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Fox News and the Obama administration are back on speaking terms.

In a sit-down interview this morning with the cable station's senior White House correspondent, Major Garrett, President Obama said he plans to close down Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba in 2010.

In this case, though, the interview itself -- and not just the subject matter -- is a story.

That's because it was Obama's first interview with Fox News since his communications director referred to the station as wing of the Republican Party a month ago.

The comment, made by then-communication director Anita Dunn -- who has since moved on -- coincided with Obama's decision to snub the station during a round of interviews on health care.

So is the stormy relationship on the mend? Maybe.

But even back when the dispute was hot, the White House has already declared Garrett to be the one reporter it respects. What's more, Garrett recently defended Obama in an internal memo, pointing out to critics in "Fox and Friends" that, contrary to the critics' claims, Obama had already done eight interviews with Fox.

The feud touched off a debate in the media about the quality of Fox News' reporting, as well as the wisdom of Obama's public reprimand. Although the tempest did little to dent the cable station's soaring ratings, the admonishment did seem to touch a nerve.

In late October, Fox anchor Shep Smith apologized on air for the "lack of balance" when a correspondent interviewed a Republican candidate for New Jersey governor, but failed to also land an interview with the Democratic candidate. (Smith later said he regretted the on-air apology.)

Obama also took his share of flak from commentators who pointed out that for a president to spurn a Fox News interview request while granting others is to validate the station's contention that Obama is trying to silence a critic.