Holder: Unfair To Blame Greg Craig For Gitmo Failures

Attorney General Eric Holder said Friday that he was surprised by the resignation of White House Counsel Greg Craig and believes Craig has been unfairly blamed for the administration's difficulties in closing the prison base at Guantanamo Bay.

Briefing reporters at the Department of Justice, Holder called Craig a "great lawyer" who had "contributed in a significant way to the success of this administration." On the issue of shutting down Gitmo -- a project that Craig spearheaded within the administration, but which has stalled in Congress -- the AG insisted that it was wrong to scapegoat one person.

"Greg is a friend of mine," he said, "and those who have tried to place on him, I think, an unfair proportion of the blame as to why things have not proceeded, perhaps as we've wanted, with respect to Guantanamo, that is simply unfair."

Craig's departure from the White House on Friday was long anticipated. Inside the administration, there was a growing frustration over what aides considered a botched political process, which was Craig's responsibility. Those who know Craig personally, meanwhile, say he felt increasingly frustrated with his role within the administration. He had, initially, wanted to be part of the White House's foreign policy apparatus.

The push to close Guantanamo has met various pitfalls since it became a stated administrative objective, with Congress balking at the prospect of bringing detainees to domestic prison facilities. And now, it is widely assumed that the one-year deadline for shutting the detention center will be missed.

"I think it is going to be difficult to close that facility by January the 22nd," Holder told reporters on Friday. "There are a number of things that I think are most problematic."

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Comments

[talkitreal]

The Obama Administration is working to correct yet another one of Bush's many mistakes! So whatever time is needed to close Gotmo, so be it, as long as it is closed by this Administration.

[hhayden]

Closing Guantanamo is another of Obama's stupidest ideas. Like these up coming show trials that will treat the ter''rortists like citizens and give them a platform to spew their propsganda.

[JerryAguy]

Wasn't this the guy who signed of on Marc Rich?

[mikebarden]

congress was suppose to be capitalized but maybe it's better this way?

[hhayden]

I don't capitalize anything I don't respect. You'll nrver see me capitalize democrat or republican.

[mikebarden]

So all the problema havta do with congress, haugh?

[Wisconsin Dave]

FINANCIAL COUP ---- UNDER COVER OF TORTURE

Surely torture was a major distraction from the $11 trillion handed over
to high finance last winter, along with the auto bailouts and a make
believe healthcare reform that is nothing more than a bailout for the
insurance industry.

For absolute and irreversible is our total loss of governmental
control, as our wealth has been shipped out of the country
and all they left us with is a national debt impossible to repay.

[hrholmes]

With friends and support from the likes of Holder he seems more and more like Robert Steele. Gonna go and prosecute the victims with nothing but tainted testimony from torture and not go after the torturers huh? freakin brilliant.

[LeeCalif]

Holder really stood up for his friend ........after his resignation was accepted........

[AMTHEONE0999]

POTUS has to stand by the people that were for him since the beginning. Greg Craig was a classmate of the Clintons in Yale and defended then President Clinton during his impeachment. However, he put his friendship aside and supported Obama as a candidate. He orchestrated and directed Obama's Europe/Middle East tour during the "08 campaign which made him look more presidential than anything else during that year. Obama has turned his back on great talent that has helped him get where he is now starting with Dr. Howard Dean, General Wesley Clark and now Greg Craig! I'm mad as %&!* about this!

[ObamAtomic]

Holder when you will do the people job?

[changeself]

craig wanted to close gitmo as obama promised in his campaign,

but emmanuel argued it was only a distraction from more important things....

rahm, rahm, rahm... he has one master: the AIPA.C

[Wisconsin Dave]

A massive power combine controls Empire USA, all the richest
and most powerful investors, all who own the largest multinational
corporations on earth, and those appear to be running our
government are nothing more than paid actors.

[PhilipTaylor]

THE FED Reserve is NO MORE GOVERNMENT THAN FEDERAL EXPRESS IS!

