The Washington Post, Article Review Example

At the heart of political science, and much of what political science is concerned with, as a whole is the communication, both in theory and application, of the different sections of government. Very often this is an issue of a policy the President favors, and Congress does not, or vice-versa. This is especially apparent in The Washington Post article, credited to the Associated Press on May 1st, entitled “Guantanamo Bay Closure a tough sell to Congress, so Obama looks to Possibly reduce population”.

One of the central themes of the Obama platform in 2008 has been to get rid of the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay military base in Cuba. In fact, according to the article, in Obama’s first week in office he signed a Executive Order to close it altogether, but he was blocked by Congress and their power to regulate the budget–they would not provide funding for the detainee’s to be transported to the United States, thwarting Barack Obama in 2008.

Now, in 2013, there has been a protest by prisoners detained in the prison–they have refused to eat. This, as acknowledged and stated by the President, “hurts us in international standing…it is a recruitment tool for extremists…it needs to be closed.”

In the same speech, the President also stated that the base was not needed to keep America safe, as well as being “expensive and inefficient”.

This struggle between Obama and Congress is a perfect example of the systems of checks and balances at work in America, which really is the key to political science in America. One year ago the public, with a 70% majority vote, were polled to keep the prison open. The hunger strike will certainly make a difference in public opinion, influencing both Obama and Congress–perhaps to work together.