Retreat: White House Admits Closing Guantanamo Was “A Hasty Decision” – With Video

US President Barack Obama listens to his introduction by FBI Director Robert Mueller, seen here in April 2009, before speaking to employees at FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mueller Wednesday undermined President Barack Obama’s plan to close the Guantanamo Bay prison by warning that detainees could fuel terrorism if transferred to US soil.

Real Clear Politics:

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said closing the detention center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, was a “hasty decision,” in his daily press briefing with reporters.

President Obama’s decision to close the controversial detention center in the early days of his presidency was met with adulation on the political left and earned headlines in newspapers across the world. It was seen as a clear break from Bush-era national security policy.

But recently Obama has irked many liberals with his decision to continue Bush-era military commissions to try Guantanamo Bay prisoners and his decision not to release photographs allegedly depicting U.S. soldiers abusing detainees in Afghanistan and Iraq. To an extent, this break with the political left is indicative of the difference between campaigning and governing.

Gibbs’ comment appears to affirm some White House critics who argued that closing Guantanamo Bay was a policy shift easier said than done.

The White House comment comes on the eve of a major national security speech by Obama. Obama is expected to address, in part, Senate Democrats’ opposition to funding the closure of Gitmo. Democrats are withholding funding the closing of Gitmo until the White House offers a clear plan on how the detention center will be shut down and importantly, where detainees will be sent.

The closure of Guantanamo Bay has quickly turned into a “not in my backyard” issue. No U.S. representative wants to explain why a Gitmo detainee was allowed to live in his or her district. In the same vein, Obama has found U.S. allies no more willing to accept detainees. France and Britain each accepted one former detainee. There are about 240 detainees at Guantánamo Bay and 30 are clear for release.