President Barack Obama recently came out to remind people that “Leaks related to national security can put people at risk.” He however denied knowledge of this and the other scandals. In the past, Obama has been able to weather criticism by civil libertarians due to his iconic status with many citizens. This time is different. The media (rather belatedly) is seeing his Administration in a different light as a true threat to liberty. Now, Obama has given a speech proclaiming that he now thinks that reporters should not fear investigation for just doing their jobs so he has ordered an investigation . . . by Eric Holder and the Justice Department. Of course, it was disclosed on the same day that it was Holder who approved the abusive targeting of Fox reporter Jeff Rosen.
Obama stated yesterday “Journalists should not be at legal risk for doing their jobs.” Once again, civil libertarians are left scratching their heads. There have been complaints for years about the abusive targeting of journalists and the treatment of reporting by the Obama Administration as part of a criminal conspiracy with whistleblowers. Yet, Obama (once again) simply comes forward and expresses concern as if this is the first time that he has heard about the abuses of his Administration.
I recently published a column on how Barack Obama has publicly assumed many of the powers that were once cited as the basis for the investigation and attempted impeachment of Richard Nixon. One of those areas was the Obama Administration’s crackdown on journalists. Richard Nixon was denounced for using the Espionage Act of 1917 to target Daniel Ellsberg. Obama has brought twice the number of such prosecutions of all prior presidents under the Act.
So now Obama has decided to act . . . by going to the very man responsible for this crackdown on both journalists and whistleblowers: “I have raised these issues with the attorney general, who shares my concern. So he has agreed to review existing Department of Justice guidelines governing investigations that involve reporters, and will convene a group of media organizations to hear their concerns as part of that review. And I have directed the attorney general to report back to me by July 12th.”
That’s it? Holder will “hear their concerns” and report back to him? What is astonishing is that this speech was quickly embraced by Obama supporters as proof of principle from the President. Holder signed off on a search order targeting a journalist as a possible criminal co-conspirator for speaking with a source. He will now serve as some type of Obama therapy group leader on the anger and hurt felt by media organizations. I can only imagine the anatomical doll depicting the first amendment that Holder will pass around to allow journalists to voice their feelings and fears.
The Obama Administration — and yes, the President himself — is responsible for the greatest attack on a free press in this country in decades. His solution is a confab with the man targeting journalists. Notably, Obama insisted that analogies to Richard Nixon were misplaced. On that I must agree. Even Nixon would blush giving a speech like this.
The Fox, blowing some chicken feathers from his lips, answers “what hen house?”
SwM,
BTW … we (you and me) told them so but nobody listens to us. ;(
SwM,
It’s not the crazies (birthers, Fox, etc) that are after him this time … it’s the big guns (NYTimes, AP, etc).
I suspect the big guns would be satisfied with a Holder resignation but that is a problem for Obama. Is Holder a Dean (me first) or a Mitchell (you first). One thing we know for sure, he’s not an Elliot Richardson (Constitution first).
Nope, no matter which way you look at it, Obama’s Administration has been weakened. They’ll blame others but the fault is all their own.
Fox, henhouse…. Snake, grass….I love the folks that say I never liked the guy anyways….. Friends, enemies accomplishes….what others are afraid to do…. Oh my…color me surprised….
Every sense they killed JFK the aholes like Reagan/Bush/Clinton/Obama have been working the same plan to destroy our nation & others.
We just had the illusion of choice when their where almost none, save maybe Ron Paul, Ross Perot, I believe the murdered Paul Wellstone, Dennis Kucinich.
Ya we know none of us has the whole story of whats going but we’ve a damned good idea from the public records available.
This site doesn’t seem to like more the one link per post so I’ll make the 3 post to make the point.
This 1st one shows where & how we should have been going.
There used to be small family run dairies all over the country & like around here the govt destroyed them & ran them out of biz.
Orwell Reigns Over Raw Milk Trial
Daniel McAdams
Lew Rockwell Blog
May 24, 2013
The trial of Vernon Hershberger for the crime of selling healthy, unprocessed milk to informed and willing customers is sadly a damning commentary on the times in which we currently live.
http://www.prisonplanet.com/orwell-reigns-over-raw-milk-trial.html
http://www.salon.com/2013/05/24/eric_holder_versus_journalism/ It is not like some ACLU type will get confirmed by the Senate if Holder does leave.
like your liberal president now? What an agenda driven boob that couldn’t be a pimple on a presidents butt. Chicago politics in the white house
I don’t think Obama will be leaving either by impeachment or resignation unless there is a whole lot more than this. So far the only ones calling for impeachment are about ten congressman on the far right fringe. Many of whom are are birthers and have been trying to force him out for years. It really does not matter if I support him or not as we don’t have recall for presidents. Bush became extremely unpopular at the end of his second term with very low approval ratings but he never resigned, and Obama’s approval ratings are still holding up. As for Holder, I don’t know what will happen but I suspect he will hang in there for awhile. Never have liked him.
