Glenn: Obama's Executive Order only reinforces what he's done from the start of his Presidency

what with the time zone difference, i didn't get to see glenn's response to the new obama executive order on military tribunals and guantánamo until this morning but it's pretty much as i expected...

Obama -- for reasons having nothing to do with Congress -- worked from the start to preserve the crux of the Bush/Cheney detention regime. Even with these new added levels of detention review (all inside the Executive Branch), this new Executive Order is little more than a by-product of that core commitment, and those blaming it on Congress either have little idea what they're talking about or are simply fabricating excuses in order to justify yet another instance where Obama dutifully "bolsters" the Bush War on Terror template. Indefinite detention and military commissions are continuing because Obama worked from the start for that goal -- not because Congress forced him to do so.

As as happened over and over, while progressives and civil libertarians are furious about the new Order, former Bush officials and right-wing Warriors are ecstatic. The anti-Muslim McCarthyite Rep. Peter King (R-NY) issued a statement this morning, as quoted by The Post, which lavished Obama with praise: "I commend the Obama Administration for issuing this Executive Order. The bottom line is that it affirms the Bush Administration policy that our government has the right to detain dangerous terrorists until the cessation of hostilities." That perfectly captures the legacy of Barack Obama on civil liberties.

somewhere in a corner of my heart, i keep wanting to believe in obama but my conscious, rational mind has long since despaired of him take action on making things right, things that so desperately need to be made right...

i guess i share matt damon's disillusionment...

Matt Damon: Obama Has 'Rolled Over To Wall Street Completely'

[...]

"I think he's rolled over to Wall Street completely. The economy has huge problems. We still have all these banks that are too big to fail. They're bigger and making more money than ever," Damon said in an interview with the U.K.'s Independent.

Damon also zeroed in on the Bush tax Cuts that Obama recently extended, a move which has been met with significant criticism.

yes, rolling over to wall street is a huge issue but the disregard for the constitution and civil liberties is flouting the essence of who we are as a nation...

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