PRESIDENT Obama Closure of Guantanamo Bay at Least 6 Months Away, U.S. Commander Says

[Geee]

Fox News:

Obama Closure of Guantanamo Bay at Least 6 Months Away, U.S. Commander Says

President Barack Obama's pledge to shut down the prison at Guantanamo Bay will not be honored until at least a year after his self-imposed deadline, according to the man in charge of the facility, Britain's The Independent newspaper reported Thursday.

In his first interview since taking up the post three months ago, Admiral Jeffrey Harbeson said he is yet to receive direct orders to begin the transfer of prisoners from the U.S. naval base in Cuba so he can close the detention facility.

And he said that even if Obama implemented such an order today it would take six months to complete the job.

This would mean any closure would come a year after the January 2010 deadline imposed by the president when he signed an executive order in 2009.

[Valin]

Admiral Harbeson, the 10th commander of the camps since they were opened in January 2002, said as a "ball-park figure" it would take his Guard Force six months to close Guantanamo.

Asked if he had received an instruction to implement Obama's order, he replied: "No."

 

So in other words nothing has changed.

[Chickadee]

Sounds like timing of the closure might coincide with the beginnings of his 2012 re-election campaign. Now wouldn't that just be a convenient coincidence for him to be able to say he had fulfilled his campaign promise?