Posted on 01/11/2009 10:34:53 PM PST by Justaham
WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama signaled in an interview broadcast Sunday that he was unlikely to authorize a broad inquiry into Bush administration programs like domestic eavesdropping or the treatment of terrorism suspects.
But Mr. Obama also said prosecutions would proceed if the Justice Department found evidence that laws had been broken.
As a candidate, Mr. Obama broadly condemned some counterterrorism tactics of the Bush administration and its claim that the measures were justified under executive powers. But his administration will face competing demands: pressure from liberals who want wide-ranging criminal investigations, and the need to establish trust among the country’s intelligence agencies. At the Central Intelligence Agency, in particular, many officers flatly oppose any further review and may protest the prospect of a broad inquiry into their past conduct.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
It would play well to his base, but I don't think it would go over very well with the greater electorate. Bush has kept us safe, and regardless of this last election, I don't think people have forgotten.
The prospect of Congress or the Justice Department involved in a protracted, ugly investigation with Bush and then getting hit again by the islamists would spell disaster for all Dems for a decade or more. Barry's not going to take that chance.
Obama: 4 more years of Bush...
This is a no-brainer. Obama doesn’t want to set a precedent for post-presidential criminal investigations, lest he be hunted down after his term is over.
“This proves Obama’s not as stupid as he looks (with those ears, Rocket Scientist doesn’t jump off the page).”
Its the difference between being a candidate and sitting in the big chair getting the real reports. You’ll notice that he started changing his tune about foreign policy when he started receiving security briefings. Doesn’t mean he will not attempt any radical legislation or other crap, but sitting on the hot seat does tend to moderatize a persons promised agenda.
Heh!! The nutroots will not be pleased!
President-elect Unicorn is finding that reality is a harsh mistress.
All BHO has to do to be a successfull neo-Marxist president is to continue to grasp America from the top, down, especially putting the statist squeeze upon small and mid-level businesses, while continuing to build his armies of the proletariat (culminating in the future, into forcing businesses to give over massive ownership to labor).
It is called anarcho-syndicalism (historic American headquarters, Chicago) a.k.a., fascism. Hence those black and red colors on acceptance speech night, IMHO.
"I'm an anarchist as much as I am a communist." - Billy Ayers
That’s true. 0Zero is already running from potential indictments.
It’s coming, maybe not Bush, but those that helped make/implement policy, it’s coming, the dems just will just have to take a bite of the apple...
Perhaps he should be looking into Gorelick and the wall she erected.
Any minute now!
I believe nothing Hussein says. He also pledged to take public financing for his campaign. He also said he would never diswon that racist pal Wright. He also said last week in his speech the federal government must “tighten its belt” but also spend more money.
Anything the guy says has the shelf life of the most unstable uranium isotope. In essence, his word is worthless.
The politically motivated “investigations” have served their purpose, so the Dems have no further need for them. Of course, some liberals took them seriously - revving up the liberal base was part of their rational in the first place - but that time is passed. Democrats know full well that Bush is in the clear and always was, and continuing the attack on someone who’s no longer in power and can’t come back would just distract them from what they want to do and at least has the potential to blow up in their faces.
I believe you are more correct on this point too. An example of him realizing he is sitting in the big chair now is his silence on Israel. For all his radical ideals regarding the middle east he has been getting the security briefings and is quickly learning he needs to keep his mouth shut.
As he gets his briefings every morning and the fantasy starts to crumble away I wonder and worry about his psyche. It almost sounds as if he is telling the public, "You don't know what you would do until it happens to you." He is withdrawing his judgments & prejudices against the previous administration, now that he for the first time in his life, is faced with the choices that must protect the American people.
And for these reasons I pray to God and ask Him to be moved to grant Wisdom to a mortal man I despise.
There is no way the Dems will abolish the capacity to perform electronic eavesdropping!!!!
Putin loves it............
He said nothing about preventing Prince Harry, and Princess NanPo from making life as miserable for the previous administration as possible.
As well you shouldn't. In a very profound way this "new" position of Obama's is just another example of him breaking a pledge; a pledge he made to the radical, anti-war, left of his party that he would investigate those that have committed war crimes and prosecute them for it (that's almost an exact quote from one of his primary stump speeches).
Neb52 said above "Its the difference between being a candidate and sitting in the big chair getting the real reports." and he's exactly right. I think Obama has received some very sobering reports. Plus, practical reality is begging to sink and he's starting to ask himself questions like "What am I going to to with the terrorists thugs in Guantanamo after it's shut?"
On yesterday's ABC THIS WEEK, Thomas Friedman (not a conservative) said the thing that looms over Obama's inauguration and Presidency is the fact that Bush has let them hit us again, and that is a significant benchmark to equal for Barry.
I suspect Obama will move much further to the center or even right when it comes to national security. Of course, no one in the media will give him any grief (like they did Bush) and no one will point out that this is not how Obama campaigned.
Bush has NOT let them hit us again. That must what you meant, right?
Oops. Typo. Yes, "NOT hit us again" is what I meant.
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