The Political Chase

Secretary Gates Proposed Closing Guantanamo

One of the first things Secretary of Defense Robert Gates wanted to do as part of cleaning up Donald Rumsfeld’s mess was to close Gitmo. But, it appears Mr. Gates does not have the influence Rummy had over W., and the old inner circle still runs the White House. Even though Gates had the support of Condoleezza Rice, his proposal was rejected by George Bush based largely on objections received from Dick Cheney and Alberto Gonzales.

In his first weeks as defense secretary, Robert M. Gates repeatedly argued that the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, had become so tainted abroad that legal proceedings at Guantanamo would be viewed as illegitimate, according to senior administration officials. He told President Bush and others that it should be shut down as quickly as possible.

Mr. Gates’s arguments were rejected after Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and some other government lawyers expressed strong objections to moving detainees to the United States, a stance that was backed by the office of Vice President Dick Cheney, administration officials said.

Although we know Abu Gonzales has enjoyed the power associated with W.’s inner sanctum, especially recently, it looks like Gonzales took the reigns of power Rumsfeld left behind. So, let’s review the new White House org chart.

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