Gitmo Politics in Obama's White House
| Mon Nov. 23, 2009 6:14 AM PST
Photo from the Obama-Biden transition team via flickr. Used under a Creative Commons license.Liberals have not done enough public wrestling with Massimo Calabresi and Michael Weisskopf's Time article on the ouster of White House counsel Gregory Craig. Perhaps that's because they don't want to deal with the article's troubling implications. As Kevin explains, Craig was "the White House lawyer tasked with dismantling Bush-era interrogation and detention policies. At first, Obama was on board with Craig's plans. Then, reality set in."
By "reality," Kevin presumably means "political reality." Time says that as soon as Obama's positions on Bush era torture—releasing the torture photos, for example—became politically difficult, the president jettisoned them. He did this despite the fact that he had been "prepared to accept — and had even okayed" those same positions "just weeks earlier":
First to go was the release of the pictures of detainee abuse. Days later, Obama sided against Craig again, ending the suspension of Bush's extrajudicial military commissions. The following week, Obama pre-empted an ongoing debate among his national-security team and embraced one of the most controversial of Bush's positions: the holding of detainees without charges or trial, something he had promised during the campaign to reject.
But perhaps the most damning part of the Time piece is this sentence, near the beginning, that summarizes exactly what has happened in Obama's White House:
[Obama] quietly shifted responsibility for the legal framework for counterterrorism from Craig to political advisers overseen by Emanuel, who was more inclined to strike a balance between left and right.
Take a minute to think about how the left would respond to this if Obama was a Republican president. Obama delegated the responsibility for determining what to do about detainees to his political advisers. If George W. Bush had charged his political advisers, including Karl Rove, with crafting such policy, the entire blogosphere would have melted down from outrage overload.
Obama's actions here are deeply at odds with the public image he cultivated during his campaign—idealist, civil libertarian, constitutional law professor, someone who rose above politics. You can claim that the president is a "pragmatist," and always has been, but Obama draped himself in idealism and principle during the campaign. The left always complained that Bush let politics drive his policy decisions. But in this instance, couldn't Obama be accused of the same thing?
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Comments
Absolutely
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon Nov. 23, 2009 5:17 PM PST.
Obama's actions have sealed our future. It is not likely that we will ever reverse these horrendous policies or go after the Bush administration criminals. He cravenly broke his most serious campaign promises. Unless he reverses himself (unlikely), he will not get another vote of mine, even if it means President Palin in 2012. At least with President Palin, we'll know where we stand.
--Larry
Great review.I would say
Submitted by gift ideas (not verified) on Mon Nov. 23, 2009 8:37 PM PST.
Great review.I would say Obama has many challenges, the first is what does he do when he can no longer blame the Bush admin, I seem to remember 4.5% unemployment and a dow at 14K under the much hated Bush...
Your memory seems to be rather selective
Submitted by DaveD (not verified) on Tue Nov. 24, 2009 5:24 AM PST.
I too remember 4.5% unemployment and a DOW at 14K under Bush. But I also remember that by the time that Bush left office those were no longer anything but a fond memory.
Bush kicked off the parking brake on a train at the top of a mountain and sent it careening down. It's not easy to stop a runaway train careening down the side of a mountain, but that is the task that Obama has taken on. I've been very disappointed in many aspects of the Obama administration so far, but those who, 10 months into his administration, who blame him for the woes of an economy that was in recession for more than a year before he took office I have nothing but disdain.
timeframe matters
Submitted by ericf on Tue Nov. 24, 2009 10:28 AM PST.
Sure there was a good economy under Bush...when Bush first got into office. The worst economy in US history was under Franklin Roosevelt, but again, when he first got into office. Conventional wisdom holds that the economy of a president's first year is the responsibility of his predecessor. So while that does let Bush blame Clinton for economic problems in 2001, the fact will always be that the economy was collapsing as Bush left office so he'll never reasonably escape blame for it, nor can Obama be blamed for the bad economy now.
http://www.ravensblog.net
Why?
Submitted by Vincent Sheffer (not verified) on Tue Nov. 24, 2009 10:51 AM PST.
If a lot of what Obama is doing is being decided by his Emanuel led political team then Obama's going to be a one term president. I'm now firmly convinced that Emanuel is a moron. If his goal is to split everything down the very right of center middle then the result will be blazing a sure fire path to losses in 2010 and 2012. I mean how has trying to appease the Cheney wing of the GOP worked so far? They've really stood by the president when he's kept these Bush era policies, right? And people, like me, on the left are simply not going to turn out for a President and a Democratic party that continues the abhorrent policies of the Bush administration.
And, this general critique goes well beyond just the civil liberties arena. It includes solutions to global warming, health care, the economy, and the war policies in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The Obama administration and the Democratic party more broadly are demoralizing the left. But, Rahm seems to enjoy sticking a finger in the eye of the left, so maybe he's happy. I hope he's still happy when lots of people like me either don't vote for vote for 3rd party candidates. Which I will do. At this point I would rather the complete demise of our country come faster. Maybe from the ashes we can rebuild a better country. And when we get President Palin due to the well justified apathy of progressives after 4 years of the Obama administration, I'll be building a fallout shelter because the end will most certainly be very close.
I have to agree. Prior to
Submitted by DaveD (not verified) on Wed Nov. 25, 2009 5:27 AM PST.
