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

[trying to] privatize Social Security.

--JP

Don't forget firing Rumsfeld, allowing for a 9/11 commission (which he fought tooth and nail for a year.

will ensure that we will be attacked in the USA. Grab your ankles.

Yes, FDR said "Make me do it". Obama goes FDR one better:

"Just show me. If you can show me that something is going to work, I will welcome it. If it works better than something I have proposed, I will welcome it. What is not an option is for us to sit and engage in posturing or the standard partisan fights while the American people are out there struggling," he said.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24907345-5013948,00.html

At The Washington Monthly, Hilzoy amply documents why the one issue left unresolved by the Obama/Guantanamo leaks to the NYT -- namely: whether to create a special, new process to allow use of "tainted evidence" against Guantanamo detainees -- may be the most important issue of all. She argues eloquently why doing so would be a catastrophic decision. Obama, as reflected by his Sunday comments, is clearly contemplating something like that, and it's because of issues like this one that it's so vital that pressure on Obama be maintained, criticisms of him be voiced when merited, and praise be expressed only when earned.

Glenn, I'm no constitutional lawyer or scholar, but Barack Obama supposedly is. Given that, how is this issue NOT something he summarily dismisses out of hand? The implications to our Constitution and justice system and the way it's been run for the past two hundred + years would be fundamentally changed and blatantly rigged against everyone if this precedent were set. Even I, the lowly mouth-breathing peon voter can easily see this. Where is the debate in this issue?

And if "tainted evidence" is no longer a prohibited means of jailing and convicting people, what's next? See "The Minority Report" for more details.

This appears to prove that there is nothing, no matter how sacred to the people or the country that is above political triangulation and negotiation. If that is the case, I am deeply afraid of where this country is headed. If you thought there was no justice for the little guys before, just wait until something like this gets proposed and garners "vast, bi-partisan support" throughout the halls of Congress.

Thanks

I'm seeing that acronym here and there, and want to be sure I have the correct translation.

Masters of the Universe, perhaps?

Grab your ankles.

Kind of a "eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die" thing? Y'all right-wingers are so romantic.

Generally, buttsecks is not how I roll... but hey, whatever turns you on. Enjoy yourself.

I suggest you need to run and hide somewhere.

Like under a desk.

Preferably one that isn't close to a computer keyboard.

Have you picked out a large rock and and a pickle barrel you can hide in for the next 4 years? May I suggest Idaho? I hear there are still people hiding in the Wilderness who are waiting for the millenium. Amazing when the 'Fear Now, Fear Here' crowd gets handed their hats, they find smaller and smaller red pockets to crawl into. At least your buddy Joe went to Israel. Where he's clawing the truth out of some truly bewildered Israeli reporters. It isn't clear whether he has convinced any of them that they couldn't do their jobs before they met him. But there are a lot of pipes to repair.

Anyone who thinks you can close Guantanamo immediately is a raving idiot. If Obama immediately states his intention to close it but on a time line that should be enough. I would think it would take a minimum of 6 months. Arrangements would have to be made with the country of origin if they release anyone or prepare a transfer to another prison it they are going to be charged. No one can speak to this with out knowing the security risks. This is more than a civil liberties issue.

All those Obama worshippers who think we shouldn't criticize Obama should remember Obama's own words on the subject.

"I learned long ago, when working as an organizer on the South Side of Chicago, that when citizens join their voices together, they can hold their leaders accountable. I'm not exempt from that. I'm certainly not perfect, and expect to be held accountable too. I cannot promise to agree with you on every issue. But I do promise to listen to your concerns, take them seriously, and seek to earn your ongoing support to change the country. That is why we have built the largest grassroots campaign in the history of presidential politics, and that is the kind of White House that I intend to run as president of the United States -- a White House that takes the Constitution seriously, conducts the peoples' business out in the open, welcomes and listens to dissenting views, and asks you to play your part in shaping our country's destiny.

US cancels arms shipment over Greek objections: official

Updated at: 2240 PST, Tuesday, January 13, 2009

WASHINGTON: The US military has to had to cancel a planned shipment of munitions from a Greek port to a US warehouse in Israel due to objections from Athens, a Pentagon spokesman said on Tuesday.

The Greek "government had some objection to offloading that shipment in their country," spokesman Geoff Morrell told a news conference.

He said the shipment to the US warehouse had been agreed before the current Israeli offensive in Gaza and that Washington was now looking for an alternative.

I believe one of the individuals that "show me" line was directed to was Paul Krugman regarding Krugman's criticism of Obama's presumed plans for the economic stiumulus.

Krugman adds some clarity to the problem of responding to Obama's "show me" at his blog.

Up to a point, this is a fair demand. But there are two things the critics of the critics should bear in mind.

First is that we don’t have many specifics from the Obama people themselves. We don’t, for example, have a dollar figure for their planned public investment spending, let alone a breakdown of where the money would go. So it’s kind of hard to specify what should be done differently when we don’t know what they’re proposing to do in the first place.

Second is that individuals or even organizations outside the government simply don’t have the resources to draw up detailed economic plans. I’m not going to specify a list of infrastructure projects, because I and my one-eighth of an assistant can’t sit down with state and local officials across the country to assess their proposals.

The most independent outsiders can do is lay out general principles — such as the principle that, given the likelihood of sustained high unemployment, the search for public investment projects should go beyond the “shovel-ready” stuff that’s getting most of the focus now. And that’s what I and others will do as we try to push the incoming economic team along.

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/specifics/

Without the details for Obama's response regarding torture, rendition, accountability, etc. all we can do is to press the principles, as well. And, press those principles we must.