When Barack Obama campaigned for the presidency, he repeatedly promised to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center, where hundreds of terrorist suspects have been held since the beginning of the War on Terror.
As recently as last Sunday, he told 60 Minutes that he intended to keep his promise. "I have said repeatedly that I intend to close Guantanamo, and I will follow through on that,” Obama said, adding that the planned closure was “part and parcel of an effort to regain America's moral stature in the world.”
However, as president elect, Barack Obama is now privy to the same intelligence briefings as President Bush. It is entirely possible that he now appreciates the dangers posed by Guantanamo’s detainees in a way that he didn’t while running for office.
For instance, according to some reports, as many as 36 former Gitmo detainees have gone on to participate in terrorists attacks upon their release from the facility. It may be that Obama, like so many presidents before him, will be forced to adjust his policies to match the newly available evidence.
“Now Obama has to live with these decisions,” the conservative commentator Ed Morrissey observes, “and not simply snipe from the sidelines.”
To his credit, the president-elect now seems to recognize that reality is more complicated than campaign rhetoric. But questions remain about his fundamental understanding of the War on Terror. Peter Schweizer, a former member of the Ultraterrorism Study Group and now a Hoover Institution research fellow, told me in an exclusive interview that Obama will “undoubtedly change America’s approach to fighting the war on terror” – and not necessarily for the better.
The president-elect “has said before that he thinks we need to treat this as a ‘law enforcement issue,’” said Schweizer. “Last time I checked there was a substantial difference between burglars and Middle Eastern terrorists. We need to destroy our enemies, not guarantee their rights.”
Comments
I can't Gitmo satisfaction. But I try and I try. I can't Gitmo. (Keith:guitar)
As the columnist Spengler often says,"Wars only end when the available supply of young men who will fight to the death for their cause get their wish."
Making nice with the enemy rarely accomplishes anything but your own demise.
Probably just one in a long list of campaign promises he won't be able to fulfil. Whole different outlook once the bullst bumps into reality.
Obama is a flake, so he won't close Gitmo.
In six months time we're going to see a whole trail of broken campaign promises.
Let's face it, this guy breezed in on melanin, and little else.
Look, closing Gitmo requires a clear, public decision. So it won't happen.
-
Next time, take fewer prisoners.
D.
He will do what mostly all politicians do. Wait & watch the poll numbers to make a decision.
Its the after effects that will be interesting. How many potential 9/11's are just biding there time at Gitmo.
Conversely what will his fanatic followers do? Act like the Prop 8 Gay's most likely.
Do nothing but allow his gravitas bolted to carefully crafted tale of an African American mystic blind folks. Just may stop anyone from saying anything if he just sits it out.
Who knows with this guy, he's cipher that has yet to epitomize anything.
Where is the Category 5 hurricane when you need one?
There are many there Bush wants to release. Why has he not done so? NO COUNTRY WILL TAKE THEM. So what will Obama do with them? House them in Chicago? Release them in New York as an idiotic judge has already said to do?
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!