The toxins of power are doing their thing.
Not like Watergate?! (chuckle)
The White House “plumbers” were (nick-named for their orders to plug leaks in the administration. In Sept of 1971 they burglarized a psychiatrist’s office looking for files on Daniel Ellsberg who had leaked the Pentagon Papers. (National Security claims)
It was members of the plumbers unit who were then caught in June of 1972 when they were clandestinely inside the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate hotel and office complex in Washington DC to check on a malfunctioning listening device that had been surreptitiously planted the previous month.
Later that month, John Mitchell,former Atty General, claimed there are no ties between CREEP (Committee for the Re-elect of the President) which he headed and the burglaries. (Mitchell later served 19 months in prison)
In August of 1972 Nixon claimed that White House counsel John Dean had conducted an investigation into the Watergate matter and found that no-one from the White House was involved. (Dean later pleaded guilty to a single felony count in exchange for becoming a key witness for the prosecution and served 4 months under the U S Marshals’ supervision in a “safe house” and was disbarred)
In November of 1972 Nixon won re-election by a landslide … and then it all went to shat.
Obama may be in the early stages of his own Watergate and like Nixon, blind to the reality of his position. He and Holder have been poking the media with a big, sharp stick trying to plug leaks … the media is poking back.
Just like Watergate.
Paul, His supporters here, including those who campaigned for him, are having a REAL tough time right now. I’m fairly certain that is happening nationwide. However, there will be a percentage, maybe 20%, who will stick w/ him no matter what he does. It’s the bunker mentality.
“What is astonishing is that this speech was quickly embraced by Obama supporters as proof of principle from the President.” It won’t be long and Mr. O’s supporters will be throwing around the race card at those calling for his impeachment. Society is full of fables like the Pied Piper, perhaps we should teach those fables once again. How about the old poem “First they came for the communists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist….”. Seems to me human nature has not changed much in a thousand years, more likely 100,000 years. I saw Mr. O in Boise in February of 2008. I never heard the roar of a crowd for a person like that before in my life. And this is Boise!. As I walked out, carrying my Ron Paul placard I was just amazed at how Mr. O reminded me of the Pied Piper. I don’t get it. What is so sweet in his voice and the words he uses that people are blinded?
Gee, I wonder if Obama’s lame speech on drones and Gitmo wasn’t really about shoring up his left phalanx??
I nominate Eric Holder for the John Mitchell Puppet Award.
Too funny! Obama & Holder needs to decide who should step down first: himself or Holder? Or is Obama just another crooked politician?
Nevertheless, this type of behavior is common in the workplace. The CEO or Manager asks Human Resources/Employee Relations to ‘resolve an issue’ in which management is either involved in the issue or responsible for protecting the company’s image (sweep it under the rug, minimize/downplay the problem, see how far the employee is willing to take the issue..either via a lawyer, EEOC or other government/quasi government entity). Or Human Resources takes the initiative, requested by a ‘troubled employee,” to ‘resolve the issue’ on behalf of the organization/management.
Obama finds out about “these things” the same way everyone else does, in the news. He should leave the reporters alone so he can find out more of what his administration is doing. Holder, the fox, in charge? Puleeeeze.
This should erase doubt that Obama somehow disagrees with Holder’s actions. The CIA put out a memo with the following analysis. The election of Obama in 08 would kill most of the opposition to wars of empire and the destruction of the Constitution. They were absolutely correct in this assessment.
It now remains for all people of conscience to pull their shit together and realize how dangerous the situation we face as a people really is. I am sick of those who make excuse after excuse for actions which destroy our society and bring war upon the earth. I know that many people who claim make these excuses are paid to make them. This is a foolish path.
To those who cling to beliefs that make them feel better, this also must end. Too much is at stake to keep up a set of false hopes and beliefs. Please work with groups who will stand up to the destruction of the rule of law, against war, against injustice.
Remarkable! THE AP STORY IS THE STORY that will bring the truth to ALL the scandals.
What a cluster —-. Never thought I’d see this one. I’d laugh but it’s too painful.
Obama never Reformed the Corrupted Department of Justice G.W. Bush left us..! Bush turned the Jewel of our Agencies into a laughing stock and Obama ran with it, seemed to like it a shambles and dysfunctional, and corrupted and perverted with religious Law School Graduates and Federalist Society Sycophants..!
Like everything else during the crucial 8 years trying to recover from Bush and Cheney, Obama decided to do everything half assed..!