John Oliver Makes A Reasonable Case Against Guantanamo Bay

John Oliver's Last Week Tonight is a window into a world in which the Daily Show stayed relevant and didn't sink beneath the waves once its captain abandoned ship. His latest long-form video desk piece takes on a bugaboo that will seem almost quaint to those of us who have been dragged howling into the sewer of this election cycle. Quaint, of course, unless you actually have to live there. The fact that Guantanamo Bay was a serious piece of Barack Obama's campaign platform might go forgotten by some, but not Oliver. The President has failed thus far to close the prison, which has an almost comical number of issues. Oliver breaks down how it sucks the life from its inmates. A former prisoner, released 14 years after he was falsely jailed without charge, detailed how this Whitesnake song served as his personal anthem. No wonder he compared the prison to Azkaban. Oliver also details how a common Casio watch served as key evidence against men suspected of being terrorists, the 50% false conviction rate of a special prosecution program, and runs a series of interviews in which the Bush White House defends their use of Guantanamo. Honestly, it's almost refreshing to see run-of-the-mill politicians prevaricating and not bragging about grabbing women's genitals. Of course, there are valid reasons to keep the the prison open. Oliver breaks down the exact reasons why below. Watch, and prepare to be disappointed in America all over again.