President Barack Obama has finally received praise for his terror policies . . . from Bush officials. Two of the officials commonly named as responsible for allegedly criminal acts during the Bush Administration, former National Intelligence Director retired Vice Admiral Michael McConnel and former Central Intelligence Agency Director Michael Hayden, are heaping praise on Obama for going even farther than George Bush in his policies. Now, there is an ignoble accomplishment.
McConnell is positively gushing with praise that “the new administration has been as aggressive, if not more aggressive, in pursing these issues . . . ” Hayden, who is most often cited for the unlawful surveillance programs under Bush, stated “I thank god every day for the continuity” shown by Obama in continuing Bush’s approach to the law and terror.
Hayden, who is my neighbor in Virginia, has also opposed any prosecution for torture under the Bush Administration. Obama has pleased many in the Bush Administration by insisting that CIA personnel will never face prosecution for torture — despite our treaty obligations to investigate and prosecute such crimes.
President Obama has certainly earned these professional references. He blocked public interest lawsuits in federal court on the unlawful surveillance program while blocking any investigation into torture. Hayden was the direct beneficiary of these policies. It is like Bernie Madoff praising the enforcement policies of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that allowed him to thrive in the 1990s. When many of us were stating that Hayden’s surveillance programs were clearly unlawful, Hayden was insisting that his own lawyers at the NSA had reviewed the program and were satisfied that it was lawful. This was the same tactic used by Bush in selecting biased lawyers to give clearly unsound legal analysis to support unlawful programs. Ultimately, when Hayden’s program was brought into federal court and faced actual judicial review, Hayden opposed such independent and competent review — and Obama ultimately stopped it.
I accept that people of good faith can disagree with civil libertarians on some of these programs — though even the Bush Administration came to reject the legal analysis of the torture programs. However, Hayden and Obama did not want to risk federal courts resolving this matter on issues like surveillance. Instead, they just circumvented the legal system. The pat on the back for a job well done by Hayden and McConnell should give someone in his Administration a moment of pause . . but I doubt it.
Source: SiFy
Jonathan Turley
anon nurse:
Ardvarks have no solutions.
Swarthmore mom,
As I have stated previously, I want you and others here to provide a viable Democrat for whom I could vote.
FFLEO,
I think I explained my position to Elaine. I am clearly stating and backing this statement up) that there were too few (and still are) on the left who will stand up for what is right. This has been a disaster and it needs to change very quickly.
There were Republicans under Bush who tried very hard to stop what he was doing to our Constitution. They also were too few. These people have remained consistent in their calls for the restoration of the rule of law. Those people are allies in this fight. Leftists who shut up and let lawlessness prevail are no friend of justice. Leftists who will speak out are more vital than ever at this juncture in time. We need everyone of conscience, left and right, to pull together to work for justice. Upon this work lies the only hope for the good of our nation and the good of the world.
FFLEO: Since you think we should vote Mr. Obama out of office, who are you supporting in the republican primaries?
The teabaggers are so far out of the mainstream and so far to the right (they’re the John Birch Society of the 21st century), even Reagan looks like a communist to them. They’re like cartoon charicatures of rabid right wing crazies. The mainstream, though nearly as screwed up, GOP will use and abuse them (in fact, as they already have) to gin up money and votes and then go right back to their corporatism just as they’ve done for years to the Pro-Life, anti-gay cults within the party.
This certainly brings new meaning to Hail to the Chief.
They probably watch “Dancing with the Stars” too, Blouise.
Bdaman:
is this true?
“Bdaman might think Obama is a muslim socialist that was born in another country but I don’t.”
what do you have to say about that?
Well do you have a better explanation? Certainly based on what was promised vs delivered he clearly is as un-American as you can get.
With that said it really doesn’t matter where he was born. un-American is un-American whether born here or Panama 🙂
Jill,
I believe we have a number of people on the left who don’t think there is a rule about criticizing the President.
*****
You wrote:
“Just as it took a village of people, those who reflexively supported Bush because he was (supposedly) ‘on their side, a great guy’, we see Obama supporters reflexively closing their minds to the reality of what he is doing.”
and
“Of course the right will aid this repression in their own way, but it will be the essential unethical and dishonest left who will continue to support heinous crimes, the dismantling of our own govt., all in the name of ‘it’s our guy’.”
