The Closing Of Guantanamo -- News, Analysis, And Commentary

A guard stands at a gate at the Camp Delta detention compound at Guantánamo Bay
U.S. Naval Base in Cuba Brennan Linsley / AP

Legal Issues Complicate Gitmo Closing -- Politico

The military quickly deferred to President Obama’s demand for a four-month time-out in trials at Guantanamo Bay Wednesday, but he may soon find out he has to make up his mind about key parts of his Gitmo policy a lot more quickly.

Obama plans to issue an executive order Thursday calling for the closure of Guantanamo within one year, but leaving open the thorny issue of what to do with the roughly 245 men presently confined there.

While Obama staffers may be hoping to conduct a more leisurely policy review, lawyers for some detainees are determined to move much faster in cases pressing for their clients’ release.

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More News On The Closing Of Guantanamo

Bush's 'War' On Terror Comes to a Sudden End -- Washington Post
Obama signs order to close Guantanamo in a year -- AP
Obama Orders Guantanamo Prison Closed Within One Year -- Voice of America
Obama orders Guantanamo prison closing -- China View
Obama Closes Detention Network -- Wall Street Journal
Bush Policies on Detention, Interrogation Reversed -- Washington Post
Obama's orders start detainee policy overhaul -- McClatchy Newspapers
Obama Overturns Bush Tactics in War on Terrorism -- Los Angeles Times
Obama Reverses Key Bush Security Policies -- New York Times
Obama gets tough on torture -- Canada.com
President Obama Orders Closure of Guantánamo -- The Times
Obama shuts network of CIA 'ghost prisons' -- The Guardian
Guantanamo Trials Suspended After Obama Request -- Voice of America
Closing Gitmo opens host of challenges for Obama -- Globe And Mail
Obama Moves to Overhaul 'War on Terror' Practices -- Christian Science Monitor
FACTBOX-Reaction to Obama order to close Guantanamo prison -- Reuters
Gates Cites Positive Response to Pending Guantanamo Closure -- AFPS
Will Europeans Take Detainees? -- Christian Science Monitor
Europe Hesitant to Take Gitmo Inmates -- Washington Times
Intelligence Pick Calls Torture Immoral, Ineffective -- Washington Post
Blair Urges Some Secrecy -- Washington Times
Freed by US, Saudi Becomes a Qaeda Chief -- New York Times

U.S. President Barack Obama signs an executive order closing the military prison at the U.S. military base in Guantanamo, Cuba, in the Oval Office on second official day at White House in Washington, Jan. 22, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Opinions, Commentaries, And Editorials

Beyond Guantanamo -- Chicago Tribune
A Perilous Road on Terror -- Washington Times editorial
Obama and Guantanamo -- Wall Street Journal editorial
Cases Complicate Closing of Guantanamo -- San Diego Union-Tribune
Guantanamo Remains a Problem for Obama -- Daily Telegraph editorial
Gitmo: Justice and Security -- Washington Post editorial
First Steps at Guantánamo -- New York Times editorial
Beyond Guantanamo -- Chicago Tribune editorial
The Jack Bauer Exception -- Wall Street Journal editorial
Torture Inquisition -- Wall Street Journal editorial
So Much To Be Undone -- Eugene Robinson, Washington Post
Where Should The Detainees Go? -- The Atlantic
Harsh Reality of Closing Guantánamo Bay -- The Times opinion
Eric Holder and the FALN -- Washington Times opinion
Has Obama Ended the 'War on Terror'? -- David Corn, Mother Jones
Gitmo: The Devil is in the Details -- Jennifer Rubin, Commentary
Sleeper Agent -- Weekly Standard opinion

My Comment: The legal issues that are now "up in the air" tells me that this is a bad sign of things to come. It appears that policy is being done on the fly with no appreciation of the consequences that they will produce. I can only hope that I am wrong, and that the President and his administration are right.