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>> Legitimate question: what could Obama have done better? I don't know, i'm no politician; i'm just waiting on the 2008 Obama campaign promise to close Guanta

by serf 10y ago

>> Legitimate question: what could Obama have done better? I don't know, i'm no politician; i'm just waiting on the 2008 Obama campaign promise to close Guantanamo Bay (to clarify: I mean cease black operations at that site indefinitely -- I don't have any illusions that the U.S. will stop illegal black operations internationally.). I don't know whether or not if it's an impossibility at this point to do so; but I also believe if it is impossible it probably shouldn't have been a campaign promise used to influence voters.

Jtsummers 10y ago
He lacked sufficient Congressional support for a lot of that. And when he did release detainees? He was demonized by many (particularly from the right).
gethoht 10y ago
Let's hope you're so particular when it comes to Trump and his campaign promises. So far his "draining the swamp" means he's filled it with establishment sewage. http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/10/politics/donald-trump-transition-drain-the-swamp/ http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/10/politics/donald-trump-transiti...
pavlov 10y ago
Closing Guantànamo Bay turned out to be much more difficult than Obama assumed. The full sordid story can be found here: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/08/01/why-obama-has-failed-to-close-guantanamo http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/08/01/why-obama-has-f...
ryanbrunner 10y ago
I agree with the overall message that Obama was way more establishment than he made himself seem in the campaign, but Guantanamo is a horrible example. He's consistently brought it up and fight for it, if it was an empty campaign promise he would have quietly never mentioned it again. Impossibility can mean a couple of things - the logistical challenges of where Guantanamo prisoners should go, and the impossibility of getting it done in a Republican-controlled senate and house. The first is in line with your point, although I think it's a reasonable assumption that Obama honestly underestimated the challenge. For the second, it's not reasonable to call it a broken promise if he made a good faith effort and was blocked by something out of his control (that he couldn't have necessarily predicted)

by serf 10y ago

Jtsummers 10y ago

He lacked sufficient Congressional support for a lot of that. And when he did release detainees? He was demonized by many (particularly from the right).

gethoht 10y ago

Let's hope you're so particular when it comes to Trump and his campaign promises. So far his "draining the swamp" means he's filled it with establishment sewage. http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/10/politics/donald-trump-transition-drain-the-swamp/ http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/10/politics/donald-trump-transiti...

pavlov 10y ago

Closing Guantànamo Bay turned out to be much more difficult than Obama assumed. The full sordid story can be found here: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/08/01/why-obama-has-failed-to-close-guantanamo http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/08/01/why-obama-has-f...

ryanbrunner 10y ago

I agree with the overall message that Obama was way more establishment than he made himself seem in the campaign, but Guantanamo is a horrible example. He's consistently brought it up and fight for it, if it was an empty campaign promise he would have quietly never mentioned it again. Impossibility can mean a couple of things - the logistical challenges of where Guantanamo prisoners should go, and the impossibility of getting it done in a Republican-controlled senate and house. The first is in line with your point, although I think it's a reasonable assumption that Obama honestly underestimated the challenge. For the second, it's not reasonable to call it a broken promise if he made a good faith effort and was blocked by something out of his control (that he couldn't have necessarily predicted)