Anything Less Than Absolute Moral Clarity from Democrats Will Enshrine Bush's Abuses
Over the past four months there have been a series of flare-ups between the Obama administration and the progressive activist community, centered mainly around the new administration's willingness (or lack thereof) to reverse Bush-Cheney's radical excesses in the realm of civil liberties, secrecy, detainee treatment, interrogation, and counter-terrorism.
Ever astute and incisive, Digby raises what I think is the critical point in this entire debate:
The argument against torture is slipping away from us. In fact, I'm getting the sinking feeling that it's over. What was once taboo is now publicly acknowledged as completely acceptable by many people. Indeed, disapproval of torture is now being characterized as a strictly partisan issue, like welfare reform or taxes.
Ari Melber, my former Kerry campaign colleague, takes a parallel tack, arguing that there should be no debate here; torture is illegal. Even Bush acknowledged that.
Glenn Greenwald, an indispensible voice on this topic, says bluntly:
Ever since he was inaugurated, Obama has taken one extreme step after the next to keep concealed both the details and the evidence of Bush's crimes, including rendition, torture and warrantless eavesdropping.
As has been the case for years, Democratic leaders, operating within the Washington bubble, misconstrue the concerns of the netroots and often privately dismiss them as the rantings of immature outsiders and political neophytes.
But as always, the progressive community, a far more efficient thinking machine than a handful of strategists and advisers, is looking ahead and raising a unified alarm. The message is this: anything less than absolute moral clarity from Democrats, who now control the levers of power, will enshrine Bush's abuses and undermine the rule of law for generations to come.
Setting aside all the campaign slogans about hope and change, what Obama really signifies is a razor sharp break from Bush, Cheney, Yoo, Rice, Rumsfeld, Addington, Libby, Bybee et al. After eight years of damage to the fabric of our Constitution and our nation, the entire point of a new face, a smart, youthful, inspiring Democratic president is to completely and totally reject the Bush years, to reject the lawless behavior, the Orwellian rationales, the blatant disregard of the Constitution.
Neglecting to do so, and leaving any doubt about where Democrats stand on these issues, is profoundly detrimental to the country.
Back to Digby:
We are in big trouble when torture becomes just another political football. It's the kind of thing that turns powerful empires into pariah nations.
Exactly. The underlying issue here is not these intermittent battles between the new administration and the progressive community (fodder for the media and conservatives) but whether the White House and Democratic leaders comprehend the repercussions of allowing DC's complex internal pressures and maneuverings -- which are largely invisible to outsiders -- to obfuscate the Bush administration's excesses.
Failing to make a clean break from the Bush years will deprive America of the one thing it needs most: an affirmation of the rule of law and the consequent reclaiming of moral authority.
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Moral authority? Like Nancy Pelosi?
We are absolutely with you Peter -"an affirmation of the rule of law and the consequent reclaiming of moral authority.
Where is the outrage? Where is the righteous indignation for our leaders going against the very Constitution and our laws they took an oath to uphold? I am shocked by the complacency of the voting public to just accept this without any need for a truth commission, investigation or Special Prosecuter. Yet, maybe they see this as 'politics as usual' and have need for President Obama's agenda to go forward A.S.A.P.
To me, it is hard to believe we could go forward without dealing with this major blot on our reputation, stain on our good name...but
You call them Bush's crimes, and that's certainly legitimate; but I'm increasingly inclined to believe that Bush did little of his own initiative, rather, did only that which he was instructed to do. If so, Obama isn't so much covering up for Bush, as following the guiding hand that guided Bush; and whoever represents the brain which guides the hand, desires nary a backward glance, urging us all down the road, toward... the endgame? If that sounds like conspiracy theory, compare it with the tortured logic of the bewildered trying to explain why Obama keeps reversing himself, or the belligerent "counter-arguments" of Obama's acolytes, who have managed to convince themselves that these are not reversals, rather, the elegant and strategic moves of a grand chess master. Now that he wants to fast track funding for the IMF, as if it were a favor to the world's impoverished masses, I don't rightly know what else to think.
