The Associated Press reports on  Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs, and his views on Guatanamo Bay:

The chief of the U.S. military said Sunday he favors closing the prison here as soon as possible because he believes negative publicity worldwide about treatment of terrorist suspects has been "pretty damaging" to the image of the United States.

...He stressed that a closure decision was not his to make and that he understands there are numerous complex legal questions the administration believes would have to be settled first, such as where to move prisoners.

Details, details.

The admiral also noted that some of Guantanamo Bay's prisoners are deemed high security threats....Asked why he thinks Guantanamo Bay, commonly dubbed Gitmo, should be closed, and the prisoners perhaps moved to U.S. soil, Mullen said, "More than anything else it's been the image — how Gitmo has become around the world, in terms of representing the United States."

In other words, the overriding concern of the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the threat to America's image posed by "negative publicity" about Gitmo's prisoners--not the threats those same jihadists pose to American (and other) cities, subways and citizens.  Me, I  wish the good admiral's concern  was informed by another kind of image:  that of the fallen Twin Towers.

Meanwhile, speaking of American image, how's this one of the president of the United States?