President Obama signed executive orders Thursday directing the Central Intelligence Agency to shut what remains of its network of secret prisons and ordering the closing of the Guantánamo detention camp within a year, government officials said.

The orders, which are the first steps in undoing detention policies of former President George W. Bush, rewrite American rules for the detention of terrorism suspects. They require an immediate review of the 245 detainees still held at the naval base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to determine if they should be transferred, released or prosecuted.

And the orders bring to an end a Central Intelligence Agency program that kept terrorism suspects in secret custody for months or years, a practice that has brought fierce criticism from foreign governments and human rights activists. They will also prohibit the C.I.A. from using coercive interrogation methods, requiring the agency to follow the same rules used by the military in interrogating terrorism suspects, government officials said.

President Obama is moving quickly to undo the Bush administration's regime of secrecy.

Yesterday, he repealed a 2001 executive order granting former presidents, and vice presidents, the ability to seal their papers forever.

Obama vowed during the campaign to overturn the order, as part of a government "transparency" agenda.

Obama said: "Going forward, any time the American people want to know something that I or a former president wants to withhold, we will have to consult with the attorney general and the White House counsel, whose business it is to ensure compliance with the rule of law."

"Information will not be withheld just because I say so. It will be be held -- withheld because a separate authority believes my request is well grounded in the Constitution," Obama said.

"Let me say it as simply as I can. Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency."

He also issued fresh directive on how to interpret the Freedom of Information Act as a result the officials and agencies would have to lean toward making information public instead of coming up with legal justification for withholding it.

"The Freedom of Information Act is perhaps the most powerful instrument we have for making our government honest and transparent, and of holding it accountable," he added.

There's a lot of political belly-aching now over where to put the Gitmo detainees once Gitmo is closed. Apparently, no politicians, Democrats or Republicans, want them in their backyards.

These people are colossal idiots. Our prisons house the most dangerous and violent criminals in America, including domestic terrorists. Why not Gitmo detainees? They do not have superpowers as far as I know and pose no greater danger than any other prisoner. It's politicking, pure and simple.

Not entirely true, the moronic John Murtha said he would take them in PA (he's a moron in general, not for this decision).

considering most of the gitmo prisoners have been let go for being innocent since 2001, chances are, they have more to fear from the US prisons than anyone in the US. Whats the worst convinction to come out of gitmo? Driving Osama Bin Ladin? last i checked, you win academies for that.

Many of them can't be convicted because they were tortured (way to protect us, Bush administration). Most of them still have no charges brought against them.

Only a handful are the worst of the worst. I'm fully confident, however, that our prison system is quite adequate to deal with them until they can be given a trial.

I can't stand Pelosi, and by what I'm hearing, neither can Obama. I wish there was some way to get rid of her.

I can't stand Pelosi, and by what I'm hearing, neither can Obama. I wish there was some way to get rid of her.

Two suspected U.S missile attacks killed 18 people Friday in Pakistan just east of the Afghan border, security officials said, the first such strikes since the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

dont really see the relevance considering theres been 1 such strike on a weekly basis since this fall. obama hasn't really changed any strategies there yet.

Closing down Guantanamo was a bad idea.

I wasn't trying to convince you.

Why are you such a pompous ass?

I wasn't trying to convince you.

Why are you such a pompous ass?