It will take a few more years and a congressional change of heart, but President Obama’s promise to close the terrorist prison at Guantanamo Bay naval base is now on a timeline to take place before he leaves office on Jan. 20, 2017.

“It takes a while to get things going,” said a key senior administration official. But, the official said, “we’ve been putting in that time and we’ve been putting in the preparation, and I think we’re going to see the fruits of that very soon.”