Obama Executive Power Claims Put Him In Danger Of Covering Up Bush Abuses: NYT

New York Times:

The Obama administration has clung for so long to the Bush administration's expansive claims of national security and executive power that it is in danger of turning President George W. Bush's cover-up of abuses committed in the name of fighting terrorism into President Barack Obama's cover-up.

We have had recent reminders of this dismaying retreat from Mr. Obama's passionate campaign promises to make a break with Mr. Bush's abuses of power, a shift that denies justice to the victims of wayward government policies and shields officials from accountability.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[Okieborn]

The very person whom America placed all of it HOPE for Change has done his best to protect George W. Bush and to cater to the Republican, the very ones who want his failure !!

[boolala]

I care deeply about the issues of torture and rendition, perhaps more than any other issue, and I have followed it closely for years. Nonetheless, I think that Obama is acting like a president when he says that we should move forward. He is fighting two wars, trying to save our economy from collapse and trying to pass healthcare and climate change. That is the appropriate focus for the president. People want Obama to do everything, but does not have the luxury to get lost in the weeds.

Eric Holder, on the other hand, has a different job. Part of his job is, indeed, to defend the government from lawsuits and from encroachments on its constitutional powers. But a greater part of his job is to faithfully prosecute violations of law, particularly when done by the powerful, the insiders, the government itself. During his confirmation, both Obama and Holder emphasized that Holder had learned his lesson from the Mark Rich incident--that the Attorney General must be independent and scrupulous; loyal to the law, not to the president. I hope they were telling the truth. Holder needs to pursue violations of the law, no matter where that pursuit leads. Obama can express his preference that we move forward, but he must not interfere with the mandate of the Attorney General.

[Okieborn]

"TWO OF A KIND" !!!!!!!

[protagonia]

Now all the troIIs have to pretend that they never like/voted for W.

Aw.

:(

[Eris23]

While the trolls in Obama's camp have to pretend that they never cared about Bush tapping our phones or using the state secrets privilege to block court cases involving torture from proceeding.

[protagonia]

Well turned, Eris23.

[loki]

I kind of think President Obama is keeping the Bush illegal acts of treason against the United states to invade Iraq under cover because of what he saw when he entered the oval office. Im assuming that what Bush, Cheney, Rummy and the Neo Cons did was so horrible, that President Obama fears it would do so much damage to the United States of America, that he has to keep it covered up.

Id much rather think that than think he is doing it to protect Bush.

[serena1313]

I fully support Obama on majority of his policies, but not this. I was mortified when Bush used national security to block judicial scrutiny of (what appears to be) war crimes and abuses taking place in secret. Iam equally mortified that under Obama's directive his administration is using the same arguments which is difficult not to conclude is an effort to protect the previous administration.

In keeping with Bush, whose propensity for keeping secrets is well-known, Hillary also threatened to cut off intelligen­ce-sharing with Britain if their courts did not reverse its decision to release 7 redacted paragraphs, concerning Binyam Mohamed's torture, as a matter of national security. Considering the judges found nothing that related to secret intelligence it is puzzling why Bush and now Obama argue against disclosing information.

In fact much of the information Bush wanted kept secret actually had little to do with national security concerns; he just did not want the public to know about the WH abuse of power, wrongdoing and illegal actions.

Although he has not followed in his predecessor's footsteps in that regard, Obama has, however, made it easier for future administrations, and his own as well, to act in secret without purview of the courts. By protecting the Bush administration, Obama is setting precedent that augurs danger for democracy and America's future.

[Destin]

There is no need, nor precedent for either claims of executive privilege or national security. Both are excuses for lawlessness and have no business existing in a democracy.

[Deidroni]

The NYT article is frustrating, but, imagine what our country would be like right now if McCain/Palin had been elected!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!

At least Obama, hasn't moved us more to the right. People do need to speak up, and tell this administration that continuing Bush's policy's on detention and secrecy are unacceptable.

[Eris23]

They weren't elected so why should I have to imagine how bad it would be if they were? It's got nothing to do with the subject.

[Deidroni]

Yes, it does have something to do with the subject. The article compares the Obama Admin. with the Bush Admin.. So, I comparing Obama to what things would look like if the Republicans had maintained power in the White House. My point is that what Obama is apparently doing looks wrong but to what degree? McCain and the Republicans would have gone much deeper into secrecy and torture and would have probably have been bombing Iran by now. Remember, McCain sang about dropping bombs on Iran. Also, my point is that what Obama is doing may not be that terrible, but should be questioned, and challenged.

[KoolAidDrinkersAnonymous]

Change. Same. Change. Same.

The only difference between our first half white half black prezident and the last guy, is the ability to give a better teleprompted speech that someone else wrote.

Oh, and Bush was a better golfer, but Obama is a better basketball player.

Yet, the lesties love this guy like he is the second coming.

Amusing. Pathetic, but amusing.

[Destin]

That's amusing coming from a poster who once described President Bush as the second coming.

[PrairieView]

Obama is continuing the same crimes that Bush and the government have been committing. Do you expect him to arrest himself?

[Pucifer]

Er, Barry and W. sitting in a tree,
K - I - S - S - I - N - G,
First comes love,
then come miscarriage
(of justice)..­.

[horselee]

It has become Obama's coverup. I thought I was voting for a liberal Democrat and I ended up with Bush lite.

[Cunningham]

If you thought you were voting for a liberal, you weren't paying attention.

[Eris23]

That's the apathetic way of looking at it. The reality is, if Obama thinks people weren't voting for someone to work and fight hard to take us in the opposite direction of what Bush had done, he wasn't paying attention.

[siasina]

Any person with half a brain can see that Obama is just Bush lite; it's just the same policies repackaged to look good for liberals.

[Shirley Fisk]

10/26/09
4:33pm
Washington, DC

I printed this article because I believe that my case in USDC SDNY, Fisk v. Letterman, et al was sabotaged by DOJ and other Executive Branch agencies at the behest of...who but somebody in the Executive Branch?
Outrageous. Somebody talk to me before I have another "accident.­"

P.S. I have never met or spoken to David Letterman and I have received NOTHING from him ever.

[Cunningham]

So why did you sue him et al?

[Shirley Fisk]

10/26/09
8:36pm
Alexandria, VA

Long story. You can read the complaint on-line if you are interested.

[sparky73]

The President is doing an OK job. I think the problem is the complete Bush haters now see he wasn't that terrible as a centrist President. Obama is the same Centrist President. People who are devout followers of one party over the other are d*mb because if you look close enough, they are barely different in the way they govern, but they are different in the way they get votes.