http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6508779.stm
The title says it all really.
About fucking time.
He’s right. Just look at the undercurrents of the discussion of the Iraqi/British crisis today. “Well, the US tortures people at Guantanamo, so why should Iran be judged?”
Reportedly, this was one of the first things that Gates tried to do as soon as he was confirmed by the Senate. He and Rice made a strong argument to the president to close Gitmo, but then Gonzalez weighed in against them and Shrub said no. But with Alberto on the ropes right now thanks to Attorneygate/Purgegate, Gates is smelling blood.
Technically, the US doesn’t torture people in Guantanamo. It tortures people in Afghanistan and Iraq, and frequently ships out prisoners in need of extra-special torture above the presidentially approved generous torturing guidlines to nations that are less squeemish.
Yeah, but Gitmo is a purgatory-in-plain view of the world. The US stashes prisoners there because it’s not technically US soil, thus depriving them of the US justice system, and everyone knows it. And so Gitmo has become a huge black mark against the US.