Guantanamo Bay has been an international embarrassment for the United States for far too long. Since 2002, detainees suspected of terrorist links have been held at the military base in Cuba, but they are neither convicted criminals nor official prisoners of war.

The Pentagon, along with supporters of the prison, argue that because the facility isn't located in the U.S., the detainees are not protected under the U.S. Constitution. Furthermore, Vice President Dick Cheney insists that the detainees do not deserve to be given rights they are due under the American legal system.

Unfortunately, this is the type of arrogance that has adversely colored the global perspective of America and its government. U.S. allies such as Britain and Germany have called for the prison's closure. A United Nations report in 2006 exposed torture-like treatments used on detainees — including exposure to extreme temperatures, forced feedings through tubes and solitary confinement.

As if that weren't enough reason to close it down, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated President Bush's system of military trials for the prisoners.

Last week, the White House declared that closing the disgraceful prison has now become a "priority."

It's about time.

A country based on democracy and civil liberties has no excuse for keeping Guantanamo Bay open. Its prisoners must be formally charged and put through either a military or civilian legal process.

This is the only right thing to do, morally and legally, if the U.S. is to prove to the world that it practices what it preaches.