I know this story is old, but I found it interesting.
Washington (CNN) – President Barack Obama's solemn remarks on drones and counterterrorism were interrupted at length Thursday by a protester who loudly advocated for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison – the same position Obama was stressing in his speech.
Look, we all understand that closing Guantanamo is important. It matters. You know who understands that best of all?
The guy who was giving the speech about closing Guantanamo!
So, how does Medea Benjamin justify going after President Obama on this? After all, Obama campaigned on the issue, giving it extensive public attention; and then, upon taking office, issued an order that it be closed. He was then blocked by Congress from doing so, including being betrayed by members of his own party in the Senate, who stripped the funds meant to close the prison from the Defense bill. Since then, he's continued to advocate for its closure while carefully jumping through the hoops Congress created.
None of this matters to Ms. Benjamin:
"You are commander-in-chief – you can close Guantanamo today," Benjamin shouted during a portion of Obama's speech in which the president outlined changes in policy that included an all-out push to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba. She later yelled, "It's been 11 years!"
You see the bait and switch? She doesn't actually have anything to say about any specific actions or policies PBO has been bad on; rather, she notes that the situation isn't what she desires, and since Barack Obama has a high profile, she decides to lay responsibility at his feet, ignoring both everything he's had to say and everything he's done on the question.
Keeping attention on the issue of Guantanamo Bay is important and worthwhile, but it's also probably worthwhile to keep track of who your enemies are, and aren't. It would be one thing if Obama had merely said some pretty words on the campaign trail but not been an ally of the cause in office - nobody should value empty symbolism over substantive political efforts and the expenditure of actual political capital - but that isn't even a fair charge to make against PBO.
There are plenty of legitimate, high-profile targets for opponents of Guantanamo Bay to go after. They guy who has been fighting the good fight on the issue for his entire time in office is not one of them.