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Helen Thomas: "Obama Follows Some Of Bush’s Footsteps" [WARNING: HORRIFIC IMAGES]
TheBostonChannel.com ^ | 19 Feb 09 | Our bastion of journalistic integrity and impartiality, Infobabe HELEN THOMAS!!!

Posted on 02/19/2009 1:11:06 PM PST by seanmerc

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is already back-tracking on some of his high-road campaign stands and is copying some of former President George W. Bush’s dubious policies.

A couple of weeks ago the Obama administration invoked the controversial state secrets act in the case of Binyam Mohamed, an Ethiopian native, and four other detainees. They claimed they were victims of the Bush administration’s rendition program under which terrorism suspects were secretly taken to other countries where, they say, they were tortured.

The Bush administration’s position has been that the case should be dismissed because even courtroom discussion of their treatment could threaten national security. When the case was heard earlier this month before a panel of Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals judges sitting in San Francisco, the Obama administration made the same argument.

One judge asked the Justice Department lawyer if the change in administrations had any bearing on the case.

"No, your honor," came the reply.

According to The New York Times, "even the judges on the panel seemed surprised by the administration’s decision to go forward" with the same argument. That’s not "change," the theme of the Obama presidential election campaign. It’s more of the same.

Former President Bush’s legal advisers went out of their way to cleanse new laws of any penalties for White House officials and CIA agents to be tried for abuses of power. A "heavy" among them was newly departed Attorney General Michael Mukasey, the same official who said he couldn’t decide whether the use of waterboarding during interrogation was torture.

And he was a former federal judge!

Another instance of Obama in lock step with his predecessor was the new president’s executive order perpetuating Bush’s "faith-based office in the White House," but failing to provide safeguards against the blurring of separation of church and state.

During his campaign, Obama agreed to uphold the Bush administration program of granting federal aid and contracts to churches, temples and mosques for charitable work but promised to bar religious discrimination in hiring. There was no such prohibition in his directive.

Obama also has backed Bush's last-minute move to allow concealed firearms in national parks. He did so even while a review is underway to see if the firearms measure meets environmental restrictions.

Obama has been true to some of his big pledges by issuing orders to shut down the controversial prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the shameful CIA’s secret prisons abroad -- prisons known for cruel and inhuman abuses of prisoners.

Whether out of charity toward his predecessor or a protective spirit for the reputation of the country, Obama has ruled out a "truth commission" that would re-examine the policies and practices of his predecessor. Instead, the new president insists that we have to "move forward" without assigning blame to those who dishonored us. So much for the much touted Obama campaign slogan of "change." And to think that he once taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School and was head of the Harvard Law Review.

Meantime, two Senate Democrats -- Richard Durbin of Illinois and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island -- are urging the Justice Department to release its findings of an ethics investigation into legal opinions of the Bush administration that paved the way for waterboarding and other harsh questioning of prisoners captured during the "war on terror."

The Bush advisers then serving in the Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel -- John C. Yoo and Jay S. Bybee -- wrote memos that narrowed the definition of torture. A separate Yoo memo suggested that those acting under the president’s authority as commander in chief would be immune from prosecution for torture.

Unless Obama acts to clear our name we may forever be identified with the horrors of the American Gulag in our treatment of prisoners.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: barackobama; bho2009; bho44; bhogwot; bush; democrat; democrats; dims; dumbocrats; helenthomas; infobabe; liberalmeatheads; newsbabe; obama; rats; thomas
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To: texas_mrs

The same thing ran through my mind, I would hope it is for the humor value. Having said that, there are some truly sick puppies in this world.


21 posted on 02/19/2009 1:27:53 PM PST by Jubal Madison (Sic Semper Tyrannis)
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To: null and void

hissss!


22 posted on 02/19/2009 1:32:14 PM PST by smokingfrog ( Dear Mr. Obama - Please make it rain candy! P.S. I like jelly beans.)
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To: kyperman

23 posted on 02/19/2009 1:34:27 PM PST by null and void (We are now in day 30 of our national holiday from reality.)
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To: seanmerc

Why is Clinton smiling and where is Helen Thomas’s other hand?

Helen Thomas-The cure for priapism


24 posted on 02/19/2009 1:37:05 PM PST by 101voodoo
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To: seanmerc

"We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto..."

25 posted on 02/19/2009 1:37:06 PM PST by HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity
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To: seanmerc

...So, WWWWhat’s the big deal? They’re all the same, Puppet on the left hand, puppet on the right hand, one guy holding both puppets...


26 posted on 02/19/2009 1:38:27 PM PST by gargoyle (...Don't bring shotguns to UFO sightings, let the aliens land, they might be here to pick me up...)
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To: seanmerc; glock rocks; tubebender; SouthTexas

Hey! You stole my doggy!!!!

:)

And a kind, loving ping to the other ones of youse.


27 posted on 02/19/2009 1:44:08 PM PST by Brad’s Gramma ( PRAY! Pray for the U.S. Pray for Israel.)
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To: acoulterfan

she has that “sassy” look


28 posted on 02/19/2009 1:59:37 PM PST by machogirl (not one of Rush's top-ten gal names)
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To: seanmerc
Image and video hosting by TinyPic
29 posted on 02/19/2009 2:04:39 PM PST by Snappy1MarineMom (Don't Blame me I voted for Keys)
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To: Brad's Gramma

Good dog!


30 posted on 02/19/2009 2:09:05 PM PST by SouthTexas (Can I have my house back that I lost in the 80s????)
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To: seanmerc

What happened to the ping?


31 posted on 02/19/2009 2:30:19 PM PST by DirtyHarryY2K (To hell with the RINO party!)
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To: DirtyHarryY2K

My dog ate it?


32 posted on 02/19/2009 2:30:53 PM PST by Brad’s Gramma ( PRAY! Pray for the U.S. Pray for Israel.)
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To: seanmerc

33 posted on 02/19/2009 2:42:43 PM PST by paulycy (BEWARE the LIBERAL/MEDIA Complex)
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To: seanmerc
Maybe Helen just doesn't photograph well. You know, the camera isn't kind to her.
She might be, or once was, quite the looker in person.
34 posted on 02/19/2009 2:46:00 PM PST by jla (Sarah! sarahpac.com)
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To: Brad's Gramma

Should’ve given you credit. I did steal it from you. Hope that’s OK.


35 posted on 02/19/2009 2:46:34 PM PST by seanmerc
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To: seanmerc

eee gads..... those pics are horrific..... you really should have posted a content not suitiable for anyone warning.


36 posted on 02/19/2009 2:47:53 PM PST by Americanwolf (I.Y.A.O.Y.A.S. If you don't know what it means you probably shouldn't ask.)
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To: DirtyHarryY2K

Dunno. You didn’t get it? I’ll double check the ping list. Sorry!


37 posted on 02/19/2009 2:48:26 PM PST by seanmerc
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To: seanmerc

finally a woman clinton wouldn’t sleep with.


38 posted on 02/19/2009 2:48:48 PM PST by Americanwolf (I.Y.A.O.Y.A.S. If you don't know what it means you probably shouldn't ask.)
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To: seanmerc

Not this thread, got the ping from yesterday.


39 posted on 02/19/2009 2:49:56 PM PST by DirtyHarryY2K (To hell with the RINO party!)
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To: beckysueb; DirtyHarryY2K; Lauren BaRecall; machogirl; Melian; paulycy; the OlLine Rebel

Re-pinging the Helen Thomas ping list. I regret my adminstrative buffoonery.


40 posted on 02/19/2009 2:50:12 PM PST by seanmerc
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