Guantanamo prison may have to stay open until 2011

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama's commitment to close the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by next month may be delayed until 2011 because it will take months for the government to buy an Illinois prison and upgrade it to hold suspected terrorists.

The drawn-out construction timetable shows the political risk of Obama's pledge, a delay that could even be extended by congressional opposition to funding the purchase and upgrades for the Thomson Correctional Center, an underused state facility about 150 miles west of Chicago.

Lawmakers in both parties have been wary of bringing detainees to the United States. Attorney General Eric Holder already has decided that self-declared 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others will be tried in federal court in New York City.

In the Senate, a spokesman for Republican leader Mitch McConnell promised that the GOP would use delaying tactics to prevent funding the Illinois facility and added that he expected support from Democrats.

"I think there will be bipartisan opposition" to bringing detainees to Illinois, Donald Stewart said.

Congress also needs to change a law prohibiting detention in the U.S. of detainees who are not awaiting trial.

The prison in rural western Illinois may not be purchased from the state until March and will need up to 10 months of construction, said Joe Shoemaker, spokesman for Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.

Shoemaker said, "The end of 2010 or the start of 2011 has always been the mark the administration talked to us about."

Obama originally said Guantanamo would close Jan. 22, 2010. While that date proved unrealistic, the president has directed administration officials to move quickly to acquire the maximum-security prison in Illinois.

White House spokesman Ben LaBolt on Wednesday would not say when Guantanamo would close.

"The president remains as committed today to closing the detention facility at Guantanamo as he was when he entered office, and substantial progress has been made in recent weeks," LaBolt told The Associated Press. "The detainee population at Guantanamo is now smaller than it has been at any time since 2002.

"We will work with Congress to ensure that we secure the necessary funds to purchase and upgrade the Thomson prison — which will operate at a substantially lower cost to taxpayers — next year," he said.

The failure to meet the timetable may have cost White House counsel Greg Craig his job, since Craig, who is leaving next month, was heading the effort to close the facility.

In addition to any appropriations struggles, current federal law requires that detainees can only be housed in the United States while their trials are pending. That law would have to be changed to cover detainees who have not yet been charged and will not be sent abroad. The change would have to specify that detainees could be kept on U.S. soil for any purpose.

The Justice Department said last weekend that since 2002, more than 560 detainees have departed the military prison in Cuba and 198 remain.

"We're hitting the anticipated bumps" in the timetable for using the Illinois facility, Shoemaker said.

He added that many lawmakers would not vote to change the law or provide the funds until the administration submits a comprehensive plan on the handling of the remaining prisoners.

Federal officials tried on Tuesday to allay fears that moving terror suspects from Guantanamo to Illinois could make the state a terrorist target.

The director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Harley Lappin, told a state legislative panel that a new perimeter fence and other measures would make Thomson "the most secure of all federal prisons in the country."

The 12-member Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability could vote on a recommendation to sell the prison that skirts the Mississippi River, but Gov. Pat Quinn does not have to follow the recommendation.

The commission said it would not vote on the proposal before Jan. 14.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091224/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_guantanamo

It must scare the Republicans to death that Obama is keeping his Campaign Promises.

Delay, obstruct, delay, obstruct, delay, obstruct!

at the title of your thread

New title

Obama fails to close Guantanamo within one year as PROMISED.

Don't blame the Republicans now Democrats have the majority everywhere so as they are doing everything else as they like. IF they really wanted to get this done they would. Not buying that this is a republican issue sounds like the old Obama, Pelosi's proganda machine has just been freshly oiled.

Obama originally said Guantanamo would close Jan. 22, 2010.

At least he's trying!
Too bad the Anti-American Party is once again trying to delay it.

Better late than never. I'm pretty sure Americans can see his difficulty.

well then, I'm sure americans can understand Bush's dilemna

The big difference is that only 28% of the people supported Bush's Policies!

Obama will be there soon...soon!!!

Do you really think so?

And, Why?

To more and more it is obvious....others are "Still in Denial"

Really He is trying... I am sorry don't see it...I hear alot of excuses and Bush blaming.. Get over it already he had a democratic senate and house what more does he want?

He manages to get everything else done he wants if he really wanted it closed it would be.

All you have to do is OPEN YOUR EYES and MIND!

LMAO!

Yep.

Open your mind and repeat this mantra over and over until you believe it.

" The government is good. The government knows what's best for us. The government is good. The government would never lie to us. "

Repeat this often enough, and you'll begin to see it as the truth.

I would never say that!

I would however say that under the current Admin the gov is closer to being of the people than I've seen in my 49 years!

How much closer! Oodles! Like 99.9% closer than during the last Admin!

Perfect? No!
Will it ever be perfect? NO!
Could it ever be perfect? No, but eliminate the Republican Party as a major political party and we'd be getting a lot closer.

First it was all Bush's fault...now you have progressed to it being the whole damn republican parties fault.....



Merry Christmas!!!

I like you cricster!
Merry Christmas brother!

Darn Republicans!

How would the Republican Party dying bring us any closer to a " perfect " system??

You would prefer having the entire government be run by Democrats??

Take a good look at the state of California. That will give you a good idea of what the result for the entire country would be.

And I KNOW that Arnie claims to be a Republican...but he's a Democrat in actions.

They are corrupt and anti-american!

I think I've explained this at least 100 times!

I'll begin again tomorrow!

Good Night Justaguy!

Yeah, he's not doing a good job. the economy is getting worse under HIS watch and I think people are starting to see him as another Jimmy Carter meaning he is a limp dick with no back bone.

Washington (CNN) -- The Senate passed a $871 billion health care reform bill Thursday morning, handing President Obama a Christmas Eve victory on his top domestic priority.

The bill passed in a 60-39 party line vote after months of heated partisan debate. Every member of the Democratic caucus backed the measure; every Republican opposed it.

Republican Sen. Jim Bunning of Kentucky -- a staunch opponent of the bill -- was the lone senator to miss Thursday's vote.

Should it become law, the measure would constitute the biggest expansion of federal health care guarantees since the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid more than four decades ago. It is expected to extend insurance coverage to 30 million additional Americans.

"We are now finally poised to deliver on the promise of real, meaningful health insurance reform that will bring additional security and stability to the American people," Obama said shortly after the vote.

"If passed, this will be the most important piece of social legislation since the Social Security Act passed in the 1930s."
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Not over yet by any means, but step one is complete. I find it rather amusing that EVERY single republican senator voted against with their paltry 39. By the way, their little scare tactics; they care nothing about productive beneficial policy, they are laying the groundwork for their 2010 campaigns. Sow dischord, fear, and paranoia, this is their gameplan. It may only be December of 09, but you can clearly see what the GOP is up to.