Obama putting his stamp on foreign policy
By The Associated Press
This article was published January 22, 2009 at 9:54 a.m.
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama put his stamp on U.S. national security and foreign policy on Thursday, moving quickly to repudiate programs of his predecessor. The man he tapped to oversee the intelligence community promised Congress he would not allow torture or wiretapping without a warrant.
On his second full day in office, Obama planned to sign an order shutting down the Guantanamo Bay prison camp.
Obama was also ready to trumpet Hillary Rodham Clinton's installation as secretary of state while turning to veteran politician and dealmaker George Mitchell to guide the new administration through the Mideast thicket.
Retired Adm. Dennis Blair, the incoming director of national intelligence, told a congressional committee that the jail at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba, must be closed because it is "a damaging symbol to the world."
Obama planned to sign an order that would shutter the prison within a year, according to a senior administration official. This would redeem a promise that Obama frequently made on the campaign trail.
For more information see Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
