GEORGE BUSH wanted to close it. Sodid John McCain. And Barack Obama promised to do so within a year of taking office. Butnearly three years since then, and ten years after the first inmates stepped through itsbarbed-wired gates in January 2002, the prison camp at Guantnamo Bay remainsstubbornly open.

　　關塔那摩戰俘營。喬治.布什曾想關閉它，約翰.麥凱恩也想這樣做。奧巴馬更是許諾在上任第一年內就將其廢棄。而現在，他的總統任期已過了近三年;而自2002年一月，第一批戰犯踏入鐵絲網包裹的大門起，都已經過了十年。位于關塔那摩海灣的戰俘營卻依舊存在，照常運行。

　　It is, perhaps, the most glaring failure of Mr Obamas first term. On his second full day inoffice, surrounded by 16 retired generals and admirals, he signed the order to close thefacility that he said had probably created more terrorists than it ever detained. Withmajorities in both chambers of Congress he looked set to make good on his pledge. Therewas just one problem: the president had a timetable, but no plan.

　　或許沒有關閉關塔那摩戰俘營就是奧巴馬第一任期內最大的敗筆。在他正式行使總統職權的第二天，在16位退休將軍和海軍上將的注視下，他簽署命令關閉關塔那摩戰俘營，他曾表示由于這座戰俘營的存在而引發出的恐怖分子有可能比在押者還要多。此時在國會兩院中民主黨都享有多數票優勢，一切都與他許諾的也一般無二，看上去他就要關閉關塔那摩戰俘營了。問題只有一個：總統有的只是張時間表，卻沒有任何操作計劃。

　　Where are we going to send them? asked Mr McCain after the order was signed. HisRepublican colleagues warned that dangerous terrorists could end up in local jails. In fact, MrObama had in mind a facility in Illinois similar to Americas supermax prisons, from whichno one has ever escaped. But right-wingers stoked public dread and polls soon showedsignificant disapproval of the closure. In the face of such opposition, and with little supportfrom a White House distracted by health-care reform, the Democrats quickly backed down.In a series of votes, both parties signalled their displeasure with the presidents policy,blocking funds for Guantnamos closure and banning the transfer of detainees to Americansoil.

　　命令簽署后，麥凱恩先生提出了個問題：我們該把這些戰俘送到那兒? 他的共和黨同僚預計這些危險的恐怖分子可能會最終投入到當地的監獄。事實上，奧巴馬對此曾有設想，想在伊利諾伊州設置一所類似美國超級監房那樣的設施，戰犯一旦被投入監牢，就插翅難飛。但右翼分子煽動公眾的畏懼情緒，投票結果也表明公眾對關閉戰俘營懷有極大的不滿情緒。面對反對聲浪，當時正被醫療保險改革搞得焦頭爛額的白宮當局無暇他顧，對奧巴馬提議的支持更是少之又少。見勢不妙，民主黨人隨即就打了退堂鼓。在此后一系列涉及關塔那摩戰俘營的投票中，兩黨都發出對總統關于關閉戰俘營決策不滿的呼聲，進而要求對關閉戰俘營的相關資金加以封鎖，禁止將在押人員轉到美國本土。

　　The White House fought back, defeating an effort aimed at stopping the government fromputting the alleged architects of 9/11 on trial in federal court. Then came its boldest move. InNovember 2009 Eric Holder, the attorney general, announced that Khalid SheikhMohammed and his four co-conspirators would face justice in Manhattan. The trial wouldshow that Americas civilian courts could handle even Guantnamos worst. But just twomonths later, amid mounting security concerns and rising political pressure, the effort fellapart. Once again, the administration had underestimated the political and logisticalchallenges posed by its policies.

　　白宮開始進行反擊。在對被指控參與謀劃9/11恐怖襲擊的恐怖分子是否應該在聯邦法庭上就審這個問題上，一舉擊敗企圖阻撓的勢力。緊接著的舉動震驚了所有人。在2009年9月，總檢察官埃里克.赫德宣布哈立德?謝赫?穆罕默德和他的四名同謀者將在麥哈頓接受正義的審批。它將向世人表明，即使是關塔那摩戰俘營中最棘手的案件，美國民政法庭也有能力處理。但僅僅兩個月后，出于安全考慮的巨大憂慮以及不斷增長政治壓力，這一設想不得不草草收場，不了了之。又一次，政府當局對自己制定的政策沒有充分考量，低估了在政治上的挑戰和移交轉移的難度。

　　Succumbing to the obstacles placed in his path, in March last year the president lifted hismoratorium on new military-commission trials at Guantnamo and instituted a system forholding some detainees indefinitely. Civil-liberties groups called it an admission of defeat.PolitiFact, an outfit that assesses the accuracy of statements made by politicians, declaredMr Obamas campaign promise broken.

　　許下承諾，無法實現;面對阻力，被迫讓步;在去年三月，總統自食其言，重新允許在關塔那摩的特別軍事法庭對在押戰俘進行新一輪審判，并擬定相關條例無限期扣押某些戰俘。民權解放組織稱總統此舉為承認失敗。一家由政界人士創建，旨在評價政令履行程度的團隊PolitiFact則宣稱奧巴馬先生在競選期間做出的承諾已隨風逝去。

　　GEORGE BUSH wanted to close it. Sodid John McCain. And Barack Obama promised to do so within a year of taking office. Butnearly three years since then, and ten years after the first inmates stepped through itsbarbed-wired gates in January 2002, the prison camp at Guantnamo Bay remainsstubbornly open.

