Pundits profess to be amazed at the way in which Congress has treated President Obama’s request for funding to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay.

There is really no mystery here, however.

While they won’t admit it, most members of Congress realise that Mr. Obama’s promises usually come with a sell-by date. Although he says he doesn’t have any immediate plan to move prisoners from Guantanamo to the United States, members of Congress know that if Obama is given the money, the plan might change at any moment.

They know, in other words, that the President’s promises to keep the detainees out of the United States will not hold once he has the money in his hands.

They know that the money is the only thing keeping them from facing an electorate outraged on finding terrorists in their midst.

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