President Barack Obama delivered on more campaign promises today. At the White House, the president signed three executive orders: one to close the controversial U.S. run prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and two others banning torture and setting up a task force to oversee these changes.
These swift decisions are a clear break with the Bush administration and send a message to the world. President Obama says: “This is following through not just on a commitment I made during the campaign but an understanding that dates back to our Founding Fathers, that we are willing to observe core standards of conduct — not just when it’s easy but also when it’s hard.”
President Obama’s order on Guantanamo would shut down that detention center within a year. It is hoped that will give time for U.S. officials to determine what to do with 245 alleged enemy combatants still being held at Guantanamo.
