Elections

In party platform, Democrats soften on Obama’s 2007 promise to close Gitmo

Matthew Boyle Investigative Reporter
Font Size:

In the wake of President Barack Obama’s failure to follow up on a 2008 campaign promise to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center during the first year of his presidency, the Democratic Party has softened its party platform language about the prison.

The 2012 Democratic Party platform says only that the party is “substantially reducing the population at Guantánamo Bay without adding to it.”

“And we remain committed to working with all branches of government to close the prison altogether because it is inconsistent with our national security interests and our values,” the platform document continues.

While the party still says it wants to close the prison, the 2012 platform is much weaker than the 2008 version — which outright promises the facility’s closure.

“We will close the detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, the location of so many of the worst constitutional abuses in recent years,” the 2008 Democratic Party platform read.

The Democrats’ new stance also clashes with what Barack Obama promised in 2007.

“As president, I will close Guantanamo, reject the Military Commissions Act and adhere to the Geneva Conventions,” candidate Obama said on Aug. 10, 2007, according to National Journal.

Politifact rates Obama’s failure to follow through on Guantanamo as a “broken promise.”

Follow Matthew on Twitter