CLOSING GITMO….This is more a contingency plan than a firm commitment, but it’s still good to hear that Gitmo may be on its way to the dustbin of history:
The Defense Department is drawing up plans to close the Guantanamo Bay military prison in anticipation that one of President-elect Barack Obama’s first acts will be ordering the closure of the detention center associated with the abuse of terror suspects.
….The prison, built to hold suspected terrorists after the 2001 U.S.-led military intervention in Afghanistan, now houses about 250 detainees, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammad and others accused in connection with the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
….”If this is one of the president-elect’s first orders of business, the secretary wants to be prepared to help him as soon as possible,” Morrell said. “The request (for a closure plan) has been made, his team is working on it so that he can be prepared to assist the president-elect should he wish to address this very early in his tenure.”
It’s worth reiterating that closing Guantanamo doesn’t address the fundamental issue of what to do with all the detainees. There are still some very difficult issues to settle on that score. But it would be a helluva good start.