The Guantanamo Bay prison may not close until 2011 because it will take months for the federal government to buy an Illinois prison and upgrade it to hold suspected terrorists.

Congress must first appropriate money for the takeover of the Thomson Correctional Center and the necessary construction. Lawmakers wary of moving detainees from the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, military base into the United States could balk at approving the funds. In the Senate, there's always the chance of delaying tactics that could hold up the money for months.

Congress also needs to change a law prohibiting detention in the U.S. of detainees who are not awaiting trial.