The previous two days have seen two excellent columns by Salon's Glenn Greenwald. Both clearly show that the Obama administration has surpassed that of his predecessor in the amount of hubris generated. Not only is our current leader acting as if he has been installed as King Barack, but the courtiers are more the hated GOP than members of his own party!
On Wednesday, Greenwald took to task the supposed defender of our civil liberties, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). As I hope you remember from last week, Paul led an unsuccessful charge against the extension of the Patriot Act. Arguing that this Act violated the civil rights of citizens, Paul filibustered the bill for several days.
Inexplicably, Paul did an about face when he suggested on a radio show that citizens who attend events in which someone advocates radical and/or violent overthrow of the government should be arrested! So much for being a defender of the right of free speech!!
But Greenwald's most scathing critique was not of Paul but of President Obama.
Yesterday, Greenwald excoriated Team Obama for their continuation of the illegal war on Libya. As with the previous issue, our president has decided he can operate above the law and he is working with GOP leaders to insure he can continue unabated.
If you have been following the news on the US involvement with NATO in terms of the bombing of Libya, then you must be aware that this action violates the War Powers Act. As per the US Constitution, only the Congress can declare war. The War Powers Act grants a limited duration exception ONLY when the US has been attacked by a foreign power.
Of course, Libya has not attacked us nor poses an immediate threat to our national security (unless you believe that ANY act of ANY country poses such a threat). Under the terms of the aforementioned Act, the President must go before Congress to secure its approval within 60 days of the commencement of military activities -- something the Obama administration hasn't even attempted.
While so many voters bought into the "hope" rope-a-dope rhetoric, the Obama administration has turned out to be a continuation of the Bush years on steroids!
On Wednesday, Greenwald took to task the supposed defender of our civil liberties, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). As I hope you remember from last week, Paul led an unsuccessful charge against the extension of the Patriot Act. Arguing that this Act violated the civil rights of citizens, Paul filibustered the bill for several days.
Inexplicably, Paul did an about face when he suggested on a radio show that citizens who attend events in which someone advocates radical and/or violent overthrow of the government should be arrested! So much for being a defender of the right of free speech!!
But Greenwald's most scathing critique was not of Paul but of President Obama.
...the Obama administration is not only advocating views that violently breach the same principle, but has been attempting to act on those violations for more than a year now as they try to kill the American-born Terrorist suspect Anwar al-Awlaki (along with at least three other unknown U.S. citizens targeted for assassination). Indeed, this is one of the prime principles that has made me view the President's assassination program as so odious from the start.In essence, Obama has set himself ABOVE the law by deciding he can act as the police, judge, jury and executioner. As Greenwald suggests, this establishes a dangerous precedent that goes far beyond anything Bush II ever contemplated. This move also flies in the face of the socialist hysteria that has gripped the Radical Right. It lands Obama squarely within their perspective of a police-state style of law and order.
What has made Awlaki of such great concern for American officials is not any alleged operational role in Terrorism, but rather the fact that he advocates violent jihad and does so with some degree of efficacy...
Yesterday, Greenwald excoriated Team Obama for their continuation of the illegal war on Libya. As with the previous issue, our president has decided he can operate above the law and he is working with GOP leaders to insure he can continue unabated.
If you have been following the news on the US involvement with NATO in terms of the bombing of Libya, then you must be aware that this action violates the War Powers Act. As per the US Constitution, only the Congress can declare war. The War Powers Act grants a limited duration exception ONLY when the US has been attacked by a foreign power.
Of course, Libya has not attacked us nor poses an immediate threat to our national security (unless you believe that ANY act of ANY country poses such a threat). Under the terms of the aforementioned Act, the President must go before Congress to secure its approval within 60 days of the commencement of military activities -- something the Obama administration hasn't even attempted.
Waging a war for 74 days without Congressional approval is illegal enough. Doing so when there is a growing bipartisan movement in Congress to compel an end to the war -- rather than approve it -- is even worse. And note the individuals on whom Obama is now relying to protect him from this bipartisan effort to put an end to his illegal war: "GOP House leaders" -- John Boehner and Eric Cantor, who refused to allow the bill to come up for a vote despite ample support among conservative members of their caucus as well as numerous liberal House members. Can we hear more now about how the two parties are so radically different that bipartisan cooperation is impossible? The Emperor has decreed that we will fight this war, and thus we will -- that seems to be the prevailing mindset...I realize the liberals can point to some actions that Obama has taken that are far more progressive than the previous administration. We should applaud him for those. Unfortunately, on most of the critical issues facing this nation, Obama has shown himself not only to embrace some of the worst aspects of the Bush doctrine, but to take them to levels that far surpass anything that Dubya would have thought prudent.
While so many voters bought into the "hope" rope-a-dope rhetoric, the Obama administration has turned out to be a continuation of the Bush years on steroids!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are unmoderated, so you can write whatever you want.