Shackled by Gitmo

At a press conference in late April, US president Barack Obama was asked to comment on the hunger strike unfolding among prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.

Was he surprised, asked Bill Plante of CBS News, that the 100 or so prisoners who were participating in the protest preferred death over indefinite confinement?

Tapping his finger on the lectern and speaking in a clipped cadence, Obama did not mince words in response. “Guantanamo is not necessary to keep us safe,” he said. “It is expensive. It is inefficient... It is a recruitment tool for extremists. It needs to be closed.”