U.S. mulls Guantanamo closure as Bush term nears end

Reuters ^

[Sub-Driver]

U.S. mulls Guantanamo closure as Bush term nears end Fri May 2, 2008 2:01pm EDT

By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration could announce plans by the end of its term in January to close Guantanamo prison and an upcoming Supreme Court ruling might be the impetus for this, senior U.S. officials and experts say.

The government is under international and domestic pressure to close the prison, which opened at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay on Cuba in January 2002 to house terrorism suspects caught after the invasion of Afghanistan.

"A decision could be made in this administration to announce the closure of Guantanamo. It is unlikely in the next nine months that Guantanamo could be physically (closed) but it is possible the policy decision could be taken to close it," said a senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition he was not identified because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Officials say planning and debate has intensified in recent months over how to deal with Guantanamo, which President George W. Bush acknowledges has tarnished America's image and human rights advocates say has damaged U.S credibility.

"Everyone is agreed that we need to find a way that eventually leads to the closure of Guantanamo, which is the president's policy decision. It is a very complicated matter," said National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe.

The Supreme Court is expected to rule within weeks whether Guantanamo prisoners have rights under the U.S. Constitution even though they are held on the base in Cuba, where the United States has had a presence for about 100 years.

[theFIRMbss]

>U.S. mulls Guantanamo closure

Does Lex still maintain 33.1 buildings? Send the inmates there . . .

[Slapshot68]

If the courts say they have to move them to the U.S. mainland, I’d say we let them walk to Florida.

[Puppage]

Everyone is agreed that we need to find a way that eventually leads to the closure of Guantanamo

Kill 'em all, then close the doors.

I don't have a problem with that.

[L98Fiero]

“A decision could be made in this administration to announce the closure of Guantanamo. It is unlikely in the next nine months that Guantanamo could be physically (closed) but it is possible the policy decision could be taken to close it,” said a senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition he was not identified because of the sensitivity of the issue.

I’m sorry but this is 2008. If somebody isn’t willing to stand behind their own statements, they should not be quoted. Every time I see an anonymous source, I think, “Made up quote”.

[tobyhill]

My bet is 5-4 that they don’t have US Constitutional rights but the USSC could rule that President Bush has to close GITMO within 6 months or they will. The problem the USSC will have with GITMO is that they will also have to rule that any base outside US territory holding prisoners would afford these prisoners Constitutional rights, including in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Augustinian monk]

Now the the rest of the world will have a better opinion of the U.S.

/s

[avacado]

Put their sorry butts in the general population of Huntsville State Prison in Texas. The problem will correct itself.

[Blue Turtle]

I haven’t agreed with this decision. But who am I? A typical white guy.

Nice to see us winning the war on terror. Let’s train muslims to fly one way, let’s give muslims student visas, let’s allow box cutters on airlines, let’s continue to profile grandma at the airport line....woo hoo. Land of the free....

[Cementjungle]

Put the terrorists up for adoption. Perhaps some nice lesbian couples in Boston will adopt them and take them home.

[MNJohnnie]

Yeah, are these the same “officals” the NY Time quoted in 2006 and 2007 who claimed Bush was finalizing plans to close Gitmo then?

This same lie keep getting reported and re-reported. At what point are the “Journalists” going to quit reporting the lie?

[elpadre]

I would construct a high security prison, a duplicate of GITMO, in Afghanistan and transfer them all there.

One thing is certain, they must not be brought onto the American continent!!!

[lexusppd]

I don't see why this should be a problem. Close the place and have the swine housed in Turkish prisons. It won't be very long before the clamor will be deafening to have Gitmo reopened.

[SunkenCiv]

Bush administration could announce plans by the end of its term in January to close Guantanamo prison and an upcoming Supreme Court ruling might be the impetus for this

So, we should turn the creeps over from US custody to the forgiving people of Afghanistan.

[ninonitti]

Now the the rest of the world will have a better opinion of the U.S.

You mean the folks holding all those IOU's from the US Trreasury?

[kinghorse]

They’ll close it. Too valuable a political symbol for the unhinged left to use if they should get the Presidency and be the ones to close it.

[samadams2000]

Yeah I guess only a certain percentage of the released godless pirates went on to kill innocents again, so maybe the time is right.../s

[Uncle Ivan]

This same lie keep getting reported and re-reported. At what point are the “Journalists” going to quit reporting the lie?

You know the saying: "if you repeat a lie for long enough..."