　　關塔那摩戰俘營。喬治.布什曾想關閉它，約翰.麥凱恩也想這樣做。奧巴馬更是許諾在上任第一年內就將其廢棄。而現在，他的總統任期已過了近三年;而自2002年一月，第一批戰犯踏入鐵絲網包裹的大門起，都已經過了十年。位于關塔那摩海灣的戰俘營卻依舊存在，照常運行。

　　It is, perhaps, the most glaring failure of Mr Obamas first term. On his second full day inoffice, surrounded by 16 retired generals and admirals, he signed the order to close thefacility that he said had probably created more terrorists than it ever detained. Withmajorities in both chambers of Congress he looked set to make good on his pledge. Therewas just one problem: the president had a timetable, but no plan.

　　或許沒有關閉關塔那摩戰俘營就是奧巴馬第一任期內最大的敗筆。在他正式行使總統職權的第二天，在16位退休將軍和海軍上將的注視下，他簽署命令關閉關塔那摩戰俘營，他曾表示由于這座戰俘營的存在而引發出的恐怖分子有可能比在押者還要多。此時在國會兩院中民主黨都享有多數票優勢，一切都與他許諾的也一般無二，看上去他就要關閉關塔那摩戰俘營了。問題只有一個：總統有的只是張時間表，卻沒有任何操作計劃。

　　Where are we going to send them? asked Mr McCain after the order was signed. HisRepublican colleagues warned that dangerous terrorists could end up in local jails. In fact, MrObama had in mind a facility in Illinois similar to Americas supermax prisons, from whichno one has ever escaped. But right-wingers stoked public dread and polls soon showedsignificant disapproval of the closure. In the face of such opposition, and with little supportfrom a White House distracted by health-care reform, the Democrats quickly backed down.In a series of votes, both parties signalled their displeasure with the presidents policy,blocking funds for Guantnamos closure and banning the transfer of detainees to Americansoil.

　　命令簽署后，麥凱恩先生提出了個問題：我們該把這些戰俘送到那兒? 他的共和黨同僚預計這些危險的恐怖分子可能會最終投入到當地的監獄。事實上，奧巴馬對此曾有設想，想在伊利諾伊州設置一所類似美國超級監房那樣的設施，戰犯一旦被投入監牢，就插翅難飛。但右翼分子煽動公眾的畏懼情緒，投票結果也表明公眾對關閉戰俘營懷有極大的不滿情緒。面對反對聲浪，當時正被醫療保險改革搞得焦頭爛額的白宮當局無暇他顧，對奧巴馬提議的支持更是少之又少。見勢不妙，民主黨人隨即就打了退堂鼓。在此后一系列涉及關塔那摩戰俘營的投票中，兩黨都發出對總統關于關閉戰俘營決策不滿的呼聲，進而要求對關閉戰俘營的相關資金加以封鎖，禁止將在押人員轉到美國本土。

　　The White House fought back, defeating an effort aimed at stopping the government fromputting the alleged architects of 9/11 on trial in federal court. Then came its boldest move. InNovember 2009 Eric Holder, the attorney general, announced that Khalid SheikhMohammed and his four co-conspirators would face justice in Manhattan. The trial wouldshow that Americas civilian courts could handle even Guantnamos worst. But just twomonths later, amid mounting security concerns and rising political pressure, the effort fellapart. Once again, the administration had underestimated the political and logisticalchallenges posed by its policies.

　　白宮開始進行反擊。在對被指控參與謀劃9/11恐怖襲擊的恐怖分子是否應該在聯邦法庭上就審這個問題上，一舉擊敗企圖阻撓的勢力。緊接著的舉動震驚了所有人。在2009年9月，總檢察官埃里克.赫德宣布哈立德?謝赫?穆罕默德和他的四名同謀者將在麥哈頓接受正義的審批。它將向世人表明，即使是關塔那摩戰俘營中最棘手的案件，美國民政法庭也有能力處理。但僅僅兩個月后，出于安全考慮的巨大憂慮以及不斷增長政治壓力，這一設想不得不草草收場，不了了之。又一次，政府當局對自己制定的政策沒有充分考量，低估了在政治上的挑戰和移交轉移的難度。

　　Succumbing to the obstacles placed in his path, in March last year the president lifted hismoratorium on new military-commission trials at Guantnamo and instituted a system forholding some detainees indefinitely. Civil-liberties groups called it an admission of defeat.PolitiFact, an outfit that assesses the accuracy of statements made by politicians, declaredMr Obamas campaign promise broken.

　　許下承諾，無法實現;面對阻力，被迫讓步;在去年三月，總統自食其言，重新允許在關塔那摩的特別軍事法庭對在押戰俘進行新一輪審判，并擬定相關條例無限期扣押某些戰俘。民權解放組織稱總統此舉為承認失敗。一家由政界人士創建，旨在評價政令履行程度的團隊PolitiFact則宣稱奧巴馬先生在競選期間做出的承諾已隨風逝去。