With his plans to close Guantanamo Bay detention center held up by his own party in Congress, President Barack Obama will try to regain command of the issue today with a showcase speech on detainee policy.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney will roll out a speech of his own today, continuing his harsh critique of the administration’s national security policies.
It’s a tough spot for Obama, who on his first day in office signed an order to close the prison at Guantanamo, to cheers from Democratic supporters.
“There’s no doubt Obama is learning, as all presidents do, that it’s easy to campaign and pretend there are easy solutions,” said Aubrey Jewett, a political scientist at the University of Central Florida. “When you actually take office, you get hit with the full weight of responsibility.”
The unraveling of Obama’s detainee policy came quickly, with the president’s reversal on releasing abuse photos and decision to continue the Bush administration’s military commission trials with some changes.
Democrats in Congress, under pressure from constituents and their Republican counterparts, balked at funding $80 million to close the prison, and demanded a plan for handling the 240 prisoners still housed there.
“The Democrats saw the vote coming, and saw that nobody in America wants a terrorist in their neighborhood,” said Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala. “That’s the bottom line.”
The disposition of Guantanamo leaves Obama with no easy options. His executive order calls for shuttering the prison in January 2010 — just more than six months away. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said there were no plans to push back that date.
“We’re going to work with Congress on a timeline that makes sense for us and for them,” Gibbs said. “I think the president looks forward to speaking, at longer length, about a series and a basket of issues: detainees, detention, photos.”
Cheney, from the White House perspective, is proving an unanticipated distraction to the president’s efforts. While the former vice president remains politically unpopular, the leadership void in the Republican Party is giving Cheney’s frequent criticism of Obama a high profile.
The same-day timing of their two speeches on national security is a coincidence of scheduling. Cheney’s appearance at the American Enterprise Institute was planned well in advance of Obama’s at the National Archives.
The dueling addresses are unlucky for Obama, who will have to share the day’s news cycle with his most prominent critic. The matchup is a boon for Cheney, however, whose message will likely gain attention as a counterpoint to Obama’s.
The president’s resolve against prosecuting torturers, releasing detainee abuse photos and in favor of reinstating military commissions has angered his liberal base. But a more pressing issue for the president today will be mollifying his own party in Congress.
To that end, Democrats are looking for specifics — and not the broad-strokes philosophical statements the president tends to deliver in significant policy speeches.
“Democrats under no circumstances will move forward without a comprehensive, responsible plan from the president,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
