Gates Argued for Closing Guantanamo Bay
“In his first weeks as defense secretary”, the New York Times reports , “Robert M. Gates repeatedly argued that the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, had become so tainted abroad that legal proceedings at Guantánamo would be viewed as illegitimate, according to senior administration officials. He told President Bush and others that it should be shut down as quickly as possible.”
Although supported by Condoleezza Rice, he failed to convince Bush - mostly because both Gonzales and U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney “expressed strong objections to moving detainees to the United States.”
An anonymous senior administration official said, however, that the battle isn’t over yet: Gonzales might be forced to step down as a result of the scandal involving the dismissal of the USA’s. Perhaps Gonzales’ successor will be less fervently opposed to closing Guantanamo Bay, or, perhaps, he’ll have less influence…
Even if Gonzales doesn’t resign the battle will continue: he is severely weakened. He already has less influence.
I hope that Gates and other ‘realists’ will win this debate. Gitmo should be closed ASAP. Guantanamo Bay isn’t just in breach with everything America stands for or at least used to stand for, it also does great damage to America’s image abroad. People like myself, pro-America, have great difficult defending America as long as America seems to be dedicated to turn the entire world against itself.
