Attorney General Eric Holder vows to close Guantanamo

[Playinghardball]

Source: Reuters via Raw Story

PARIS (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Monday the United States would close the Guantanamo Bay facility holding terrorism suspects in Cuba, despite missing a previous deadline to do so.

On an official visit to Paris, Holder stressed what he called unprecedented intelligence-sharing ties between France and the United States against a united enemy, al Qaeda, that he said still held the two countries and its allies in its sights.

The recent killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was unlikely to affect the timing of the closure of the Guantanamo facility, Holder said.

"Although we have not closed Guantanamo within the time period that we initially indicated ... it is still the intention of the president, and it is still my intention, to close the facility that exists in Guantanamo," Holder told a joint news briefing with French Interior Minister Claude Gueant.

More at: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/05/09/attorney-general-eric-holder-vows-to-close-guantanamo/

[gratuitous]

1. Well, there are "vows" and then there are "stated intentions"

Just like there are "oaths of office" and actual behavior once the formalities are out of the way.

[cherokeeprogressive]

3. Ain't THAT right... n/t

[midnight]

4. True...

[Autumn]

2. Heard that one before.

Didn't believe it then, don't believe it now.

[sharp_stick]

5. Obama signed an executive order to close it

the Democratic, at the time, Congress refused to fund it. The failure here is fully on the head of Congress because they were and are too damned gutless to even try the scumbags in civilian courts.

Part of that fear probably comes from the idea that a lot of evidence was gathered under torture and would be tossed. They may have good reason to fear that.

[Zen Democrat]

6. You can't blame Obama. Congress obstructed every effort to close Gitmo.

And the Democrats controlled both chambers. Blame Blue Dogs.

[Cant trust em]

7. Good luck. nt

[Iggo]

8. Yeah, whatever.

Heard it before.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

9. Yeah. Sure. OK. Maybe Holder should try selling some Hair Restorer while he's at it.

[Tx4obama]

10. Hey Obama said he'd hunt down & kill Osama & he did, Obama said he'd close Gitmo & he will n/t

[Proud Liberal Dem]

14. Sometimes, I find the lack of faith here in our DEMOCRATIC POTUS..........disturbing

n/t

[Moondog]

11. The only way Gitmo is going to close any time soon

is if the vast majority of the current confinees are summarily executed. Why? Because either we won't let them go, or their countries of origin will not take them back.

And as long as that is the case, Congress, both the '08 and the '10 flavors, will not permit it to be closed.

The operative facts here are not going to change in the foreseeable future. So, until that happens, or the inmates are offed, Club Gitmo will continue ever onward.

[Bandit]

12. I suppose that will happen immediately after Bush* and Cheney are charged for war crimes..

:shrug:

[Proud Liberal Dem]

13. Do people around here think that they're keeping it open

just because they (secretly) want to? We need to fight Congress on this. They're the roadblock here- wetting their pants over terrorists being housed in supermax prisons that nearly everybody appears to be content with housing serial murderers, rapists, etc. :shrug: