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Saturday, June 27, 2009

Absolute power corrupts absolutely
Posted by Jill | 9:32 AM
I just didn't think it would happen this quickly:
Obama administration officials, fearing a battle with Congress that could stall plans to close the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, are crafting language for an executive order that would reassert presidential authority to incarcerate terrorism suspects indefinitely, according to three senior government officials with knowledge of White House deliberations.

Such an order would embrace claims by former president George W. Bush that certain people can be detained without trial for long periods under the laws of war. Obama advisers are concerned that an order, which would bypass Congress, could place the president on weaker footing before the courts and anger key supporters, the officials said.

Look, I understand the dilemma. I understand that by utilizing torture, the Bush Administration created evidence against some of the people held at Guantanamo Bay that cannot be used under the system of justice we claim to utilize in the U.S. But does Barack Obama really believe that embracing the Bush Administration's power grab to incarcerate anyone, at any time, for any reason, under the cover of "war", is "change we can believe in" and that it's going to "keep us safe"?

Either we're better than the government of Iran or we aren't. And if we aren't, then let's throw this notion of "change" out the window and stop this crap about how America is so special and some kind of moral beacon for the rst of the world.

And by the way, in case Barack Obama doesn't know it yet, the very same wingnuts who ignored the destruction of habeas corpus under the Bush Administration are suddenly going to find it objectionable and a Threat to the Republic now that a Democrat has embraced it. So if he thinks this is a way to curry favor with Republicans, he'd better guess again. And if the new boss is going to be the same as the old boss, then we might as well sit on our hands in 2012 and let Sarah Palin become President. Because what the hell's the difference?

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3 Comments:
Blogger Bob said...
What president wants to give up the power a previous president assumed? At the least, they'll pocket it just in case.
6/27/09, 2:59 PM  
Blogger Cujo359 said...
Obama's voting record in the Senate, his choice of foreign policy advisers, and his speeches during the campaign should have left no one in doubt that he'd do this once he gained office. For all the vitriol and nonsense about Hillary Clinton during the election, she opposed this more than Obama did.

Anyone who is surprised by this development hasn't been paying attention.
6/27/09, 4:09 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...
I don't understand. The wingnuts want Gitmo to continue? Hell, I'm crazy and if I was against the Democrats I would want gitmo closed instantly. Do they think they have a magic wand to get them out if Obama suddenly decides it would be a great place to beat the truth out of the bushcheneygang?

Logic, truly not a conservative virture.
7/1/09, 10:15 AM  
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