I have to agree. Prior to the 2000 election I typically voted third party because I wasn't satisfied with either of the 2 main parties. I didn't feel that either of them really represented my wishes, although I did feel that the Democrats came closer. But with Bush's candidacy I felt that voting against the Republicans was far more important than casting a protest vote.
But now, with the disappointment of Obama continuing so many of Bush's policies, and the Democratic majority in congress so afraid of challenging the Republican minority I once again feel that it doesn't really make a whole hell of a lot of difference whether it is the Repubs or the Democrats in charge. Yes I still believe that the Dem are somewhat better, but casting my vote for them just seems too much like saying that I approve of the way they govern, and I don't.
I was thrilled to vote for
Submitted by coastperson (not verified) on Tue Nov. 24, 2009 9:29 PM PST.
I was thrilled to vote for Obama as our first black president. However, I did not vote for (and gave contribution to) him for that reason. He appeared to be highly intelligent (and still does), knowledgeable (ok), and principled.
The principled part was key. I believed he would keep track of and work to implement his campaign promises with respect to following our constitution.
The big distinguishing thing that has always made us better than other nations was the requirement that we follow laws - have trials etc.
With respect to "national security" ie the total power of the federal government, and with respect to healthcare, he has broken key promises, big time.
Obama thinks he must keep his promises to pharmaceutical and health insurance CEOs, but not to the millions who voted for him, for hope, for change.
He and his team obviously believe that we are too dumb or unimportant to respect. He is NOT working for us, obviously.
So .. basically, the discrepancy is so large he can be said to have lied to us, to me. LIES and more LIES.
Remember that saying .. Fool me once, shame on you. Twice, shame on me.
Bye bye democrats. I AM going to vote third party in 2012 and maybe even 2010 and I AM going to throw my money and maybe even my time in that direction too.
Obama: Unspeakable Disappointment
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue Nov. 24, 2009 9:44 PM PST.
The man is a House Nigger. I had every hope for him (cautiously) when I voted for him, but he is simply continuing the Quasi-Nazi policies of the previous administration. Forget about him reversing those policies or prosecuting the criminals of the Bush administration. Fuck him. He is an Uncle Tom. Forget him. Until we utterly smash the system that puts idiots like Bush and tools like Obama in office, we have no democracy in America.
Putting it that way detracts from your point
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed Nov. 25, 2009 7:50 AM PST.
I would like to suggest that bringing colour into it detracts from your (very valid) argument. No need to bring up those awful connotations when you have a good point to make. No need to risk some of your prospective audience uneccesarily.
A Torture Empire
Submitted by Danny (not verified) on Wed Nov. 25, 2009 1:33 AM PST.
Is there any remaining doubt that the USA empire is the Evil that tortures innocent men without batting an eye? It doesn't matter who the White House Occupant is, for it is the Military-Wall Street-Complex that runs the empire. And empires never apologize for tortures nor aggressive wars. What we have in Washington these days is a Dictatorship of the Profitariat--aka a Cabal of mad C.O.W.s(Coalition of Oilers and Warmongers)! Perhaps only bankruptcy will end this evil scourge on Humanity.
Maybe Help from Outside
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed Nov. 25, 2009 5:36 AM PST.
Perhaps, in the end, it will only be after this country has suffered a clear military defeat on its own turf that we can finally be rid of our innate, corn-pone fascism. Perhaps enough countries will get sick enough of us to form their own coalition aimed at regime change in the US.
The failure of Reconstruction lies at the root of this; because the south was not forced to reform, it has had the opportunity to spread its mental and political fascism to the rest of the country. The south was loaded with the disease of tyranny and oppression, and the fanatical evangelical movement has served as a vector to spread it to all 50 states.
The worst President in US History
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed Nov. 25, 2009 10:00 AM PST.
Until GWB, there was no doubt that he was the worst President in US history. But now with Obama, this present President makes GWB look like a genius. No brains, no brawn, ditherer extraordinaire - except of course when he decides to go to Europe to show off his face, stunningly successful at the flip-flop (or is that just plain lying), with convictions as solid as a wet brown paper bag, and a suppliant spine (all to well expressed to arab kings, japanese emperors, and chinese leaders), Obama has turned the US Office of the Presidency to the level of Pathetic Stooge.
GWB was bad, no doubt. But at the very least, George W. Bush, did not kowtow, did not dither (may be in days he did but not in months), man of conviction (whether you liked his convictions or not isn't the issue), a man you know what he stood for. Obama is nothing of these things.
And worst of all, Obama is a debt hog. 1.5 Trillion in over spending in his first year, 2 Trillion scheduled for his second year. Federal debt to go over 100% of GDP, on course to rival Italy, Japan and the banana republics in Africa. The US may not be an African country, but it sure is being run like an African country, with an African like leader.
Thanks to Barack Huessein Obama, the United States of America is going to hell!
Shame on us
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed Nov. 25, 2009 3:16 PM PST.
We've been through all this before. Remember Bill Clinton? We're being triangulated like there was a ring through our noses chaining us to that party. I will go everyone here one better. If Obama stays his "me too" war monger course, I will double my protest heft by voting Republican for President for the first time. The Democratic Party is illegitimately pre-empting all things progressive and continuing that illegal enterprise in Afghanistan will drive me to do the Machiavellian.
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