“Officials say the president’s report on anti-terrorism policies will be delayed. That report is key to shutting down Guantanamo Prison. The administration needs six more months to decide how to integrate and how to transfer terror suspects, but the White House says it will move quote substantially more than 50 detainees to other countries and still plans to close Guantanamo by the end of the year.” (FOX News)
January 22. That is both the day that Obama originally stated Guantanamo would be shut down within the year and now the day the delayed final report on the controversial prison will be completed. Our research shows the media’s focus has shifted from the detention center’s closing to the administration’s promises.
We’ve been following the media’s reactions to this news.
On MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson sees no real reason for the delay.
“They said they were gonna’ do it so obviously they are going to have to figure out a way to do it. You can’t shut it down with the people still in there. What are they gonna’ find to do with those people a month after their deadline or six months after their deadline that they can’t figure out now? It seems to me a year was not an unreasonable amount of time to figure it out and it seems to me they still have time to do it.”
For MSNBC’s host Rachel Maddow, the subtle difference in the administrations language when answering questions about the delay is concerning…
“The delays were confirmed at a white house briefing tonight where according to Isikioff ‘One senior administration official twice referred to closing Guantanamo as a “goal” – when pressed they said it was “on track.” Remember when closing Guantanamo by January was a commitment, not a goal?”
However, the BBC is not so quick to assume this delay means Obama will not achieve his…goals.
“It would be wrong to conclude that the president's promise will not be achieved. It would be right to conclude that meeting the target could be a close-run thing.”
But Al Jazeera English views the delay as yet another stumbling block in the Guantanamo issue and wonders just how much tripping up the administration can take.
“Whether in Afghanistan or the small corner of Cuba there is agreement within the administration and within the military that things need to change. Obama has made that clear. What is less clear is whether the presidents commitment can survive in the face of growing complication.”
Politico views the decision as more strategic, citing the officials’ claims that recent legislation concerning the deportation of detainees passed by Congress has hampered the process…
“The decision not to stake out a new Guantanamo policy this week effectively punts the issue to the end of September, when the Congressional restrictions run out.”
Will the delay prevent the Obama administration from upholding its promise to close Guantanamo or does the deadline matter less than responsible decision-making?
