I truly wonder when lefty-liberal types will wake up -- and I don't mean the blind, controlled-opposition of Olbermann and Maddow. I mean the rank and file that are getting a screwing by their savior.
"Battle looms on White House authority; ACLU worries that Bush views on power linger" by Joseph Williams, Globe Staff | March 5, 2009
WASHINGTON - As a Senate committee debated yesterday whether to create a "truth commission" to investigate alleged abuses of White House authority during the Bush era, President Obama has quietly adopted some of his predecessor's expansive views of the power as commander in chief - especially concerning antiterrorism policies.
Those moves could lead to a confrontation over the scope of presidential authority with the Democratic-led Congress, whose leaders say they intend to recalibrate the balance of power between Congress and the White House. Some top Democrats, Obama allies, and civil libertarians say they are closely watching how the new president uses his power, and intend to challenge him if he does not voluntarily roll it back to pre-Bush limits.
I'll believe it when I see it.
Senator Russ Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat and member of both the Senate judiciary and intelligence committees, was one of several lawmakers who cosponsored legislation to limit use of a "state secrets" exemption after Justice Department lawyers, under new Attorney General Eric Holder, invoked the provision in a federal lawsuit against Jeppesen Inc., a subsidiary of
Related: Obama Invokes Tyranny of State Secrets
Senator Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat and the judiciary committee chairman, is pushing for the "truth commission" to investigate the Bush administration's national security policies, including search and seizure powers.
"Nothing has done more to damage America's place in the world than the revelation that this nation stretched the law and the bounds of executive power to authorize torture and cruel treatment," Leahy said in opening remarks at yesterday's hearing.
Quoting a recent decision by Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, Leahy said the Constitution "is not something an administration is able 'to switch . . . on and off at will.' " Leahy said that to prevent future abuses, the nation "must not be afraid to look at what we have done," no matter how painful.
"We must understand that national security means protecting our country by advancing our laws and values, not discarding them," Leahy said.....
Related: Leahy's Laments
The Truth About the Leahy Bush Truth Commission
**********************
The American Civil Liberties Union and other watchdog groups say they are carefully monitoring the president and his staff, ready to sound the alarm if Obama follows in Bush's footsteps and more fully adopts the expanded view of presidential power.
The ACLU filed the lawsuit against Jeppesen on behalf of five terrorism suspects who sued the company, alleging it helped transport them overseas for harsh interrogations. When Justice Department lawyers cited the state secrets provision in the Jeppesen lawsuit, the ACLU expressed outrage.
"It was more than disappointing," said Caroline Frederickson, director of the ACLU's Washington office, given that Obama, on the campaign trail, derided Bush's views of executive power....
Yeah, get in line, lady.
Peter Shane, an Ohio State University professor of constitutional law, said it is likely that Obama - who also taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago - and Holder are trying to find the proper balance between civil liberties and the need to protect the nation against a terrorist attack.
That's easy: DON'T CARRY OUT the FALSE-FLAG JOBS!!!!
But he said it's also likely that since taking office Jan. 20, Obama and his aides "have learned a lot about the operations of those [Bush antiterror] programs that they didn't know during the campaign, and learned a lot about threats to the United States that they didn't know" at that time. --more--"
What bullshit.