Interesting difference of opinion between Peter Daou and Steve Benenen in the same issue. Steve put the question: "Should [Obama] fix the economy, fix healthcare, get a handle on the two wars he's dealing with, or does he prosecute Bush war crimes?" I'm more worried about the economy and the wars. The war crimes investigat
MORAL CLARITY ?!?...LOL !!
WHEN ALL THE SMOKE CLEARS AROUND PELOSI, DODD AND FRANK, THEY'LL MAKE 'W' SEEM LIKE DENNIS THE MENACE....
Good try, but I doubt it, DIA. Nice meaningless assertion, tho...LOL
The bottom line is this administration is not the great moral and just and fairness for all crowd that they ran on. Obama IS going to lower all Americans standard of living with huge tax increases and mispent trillions. But. someone will write something beautiful and make it sound wonderful that Obama can read off the teleprompters when it happens. I'm no longer drinking the kool-aid.
The President has been pulled off course by established power elites in Government. Unfortunately the culture of corruption is not limited to the Republican party or even to just the right wing of the Republican party, but crosses party lines and extends into the government agencies. I am certain that any in-depth investigation into the crimes of the Bush administration would uncover much corruption in the daily business as usual activity of our government.
Frankly, rather than allow the fear that such an investigation would hobble the Obama Administration when strong governance is desperately needed, the President should delegate the responsibility of this investigation (and eventual prosecution) to someone else. The remaining problem is delegating to someone who in not deeply embedded in the Washington culture of corruption.
It appears that President Obama doesn't even have the public support to delegate the responsibility of an investigation. The masses don't have the stomach to investigate. Maybe, the majority would rather NOT know the truth. Like in the movies, "they can't handle the truth".
Put it to a vote. I vote to hang them all, Cheney first.
The suggestion that America has any claim to "moral authority" is completely misplaced.
There is a long and ignominious history starting with germ warfare and genocide against the native population, horrendous abuses under slavery, an entire era under Jim Crow laws, failure to ban land mines, and the dubious distinction of using atomic weapons TWICE on civilian, nonmilitary targets.
America has provided support comfort and aid to despicable dictators, including Pinochet, the Duvaliers, the Shah of Iran, Manuel Noriega, and Saddam Hussein. She has traded missiles to Iran, biological agents to Iraq, and set them at war vs each other. She began the Vietnam war under false pretenses, and wound up helping the Pol Pot regime. Mexico was invaded and their land seized too. The Iraq war is merely another footnote to this history.
If you believe that torture has not been happening ALL ALONG, that is quintessential naiveté.
All this is accurate but WE, in the here and now, are ONLY responsible for the truth we know in front of us. We can only be held responsible for the glaring abuse of power and disregard for law we know about and have an opportunity to do something about, even if it is just attempting to influence public opinion which according to recent polls is failing. How can Americans ignore this? As you stated, if Americans, in other times, could ignore the events and circumstances in history, it should come as no surprise to anyone that with the pressing concerns of our economy, healthcare, etc. this can be relegated to the past. Yet, something inside tells me that allowing abuses in government like this to slide will come back to haunt us in a bigger way!
oh dear.....w
God, don't any of you read past the last paragraph??? The House and Senate are FULL of BLUE DOGS. These people run as Democrats (usually because they would have a hard time breaking into the republican primary). A Blue Dog democrat votes wth the republicant's 99% of the time. So you have a President that looks like he has congress on his side, but he doesn't. He has to fight until he is exhausted to get every single bill passed. He his having to threaten them and he still may not get healthcare. HE IS NOT FLIP FLOPPING. WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH REAL DEMOCRATIC SENATORS TO MAKE SURE HE GETS THINGS PASSED. Your vote is all that counts... and now you think you're voting for a "flip flopper". Although even that is better than a bunch of THUGS and CRIMINALS.
