Washington Post: Obama regrets not closing Guantanamo on first day in office
President Obama said Wednesday that he wished he had brushed aside Republican objections and closed the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, during his first days in office.
Obama's remarks on the controversial prison, which was opened in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, came in response to a seventh-grader's question following a speech at the City Club of Cleveland. She asked what do-over he would like from the first day of his first term as president.
"I think I would have closed Guantanamo on the first day," Obama responded to applause from the crowd. "I didn’t at that time because we had a bipartisan agreement that it should be closed." Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the Republican presidential nominee, had also championed closing the facility during the 2008 election.
WNU Editor: At the time many Democrats and Republicans were hostile to such a move. The simple reason being that there were/are dozens of detainees who are just too dangerous to be released and/or the evidence that was obtained would not be enough (or even admissible because of torture) to convict them in a US courtroom (unlike a military trial) ..... detainees like alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and his accomplices come immediately to mind.
More News On President Obama having Regrets Not Closing Guantanamo On First Day In Office
Barack Obama regrets not closing Guantánamo Bay when first elected -- The Guardian
Obama: I should've "closed Guantanamo on the first day" -- CBS
Obama's Regret: Not Closing Guantanamo on Day One -- Bloomberg
Obama thinks he should’ve closed Gitmo on first day -- Washington Times
Obama Regrets Not Closing Guantanamo Prison 'On The First Day' -- Huffington Post
1 comment:
It surprises me that the prisoners didn't suggest CIA involvement even if there was none. Then again perhaps that is why they have been held so long. In this day and given the spurious nature of the US security departments, anything is possible.
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