A U.S. Army soldier closes the gate at maximum security prison Camp Delta at Guantanamo Naval Base August 25, 2004 in Guantanamo, Cuba. REUTERS/MARK WILSON/POOL
Reuters: Obama to make good on Guantanamo pledge: White House chief of staff
President Barack Obama will make good on a promise to close the U.S. naval prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, his chief of staff Denis McDonough said on "Fox News Sunday."
Obama will first present a long-awaited plan to Congress about how to close the facility, and seek its approval, McDonough said in an interview. If Congress fails to act, the White House will determine what steps to take, he said.
"He feels an obligation to the next president. He will fix this so that they don't have to be confronted with the same set of challenges," McDonough said.
Obama pledged during the 2008 presidential election campaign that he would close the military prison, which housed foreign terrorism suspects after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
WNU Editor: The next U.S. president is going to be saddled with multiple wars and conflicts, economic uncertainly, and rising tensions with Russia/China/Middle East/etc. .... but the White House Chief of Staff is proud to say that the next President will not be saddled with the US naval prison in Guantanamo. Sighhh .... Guantanamo could have been closed in the first two years of President Obama's term when he had super-Democrat-majorities in both houses of Congress. It failed then as it will now for the simple reason that most Congressional representatives and Senators believe that it should not be closed. Talk about throwing a non-existent bone to the next US President .... but I guess it will appease the left-wing base of the Democrat party that at least something is being done.