Of course, Bush never bent to political pressure where it really mattered.

-- behindthecurtain

Samuel Alito and Harriet Miers would beg to differ.

-- Scientician

So would advocates in both parties of comprehensive immigration reform.

-- GlennGreenwald

And don't forget the best moment of Bush buckling under to political pressure and having to eat a shit sandwich: Believing he had earned enough "political capital" in 2004 to privatize Social Security.

I notice the GOP's newest tactic in trying to eliminate Social Security is to claim (in their usual lockstep, intensely orchestrated manner) that "everybody now agrees on both sides of the political spectrum" that FDR's New Deal failed... Thankfully, that 'belief' in 2009 has gained about as much traction as the privatizing scheme did in 2004.

Remember the DC media's rallying cry after the 2004 mid-term elections:

"The Democrats have to be very careful that they look like they're not the party of investigation rather than legislation in trying to change things."

-- Norah O'Donnell

Because, as Time's managing editor Richard Stengel pointed out in the same discussion, "That's not what voters want to see."

Attorney general nominee: Waterboarding is torture

(AP) 6 mins ago

WASHINGTON – Attorney General-nominee Eric Holder Jr. declared Thursday that waterboarding is torture, forcefully breaking from years in which the Justice Department deftly avoided the sensitive question about U.S. interrogation methods.

Hopefully, he won't backtrack.

"You've always been afraid to confront the real villans out there and now is no different."

-- farragut

The top villians that Bush faced on his watch (ie. the two masterminds of the terrorist attacks he impotently sat by and ignored: Osama Bin Laden and the anthrax terrorist) have faced zero reprisal or comeuppance under Bush & Cheney. In the case of the anthrax terrorist, not even lip-service was paid to getting the "villian", and in the case of Bin Laden, Bush gave up and admitted as much in February 2002 stating "I don't think about (Bin Laden)."

If you don't think that showed cowardice (at best) and rank disloyalty to the United States (at worst) in his refusal to take on the top vilians America faced on his watch, then explain to me how Bin Laden and the anthrax terrorist shouldn't rightfully claim to be victors over a weak, feckless, capitulating United States thanks to George W Bush and Dick Cheney?

A lot of great reading so early in the day!

Are you trying to get us to not watch the Inauguration?

"Meet the new Boss. Same as the Old Boss."

-- divadab

We've just had 8 years of unbridled malevolence, complete ethical bankruptcy, someone who literally believed killing people was "funny" (as his insane mockery of Karla Faye Tucker's execution showed). To think Obama is "the same" as Bush goes beyond cynical into fantasy. Obama has shown none of the stunted, emotional retardation of either George W Bush or Dick Cheney. He's shown no indication that he's even remotely insecure in his manhood, which lead Bush and Cheney to start wars to overcome it.

I recall in the ‘Eyes on the Prize’ documentary, someone stated that Martin Luther King understood that the peaceful change he sought could only come about in a moral climate. We’ve just had 8 years of undeniable moral bankruptcy emanating from our White House. Having someone at the helm with a conscience – in and of itself – is a vast improvement over the devoid-of-humanity occupants who've just left. And that creates a climate where change is possible.

Don’t forget, Thomas Jefferson had slaves, but no doubt abolitionists existed during his presidency who had faith in ending slavery. While President Obama did mention our disastrous incursion in Khe Sahn in a positive light, that’s no reason to believe that because our foreign policy is currently being dictated by the military that it can’t be changed under someone who initially isn’t moving in that way.

"you seem to have read an awful lot into "Meet the new boss: Same as the old boss" ..."

-- ScuzzaMan

I take people at their words. I have no interest in "reading into" what someone really meant to say. I know the English language has taken a hell of a beating over the past decade, but "same as" still means the same as.

What does that have to do with what I addressed. Obama apparently doesn't see our Viet Nam adventure as the monumental mistake it was. What divadab (or you, if you're both the same person, which speaks to a whole other set of issues) said was that Obama was "same as the old boss." Which I disagreed with for the reasons I stated. I take Obama at his word, the same as I take your split personalities at their word(s).

Get the point?

If you don't like to be "patronised", you probably shouldn't do it yourself.

On top of (hopefully) terminating Cheney's torture program and our “freedom-loving” sadism, I think a HUGE apology to the world is in order from our White House for the horrific crimes against humanity committed in the name of the United States. It would show a level of strength and diplomacy that has been wholly absent for the past 8 years.

It would also be nice if the hands-off policy on Osama Bin Laden was rescinded, much to the chagrin of the GOP.

It is kind of funny that our tax dollars have gone to torturing and murdering innocent people, isn’t it? Clearly, it’s partisanship on the left that’s the problem, not the clear-minded rightwing who 6 years ago truly believed their chosen one, George W Bush, had spoken to Jesus Christ and he green-lighted the attack Iraq. Silly lefties..

I don't know if any one caught former NSA analyst Russell Tice on Keith Olbermann last night taking about the Bush administration's illegal wiretapping program. It was very interesting. I think there's going to be a second part to that interview tonight.