President says he will keep pushing to close Guantanamo

WASHINGTON — President Obama vowed Friday to stay active in the election year of 2016, saying that persistence will forge progress on the economy, the war against the Islamic State, an Asian trade deal, climate change, criminal justice reform, and closing the terrorism prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

"Since taking this office, I have never been more optimistic about a year ahead than I am right now," Obama said during a news conference held on the cusp of his last year in office. "And in 2016 I'm going to leave it out all on the field."

On the subject of Guantanamo Bay prison, Obama seemed to leave the door open to the possibility he could use executive actions to close the facility himself, should congressional Republicans balk at a soon-to-be announced plan to move out all Gitmo detainees by the time his term ends Jan. 20, 2017.

In opening his annual end-of-the-year news conference, Obama ticked off several accomplishments he claimed over the past year, including the progress made in jobs since the recession that hammered the economy in 2008 and 2009, rising enrollment in health insurance and U.S. leadership in climate change.

"I said at the beginning of this year that interesting stuff happens in the fourth quarter, and we are only halfway through," Obama said.

He also praised Congress for ending year on a high note, including the new budget bill designed to keep the government open for the first nine months of the 2016 election year. Obama later signed the $1.14 trillion budget bill that will finance the government to the end of September, removing the threat of a government shutdown in the short term.

"I'm not wild about everything in it," Obama said, but it is a budget that invests in the military and middle class without weakening Wall Street reform. Noting that it funds the government for the first nine months of 2016, Obama said that "Congress and I have a long runway to get important things done on behalf of the American people."

Obama was to depart later for San Bernardino, Calif., to meet with the families of victims in the Dec. 2 terrorist attack. He then travels late Friday to Hawaii for his annual two-week break.

During his session with reporters, Obama reiterated his efforts to keep Americans safe in the wake of the San Bernardino shootings that killed 14 people, as well as the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris, both incidents inspired by the threats of the Islamic State.

Saluting the 24/7 work done by U.S. homeland security officials, Obama said that "all of us can do our part by staying vigilant, by saying something if we see something that is suspicious, by refusing to be terrorized, and staying united as one American family."

It is hard to detect the kind of "lone wolf" attacks that took place in San Bernardino, the president said. Unlike the fight against al Qaeda, which organized more readily detectable terrorist cells and networks, the Islamic State encourages followers to act on their own, making it "more difficult to see" and block attacks.

Saying that the Islamic State has been pushed back from territory in Syria and Iraq, Obama pledged to step up bombing attacks that target their leaders and cut off their finances. "We're going to defeat ISIS," Obama vowed.

In the meantime, Obama said diplomats have an opportunity to plan a political transition in Syria, including the departure of Bashar Assad, helping the United States and allies focus on the Islamic State. While the process will be long and hard, "there is not shortcut," he said.

Responding to reports the San Bernardino attackers used private messages on social media to express hope for jihad, Obama said law enforcement has a harder time with surveillance of those kinds of communications. He said the administration will work with the high tech community to look for ways to review messages in an appropriate way, "both technically as well as consistent with our laws and values."

The president said he hoped to still close the terrorist detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, despite the opposition from Congress to transferring some of the terror suspects to the United States. He said he hoped to have fewer than 100 suspects there soon.

He declined to specify what potential executive actions he might take — if any — until Congress has signaled what it is willing to do.

"We will wait until Congress has said definitively 'no' to a well thought out plan with numbers attached to it, before we say anything definitive about my executive authority here," Obama said. "I think it's far preferable if I can get stuff done with Congress."

While it is "an uphill battle" in an election year, Obama said, he has faced tough battles before and "we keep on surprising you by actually getting some stuff done."

Congressional Republicans opposed moving detainees to the United States, saying they would invite attacks on the homeland. Some GOP members also say that many detainees shipped to the United States will return to jihad against the United States.

Obama said he hopes he can work with the Republican Congress during the next election year, citing the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal as well as changes to the criminal justice system that de-emphasizes long prison terms for low-level drug offenses.

The president complimented new House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., saying he has been "professional" and that "he has reached out to tell me what he can do and what he cannot do. I think it's a good working relationship."

That said, Obama said the specter of an election year "makes it harder."

Obama refused to draw himself into the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, predicting his party would win while declining to endorse a specific candidate in the field of Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Martin O'Malley.

"I think we will have a strong Democratic nominee," Obama said. "I think that nominee will win. I think I will have a Democratic successor and I will campaign very hard to make that happen."