VIDEO -- Gitmo Watch: Pentagon walkback

By GottaLaff

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

UPDATE: Video of Adam Serwer added, blog title reflects change.

To quote Adam Serwer: "Why is the administration pretending Gitmo will be closed on time? I just hope they close it period":

The Pentagon general counsel, July 7:

Pentagon General Counsel Jeh Johnson suggested to the Senate Armed Services Committee today that the difficulties inherent in bringing legal charges against (or deciding on preventive detention for) about 220 detainees at Guantanamo Bay means that some continued detention past President Obama’s January 2010 deadline for closing the detention facility was likely, “whether at Guantanamo or somewhere else.” That sounded like the first concession from a senior administration official that Guantanamo Bay wouldn’t definitely be shuttered by the deadline.

The Pentagon general counsel, July 24:

“Additional reviews are ongoing, and the process is on track,”, Johnson said. “We remain committed to closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility within the one-year time frame ordered by the president.”

[...] There isn’t a plan in place for charging or repatriating or incarcerating the vast majority of them. Six months remain before the January time frame Obama laid out for shuttering the facility. Why believe it’s getting closed on time?

All my previous posts on this subject matter can be found here; That link includes audio and video interviews with Lt. Col. Wingard, one by David Shuster, one by Ana Marie Cox, and more. My guest commentary at BuzzFlash is here.

If you are inclined to help rectify these injustices: Twitterers, use the hashtag #FreeFayiz. We have organized a team to get these stories out. If you are interested in helping Fayiz out, e-mail me at The Political Carnival, address in sidebar to the right; or tweet me at @GottaLaff.

If you'd like to see other ways you can take action, go here and scroll down to the end of the article.

Then read Jane Mayer's book The Dark Side. You'll have a much greater understanding of why I post endlessly about this, and why I'm all over the CIA deception issues, too.

More of Fayiz's story here, at Answers.com.