Malware attack today. We are working on the problem now. The warning messages should go away by tomorrow afternoon. We have removed the ad script that was causing the problem so there is no chance that you will get an infected browser. It looks like if you run Internet Explorer you won’t see the warning messages but, with Chrome and Firefox you will still see the messages.
By the way, the attack came from China.
Posted by: DrJ | June 25, 2010 at 11:32 PM
I've wondered about that, I've had three malware attacks in the last seven monthes, the last sort of resolved itself about a month
ago, that's why I didn't contacy you about it
Posted by: narciso | June 25, 2010 at 11:39 PM
--It looks like if you run Internet Explorer you won’t see the warning messages--
IE wouldn't let me go there either.
Posted by: Ignatz | June 25, 2010 at 11:44 PM
there is no chance that you will get an infected browser.
Your browser never would get infected. It would use your browser and plugins (probably Flash) to infect your OS. There's a difference.
Posted by: DrJ | June 25, 2010 at 11:50 PM
DrJ-
I would venture that all my problems have come from embedded ads, on-line-wise.
G'night all.
Posted by: Melinda Romanoff | June 25, 2010 at 11:58 PM
Advice: use the flashblock plugin. You can see flash plugins if you want (click on them manually), but if not they are not displayed or executed.
Most flash is noise anyway.
Posted by: DrJ | June 26, 2010 at 12:02 AM
Well, Holder blew Gitmo, the NY Trial and the Black Panther case. Time to give him the hook. As for the last debacle, here's the inside scoop.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jun/25/inside-the-black-panther-case-anger-ignorance-and-/>Under the bus, Eric
Posted by: Clarice | June 26, 2010 at 12:53 AM
OT gearhead humor (but still concerning kicking losers while they're down):
Gov't Motors-fan Hitler gets the bad news about the new Mustang GT.
News of the Shelby GT500 crushed all remaining hope in the bunker, prompting poor ol' Adolph to take the cyanide and reach for the Walther.
Posted by: Mustang0302 | June 26, 2010 at 01:20 AM
Signing the executive order to close Gitmo was a big deal for the Nobel committee,who awarded the peace prize to Obama for his "potential".
So,like,it was totally worth it and all.
Posted by: hit and run | June 26, 2010 at 08:56 AM
I'll add that one - potential vs. merit
Posted by: Janet | June 26, 2010 at 10:16 AM
Wow clarice. That Wash Times piece is pretty disturbing.
I'd like to drive a bus over this entire crew.
Posted by: Ignatz | June 26, 2010 at 10:16 AM
So Obama is a right-winger on national security policy.
... and you guys are angry about this?
Posted by: AJB | June 26, 2010 at 11:28 AM
you guys are angry about t h i s ?
No. When W was prez the O said he would rather lose the Iraq war than vote for the surge (even knowing it would work) to oppose "right-winger national security policy".
So now when losing a war would be on him ... right-winger national security policy is just fine thank you very much.
Maybe we're just sore over the double standard.
Posted by: boris | June 26, 2010 at 11:39 AM
--So Obama is a right-winger on national security policy.--
There is a rather large difference between actual right wing policy and left wing policy with a veneer of sensibility, but so ineptly implemented and disingenuously presented as to be neither sensible nor effective; merely politically expedient.
Posted by: Ignatz | June 26, 2010 at 11:50 AM
Obama's no right-winger,he's simply impotent to effect the change you thought you could believe in.
Posted by: hit and run | June 26, 2010 at 11:53 AM
I put my master exit strategy out there sometime ago ...
Rename Gitmo to "Chez Guevara"
... I promise the media will ignore it after that.
Posted by: Neo | June 27, 2010 at 12:20 AM
I agree with the comments made by Janet and hit and run.
How is Gitmo a negative symbol for the Muslim world? Gitmo is not the problem with America for them. I doubt seriously whether the average terrorist is angry with America of Gitmo and that's the reason why he decided to become a terrorist. They don't like our wealth and our values system.
Posted by: Giggle T | June 27, 2010 at 07:31 PM
You have to keep in mind that AJB's life consists of being a troll on conservative blogs. You should see some of his delightful anti-Semitic remarks he leaves at protein wisdom. He's a real charmer.
Posted by: Jack Klompus | June 30, 2010 at 05:49 AM