*****
I didn’t think I had misread what you wrote. You seemed to include all Obama supporters and you didn’t “qualify” who on the left were essentially unethical and dishonest. I was left to assume you were being being inclusive of all Obama supporters and everyone on the left.
*****
anon nurse,
There were those in Nazi Germany who spoke out and were severely punished. There were those who helped Jews flee or who hid Jews. Those people risked their own lives. Would you consider such people complicit in the terrible things that happened under the Nazi regime?
Elaine M.
1, December 27, 2010 at 11:13 am
Annie,
I think the corporations and Wall Street and the banks have the power.
=========
Absolutely true. Which is why we need to protect whistleblowers… — to state the obvious…
WikiLeaks, OpenLeaks and others? Bring it on…
{Jill
1, December 27, 2010 at 10:35 am
FFLEO,
Tell me how I generalized too much!}
______________________
Jill,
Ms. EM stated what I was thinking, i.e., that your brush was too broad (no and I did not just call you a “broad” using a brush).
You (especially) and I have been accessing this blawg for a long time. I have stayed because I found the left/liberal people herein to be exceptionally willing to change their minds. Although I have insinuated that some are “Obama Followers” (remember, I voted for him) most just want what is best for our Nation and no political person on the right is any better than Obama. I, of course, think we must vote Mr. Obama out of office and to give him a second term would be as insane as—or more so—than us giving GW Bush his second chance.
SwM,
The beauty of the left is that we are able to look at ourselves and admit that, collectively, we have done a less than stellar job in combating and or changing the un-American “police-state” introduced and codified by the right. Collectively we had the high ground but once Obama decided not to prosecute the torture mongers, the ground began slipping out from under our feet until we found ourselves in the dirt right along with the right.
I know some fine folk on the right who disagreed most vehemently with the “police-state” introduced by Bush/Cheney and now maintained by Obama. They have joined with like-minded citizens on the left hoping their voices will be amplified.
The problem, as I see it, are the millions and millions of voters who don’t give a damn one way or the other. I have spent half my life trying to educate voters through the LWV and I am perpetually amazed every election day that there are so many who go to the poles clueless as to the policies the person they choose to vote for actually supports. Instead they buy into the hype of the show and put their faith in the ever changing words that flow too easily from the candidate’s mouth.
There are millions of them and I strongly suspect they all watch American Idol.
The only answer, in my opinion, is to keep on keeping on and to remain very careful in forming alliances with those who claim to think as we do.
So, Rogue Ardvark (sic), what’s the solution?
(I’ve been having this problem with my comment posting prematurely. I’m proofing and finishing up… and, poof, the comment has posted…)
Anyway, I had intended to add to my previous comment… Reality is reality is reality, IMHO. Perspectives may differ, but “reality” is what it is…
The people who post here are, by and large, good and decent people. We need to figure this one out pretty darn quickly — cool heads need to prevail — because we’re in serious trouble… This isn’t personal. It’s about saving our country.
“I think Reagan was so successful at painting the left as incompetent that thinking about the left in that matter is still prevalent today among those who were alive during his presidency.”
They are incompetent, he didnt paint them. He just pointed out the emperor didnt have any clothes.
But then again so are most on the right.
Anon Nurse:
trouble is brewing all right. It’s called the Tea Party for a reason.
They do have the power, Elaine, and until we get campaign finance reform, there will be no change. We have moved even further away from the possibility of it since the election. “Citizens vs United” hurt also. I think Reagan was so successful at painting the left as incompetent that thinking about the left in that matter is still prevalent today among those who were alive during his presidency. It is my view that only a centrist democrat or right wing republican can be elected at this point in our history.
Bdaman:
is this true?
“Bdaman might think Obama is a muslim socialist that was born in another country but I don’t.”
what do you have to say about that?
Swarthmore mom
1, December 27, 2010 at 11:06 am
anon nurse: I don’t think the left has the power…
========
And, sadly, I think you’re right… But we have trouble brewing, the likes of which this county has never seen. Jill is right when she says, “…it as a statement of what has happened and what needs to happen, quickly, before it is too late.”
And for all:
Just because someone doesn’t see a mighty storm coming, doesn’t mean it isn’t coming… And just because some may remain safe and cozy in their homes during the mighty storm, doesn’t mean that a lot of people aren’t going to suffer.
Here’s the link to the whole interview. Sorry I forgot to put that in: http://www.democracynow.org/2009/3/4/despite_celebrated_speech_has_obama_really