Gates on Gitmo Closure: 'It's Going To Take A Little Longer'
By Susie Madrak Sunday Sep 27, 2009 5:00pm
(h/t David at VideoCafe.)
On This Week with George Stephanopoulus:
The Obama Administration is trying to engineer a soft-landing for the President's promise to close Guantanamo by January 22, 2010.
Friday morning White House officials told me that some detainees would still be in Gitmo after the deadline after this story broke in the Washington Post. And in our 'This Week' interview, Defense Secretary Robert Gates confirmed that "it's going to take a little longer" than promised to close the prison.
Here’s our full exchange:
STEPHANOPOULOS: A major story in "The Washington Post" suggesting that the president's deadline of January 22nd for closing Guantanamo will not be met. And White House officials tell me that at least some prisoners will still be in Guantanamo on January 22nd and beyond. How big a setback is that and how long will it take to finally close Guantanamo?
GATES: When the president elect met with his new national security team in Chicago on December 7th...
STEPHANOPOULOS: 2009.
GATES: ...last year, this issue was discussed, about closing Guantanamo and executive orders to do that and so on. And the question was, should we set a deadline? Should we pin ourselves down? I actually was one of those who said we should because I know enough from being around this town that if you don't put a deadline on something, you'll never move the bureaucracy. But I also said and then if we find we can't get it done by that time but we have a good plan, then you're in a position to say it's going to take us a little longer but we are moving in the direction of implementing the policy that the president set. And I think that's the position that we're in.
STEPHANOPOULOS: That's where we are. So the deadline of January 22nd will not be met?
GATES: It's going to be tough.
STEPHANOPOULOS: And -- and how many prisoners will be there on January 22nd, do you know?
GATES: I don't know the answer to that.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Is it -- but, as you said, it's going to be tough and likely will not be met.
GATES: We'll see.
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Oh boy.
Here we go again. Not getting out of Iraq. Putting MORE troops in Afghanistan. Not closing Gitmo. How many more failures is Gates going to preside over? More than past time to dump that BushCo relic.
still a bushie
I'm still disappointed that Obama chose to keep this Bush League Douchebag around...
Very impressive. Even with Obama in charge for the past 9 months, you still were able to push the blame on Bush for things happening in Obama's cabinet. I guess the buck stops here only applies to those decisions that obama does well?
--time for partisanship to walk and america to applaud good government and rail against bad
Hmmm, I don't see anybody blaming Bush. I do see folks blaming Bush appointees and Obama for keeping them around, plus there seems to be a fair bit of railing against bad government.
So what was your real point?
So you read the above comments that all include bush in the statement as not being attacks against bush and his administration?
The only comment remotely towards obama and his administration states "I'm still disappointed that Obama chose to keep this Bush League Douchebag around...", which is about Obama's choice, not the decision that his administration is making.
Remember Obama is the head of the government so all that flows from that government that he doesn't rebuke is his responsibility. Bush is no longer in office.
such an incredible success story....why, they are being imprisoned over there, so they don't have to be imprisoned over here...etc, etc...but we guarantee it will almost be closed just in time for re-election! How can anyone support this? Dems or Rethugs? How can anyone support locking someone up for years, without trial, without proving anyone's guilt? What, they are all guilty cuz the government says so? The government says alot of things that are outright lies and total BS.
My name is Big John and I told you so !!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAH Obama changes NOTHING. Democrat, Republican, matters NOTHING. You live in a one party state.
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