Not my so-called blue-dog Democrat: 24 Congressional District, NY, Michael Arcuri.
Talking about the 'rule of law', where was it when Chrysler went into bankruptcy. The 'rule of law' states that secured bond holders are paid first before any other money is disseminated. Obama seems to have bent the 'rule of law' in this situation by forcing the secured bond holders to accept 29 cents on the dollar.
Obama didn't "force" them to do anything. They were offered 29 cents, didn't like it, thought they'd get more in bankruptcy court and then realized they'd made a mistake about that! Tough doo-doo.
Yo...doo doo Get a clue - Bond holders come first - NOT the unions. They were being strong armed ! Watch the news...the bond holders attorney was on not long ago.
You have absolutely no idea what is coming your way, do you?
TOTUS!
Some have justified not prosecuting the Bushie lawbreakers by saying it would "politicize" the justice system.
That's like saying that prosecuting rapists would take away their victims' virginity.
11 years ago, the Republicans were screaming that the Law certanly does concern itself with trifles, now they're whining that upholding the rule of law is an act of revenge.
A call for moral clarity from Democrats by a former advisor to Hillary Clinton? Oh, that's just prime.
I'm still laughing, even has Nancy and Jane do the CIA-did-it Shuffle.
Unfortunately, nothing will be done to prevent it. Too many Democrats in high places were complicit in the torture policy. No matter how Speaker Pelosi tries to parse her words, she knew about the torture, including waterboarding, and so did other Dems. In the aftermath of 9/11, Dems were superafraid of being "soft" on terror, so they went along with the Bushies. If there were to be a truth commission, this would all come out. Pelosi has it both ways, calling for a truth commission, because she know it will never happen. Both the Repubs and the Dems value self-preservation more than they value the American people, except as cash cows to contribute to their election campaigns.
Obama and his team attempt to achieve a clean break from past practices that in today's world view is contemptuous. they are the best we've got amidst a corrupted political culture
there is such a thing as "a new beginning": The NURENBURG trial, the truth commission in post apartheid south africa, the fall of the Berlin wall, the overwhelming participation of the North American youth in the political process today, the election of a (half) black US citizen for president are samples to prove the point.
this is a dynamic White house administration, who put the past into perspective by steering a totally new course, despite all hurdles. Imagine a McCain administration doing this!
the Obamas managed to introduce a desire in a lot of people to wanting to belong to a more humane society the US hasn't seen since the Vietnam war. Also, they are lots of fun and share it too.
we must be supportive in any way. Keep in mind, we are just bloggers; others do the hard work!
anything less than absolute moral clarity from Democrats, who now control the levers of power, will enshrine Bush's abuses and undermine the rule of law for generations to come.
__________
Which democrat(s) has moral clarity for such a fight. Our politicians have been in power for along time. No stone will be thrown because there is not one without sin.y. Who would lead the fight. Who would jump on the bandwagon.
Excellent post. How can we get President Obama to read it?
ATTENTION, WHOEVER IN THE WHITE HOUSE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR FOLLOWING THE BLOGOSPHERE - PRINT THIS ARTICLE AND PUT IT ON THE PRESIDENT'S DESK. DO IT!!
Right on! I suspect Obama's team are scared to release graphic evidence of atrocious, illegal behaviour, perhaps worse than Abu Graib, because it will enrage some Americans and all Muslims.
But don't just put it on his desk--bring it to his attention and remind him that his oath of office charges him to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution. Defending the Constitution means investigating, prosecuting, and convicting those responsible for trashing it. Period.
Yes, I don't see how you can do anything less! I don't understand how we can ignore these abuses and go on, but it seems like we have been outvoted. According to the polls, most people would rather we move on. I don't know how you can move on with this kind of scar on our national reputation and good name, without it causing further damage down the road. BUT, I am not in a position to really do anything about it.
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