On this week’s “Last Week Tonight,” host John Oliver managed to talk about something other than Trump’s hot mic audio – an amazing feat. Instead, Oliver focused on a major ongoing issue that doesn’t seem to have a resolution in sight; closing Guantanamo Bay.
Oliver built the case for closing Guantanamo Bay, despite explaining at the beginning of the segment that a majority of people want the torture camp to stay open.
Oliver explained that the cost to maintain the facility is truly astronomical at well over $7 million per prisoner per year – of which there are over 60.
But far more important than a cost-saving measure is the fact that pretty much the entire world is opposed to our use of the facility. In the ongoing narrative that American champions freedom and justice, the detention facility is a dark mark on that reputation.
The rest of the 20-minute segment is an excellent explanation for how Guantanamo came to be and how we can operate without it in the future. It’s an excellent breakdown of a complicated issue and it helps to explain why this is one of Obama’s largest failings as a two-term president.
Watch.
