Don Siegelman Disagrees With Obama On Investigating Bush

During his press conference on Monday evening, President Obama pledged to look forwards rather than backwards when it came to investigating the misdeeds of the Bush administration. It was a carefully crafted answer, designed to neither anger nor encourage individuals either side of this contentious issue. For possible victims of legal and political injustice during the Bush years, however, it wasn't nearly enough.

Don Siegelman, the former Governor of Alabama arrested on trumped up bribery charges allegedly linked to Karl Rove, wrote the Huffington Post on Tuesday to offer his opinion of Obama's answer.

Today, with a new President, everything seems brighter, more vibrant. There is a sense of hope, a new optimism... we can see change for the better coming....piercing the dark, pain of the past eight years.

I appreciate the president's desire to fix the problems created by the Bush Administration saying in part: "...let's get it right moving forward."

However, if those who have abused their power are allowed to get away with it, then it is more likely to happen again. We have seen our American Democracy threatened, our constitutional rights abused and our system of Justice subverted. We know the Bush Administration led us into war under false pretenses, used illegal wiretaps and torture to get information and used the Department of Justice as a political weapon to win elections.

For the country to safely move forward we must repair the damage done to the foundations of our democracy. That starts with digging until we get the truth as Chairman John Conyers has been doing and as Senator Leahy is now proposing and holding accountable those who have abused their power.

Restoring justice and preserving our democracy requires nothing less and that would in itself be a great legacy for our new President.

Siegelman was pivoting off of a speech given on Monday by Senator Patrick Leahy, who pushed the creation of a truth and reconciliation commission to investigate the Bush years. On Monday, Obama said he had not read Leahy's proposal and, as such, couldn't render an opinion on it. His aides have said they would provide an answer to the Huffington Post when one is formulated.

The president did say that people -- presumably Bush officials included -- "should be prosecuted just like any ordinary citizen," implicitly suggesting that if illegality is proven it would be brought to court. But, he added, "Generally speaking, I'm more interested in looking forward than I am in looking backwards. I want to pull everybody together, including, by the way, the -- all the members of the intelligence community who have done things the right way and have been working hard to protect America and I think sometimes are painted with a broad brush without adequate information."

Comments

[JiminNC]

The President is on this. Congress needs to act. Meanwhile, I believe the new AG is compiling information and will ask for an indy prosecutor at some point in the not too distant future. First, we have to wait until the republicans damage themselves beyond repair with their hyper-partisan stance on everything that comes before them. They already look pretty bad now. This cannot be a "partisan witch hunt" ... give it time.

[Donnat]

I agree with Don. Bush did terrible things and broke the law repeatedly when he was in office. If he's not punished, what kind of message does it send to future GOP crooks, and you know there are many.

[Kiwuck]

I'm not entirely sure that prosecuting the criminals of the last administration would prevent it from happening in the future. It's tempting to say if Nixon hadn't been pardoned these people wouldn't have thought they could get away with it, but I'm not sure of that. The arrogance of Cheney, Rumsfeld, Perle and their cohorts isn't likely to have been affected by anything that happened to Nixon. If illegality is proven it needs to be prosecuted, but at the moment I'm not sure we can spare the time, money, and attention that it will take to invesitage and prove the evil, much as I want to see them all in Gitmo

[Chlowina]

Going to try this again...

They do need to clean up the past in order that the future will be bright and honest.

If not, then in the future, someone else will come along and use the last 8 years as a basis on how this country should be run. i.e.... if the bush.ie adminis tration did it and wasn't pun ished, then it must be okay, so let's do it again.

O FF WITH THEIR HE ADS...Q ueen of He arts

[MSB]

"Moving on" is an asinine notion when it comes to the law.

If this were true then we should release all of the criminals in the United States.

If you commit a crime while in office, that crime(s) should rightly be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

I am increasingly disinterested in a country that seems to encourage and promote the least responsibility along with the most outrageous profitability. Corruption is rewarded and yet loyalty of citizens is demanded. We live in a real "let them eat cake" society right now.

The revolution is coming. History repeats itself.

[nicole473]

oh shut up.

[MSB]

You are a genuine wordsmith. It must have taken you an entire evening to craft such a well-reasoned response.

[justwaitandsee]

He should just be patient. Holder will be in charge of this department

[mfpsc]

I appreciate Obama's desire to move forward but how can we if we are going to be dogged by the bush wrongs! It is Americas duty to investigate this, not the U.N.'s or the media.

[Xgal08]

Remember he said,"No one's above the law." that includes bush

[NWBrunette]

He's been talking out of both sides of his mouth on this issue since the beginning. He's avoiding taking a lead on it. And nothing serious will happen without Obama's public support and encouragement. Change-we-can-believe-in calling!

[nicole473]

Are you sure you are a Dem ocrat? Calling for prose cution of those in the BA is one thing. Insulting Oba ma when he has been in office for only 3 weeks is another.

Perhaps YOU could get more done faster however.

[Citizen-Jane]

The law is the law and no one is above the law. Obama should not blanketly make a decision not to investigation for the rest of us. This can never happen again. And for Obama to say that his adminitration will adhere to the law while leaving the door open for future Bushies to re-invent the law as they see fit is not acceptable. More pressure should be put on the Congress however to make sure that this happens. Pelosis and Reid are weak and seemingly feeble minded so.........?........I don't know. Also AG Eric Holder can definitely get the ball rolling.

[JiminNC]

The President has not made a blanket decision to ignore anything. He can't send a "presidential subpeona" - Congress and the AG must do the investigative work and make charges.

[NWBrunette]

Gee, I wonder who the AG reports to? Don't suppose Obama might have just a tiny bit of influence in that regard. Be nice to actually hear about it, clearly and definitively.

[nicole473]

Very true. Some of these people seem to expect it to happen overnight, and/or for Obama to make an announcement, which he will not do until the AG tells him it's a go. I suspect it will be quite a while.

[JiminNC]

ooops - subpoena

[dwillisno1]

Every one wants to move on Mr President, every one recognizes that we have to move forward, but what about those who were actually hurt in the last 8 years, and now cannot move on with us?

[nicole473]

I agree. The B ush ad mini stration must be investi gated, and if warranted, prose cutions brought forth, or their actions will bear repetition by others in the future.

Additionally, Mr. Siegelman deserves the opportunity to clear his name, while K arl R ove deserves nothing more than a small, dark, damp, rat infest ed ja il cell to r o t in.

[LeeCalif]

If Obama doesn't investigate and hold them accountable then they (the thugs) will come back, hit him at his weakest moment and take over the country. I'm not joking.

[vesaversa1]

I agree there have to be a investigation

[StephenDedalus82]

The president doesn't necessarily have to have his hands all over this. They should appoint special prosecutors, let the new justice department do its job, and let the evidence lead where it will.

[LeLoup]

Amen to that!
Let the professionals do their job, wherever the chips may fall.

[Audrey704]

To restore our credibility and accountability here and abroad we must be willing to do the hard things, investigate and bring charges to those who have committed crimes. that is the law we are a nation of laws and if we choose to turn a blind eye out of convenience than we are no better than most of the other countries in this world. We need to send a message to our current government leaders and future leaders that wrongdoing will not be tolerated. Respect for the founders of this great nation demand at least that.

[woody7]

I think that Obama should investigate or have a commission like in South Africa to find the truth, and prosecute if need be. I don't want him spending his whole term cleaning up after Bush, nor do I want nothing done. Something needs to be done, so we can move on.........