The Federal Reserve Bank is a consortium of twelve private banks which are not part of the United States Government.

These private banks purchase paper notes from the U.S. mint for printing cost or simply enter digital money into their computer then lend back the money plus interest to the people through member banks. The profits go into the share holders of the bank's pocket's, the U.S. public receives no benefit.

The Primary Owners of the Federal Reserve Bank Are:

1. R0thsch!ld's of L0ndon and Ber1in

2. L@zard Brothers of P@ris

3. 1rae1M0es Se@f of It@ly

4. Kuhn, L0eb & C0. of Germ@ny and New York

5. W@rburg & C0mpany of H@mburg, Germ@ny

6. G0ldman of New Y0rk

7. R0ckefe11er Br0thers of New Y0rk

The Banksters declared W@R against Americans 30 Years ago with Reagan being their Puppet!

They NOW OWN and OPERATE OUR Government using 00.0001% of their Generated Theft!

[flossophy]

Why is HuffPuff not covering Holder's decision to try ksm in nyc?

This is a huge story.

[Wisconsin Dave]

A huge story, why?

[ObamAtomic]

Flosso is there:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/14/nyc-terror-trial-poses-le_n_357894.html

[ObamAtomic]

They are covering,send you a link.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/14/nyc-terror-trial-poses-le_n_357894.html

[smchp]

sigh.......still here and ignorant as ever I see.

[mainemomma]

He needs his talking points... can we give him a link to fox to get them?

[hallowellboy]

Holder should spend more time defending the civil rights of all Americans, instead of the rich and Gitmo detainees. He's an empty suit.

[ObamAtomic]

Mr Holder when you will do your part to force BayBee out,war crimes!

[PaxEterna]

More worthless talk.

The WH let Craig be the fall guy for their failure to deliver on closing GITMO.

As usual, they will spin a different narrative, but I think the American people are on to this WH and how it uses words - like every other administration - to essentially lie to the American people.

The difference this time is that people expected to be able to believe BO.

Little by little they are discovering that his words, no matter how eloquently couched, are not trustworthy.

Stay tuned, as things are bound to get worse.

[Jayk4444]

Excellent. Chicago politics in action. Fanned.

[Wisconsin Dave]

But his is nothing but a carbon copy of the same stuff being put
out by Fox News.

Say, two aren’t by any chance paid actors hired by Fox News?

[jinxed]

DUH! Did nobody notice that its the Republicans and Congress that are holding up the closing of GITMO with their NIMBY stand? The WH can only do so much. Congress and the Dems MUST tell the GOP to shut up and sit down if all they are going to do is obstruct!!

[Wisconsin Dave]

UPPER CLASS WANT TORTURE ---- WHY?

(1) Upper half of society has all our wealth, the upper 50% with more
wealth then debt, and as they have plundered the underdeveloped
nations to get such excessive wealth, only by fear generating things
like bombs and torture can they their plundered enemies in submission.

(2) Every nation that has used torture did it primarily to keep their
own people in fearful submission. That is why government now
refuses to permanently outlaw torture and keeps making press
releases about pictures so horrible that no one should ever see them.

[Wisconsin Dave]

(3) And that is why our disaster medical industry is designed to
give us such anxiety from birth to death, for it is the most perfect
tool for keeping a people apprehensive, insecure and in fearful
submission to authority the world has ever known.

[not believing]

I'm not for torture so please stop torturing us with this absolutely ridiculous nonsense you copied from the Saul Alinsky hand book.

[Wisconsin Dave]

Only someone working for mainstream media would come here
and try to destroy the place with such hostility.

[Hysterian68]

I agree with the AG. Why blame Mr. Craig? We should be blaming the National Ditherer in the empty suit for promising something he couldn't deliver. Why does this man have HIS job? Why do members of his cabinet have THEIR jobs?

[Wisconsin Dave]

Why do the rich who hired such paid actors have the freedom and
power to enslave us?