After Corbu

What I don’t understand about Bush’s strategy of indefinate detainment in Guantanamo for political reasons (as outlined by Brian Beutler) is that at some point, there will be a Democratic administration that will release people. Possibly not in 2008, but certainly by 2040s when detainees start dying of natural causes.

When that happens, there will be lots of stories of unjust imprisonment and torture, and there will be nasty political fallout. Unless Bush’s secret plan is to disappear the whole prison, the stories will eventually be told. So what’s the gain in procrastination?

Bush’s popularity is already down to the Republican base that has decided it’s fine with torture. How could the actual stories of torture hurt him?