W.H. Striving to Meet Gitmo Goal, But Challenges Remain
"Because there are so many different dimensions to this. In terms of prosecutions, whether it's under article three or military commission or transfers or releases or preventative detentions or whatever," John Brennan said in response to a question at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "It is our full intention to close down Guantanamo Bay per the president's direction. And we are doing everything possible that we are able to meet that directive and meet that deadline."
When pressed about the difficulty in meeting the January 2010 deadline for closing the prison, Brennan seemed to suggest that the meeting that goal could come down to the wire.
"I don't have a crystal ball that I can say with certainty because at this point, it is unknowable exactly how many people will be transferred in the next week, month, several months and what the conditions on the ground will be on 1 January and 21 January," said Brennan. "What I'm saying to you as a fact, is that everybody is doing everything possible within the administration to realize the president's goal."
He added that he hopes Congress will work with the administration to bring justice to the families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks and that those responsible for the attacks will be brought to trial.
Read more on Brennan's speech here -- "U.S. Terror Strategy: Hard and Soft Power">
Robert Hendin is a CBS News White House producer. You can read more of his posts in Hotsheet here.