In supporting his FISA vote last year, Obama said:

"Given the grave threats that we face, our national security agencies must have the capability to gather intelligence and track down terrorists before they strike, while respecting the rule of law and the privacy and civil liberties of the American people."

Once Obama accepted the Bush security narrative, all that we have seen since has been inevitable.

Presumably, Obama thought that a counter-narrative was too hard to sell. And that's because the Democrats didn't fight Bush early on before the security narrative was established.

Continuing that narrative can only lead to worse over time because it's a choking spiral of childish irrational fear. It's premised on the idea that any attack, or hint of future attack, requires more security.

Glen,

Help me out here. I am a long time listener and supporter of NPR. What you and others have clearly shown is that NPRs reporting on this topic (and by inference any other topic) is at its best propaganda for war criminals. How do we effectively organize to take back National PUBLIC Radio from these propangandists?

Hillary would have been a less radical President for the simple reason that she would have been scrutinized to death in all her actions. She does not have a mesmerizing personality.

President Obama, because of his presence and rethorical abilities can get away with anything. Obamabots are many and will continue to support him till the very end.

In addition to that, he has completely (or almost completely) neutralized the black community as a negative force. A frontal attack on President Obama will not be kindly received by that community.

After all Obama's handleres during the primaries manage to paint former President Clinton as racist! That takes some doing.

In addition to that, he has completely (or almost completely) neutralized the black community as a negative force. A frontal attack on President Obama will not be kindly received by that community.

Well, that's true, probably. After 250 years of being relegated to the political gutters--and nearly the entire time disenfranchised completely from the vote on any real level until the late sixties--I would imagine that black voters have a completely different agenda than you. I would imagine that having a black president is probably more important--and rightly so, from their perspective--than making sure that the due process that they are so often and de facto denied is followed for political prisoners. And I would imagine that black voters are slightly more cognizant of the fact that foreign policy hasn't varied a jot in 60 years no matter who has been in power. Those are all unqualified generalizations, of course, but I've seen very little to the contrary and it makes perfect sense given what I know about human nature.

Don't hate the players, hate the game. If black voters are going to be hesitant to take any guff about Obama, its largely going to be because of the indifference white voters have shown to the US's shameful track record on equality before the law for centuries.

President Obama, because of his presence and rethorical abilities can get away with anything. Obamabots are many and will continue to support him till the very end.

Surely. Judging by what you wrote here, however, I doubt a nation of Clint-aumatons would have been the antidote.

"Obama has reversed the system of abuse, in case you hadn't noticed, by making it illegal. All Obama is arguing is that there is a no-win scenario that Bush has left him that may require specific exemptions to legal due process due to the thuggish nature of the Bush crimes."

If 'Bush crimes' have left Obama in a no-win scenario, then why isn't Obama (or Obama's DOJ) pursuing the prosecution of these crimes? You can't reverse a system of abuse until you face up to it and acknowledge it.

These are real people who are caught up in this fiasco. Real people who in most cases are innocent and who are looking at perhaps life in prison. All this while our President dances around the issues; the whole time afraid to step on anyones toes, especially Republicans.

I would have never thought this country would become so afraid of every shadow, afraid of every bump in the night. The country that fought WWII is now afraid of everyone and everybody. While we cower people are dying in hellholes like GITMO and Bagram and Obama should be ashamed about that.

Disgusting, utterly disgusting.

Thanks for posting this.

Experienced military participants castigate military commissions

http://letters.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/07/08/obama/permalink/74a9ac39342b0c372c12d43727cf5909.html

We hear so much about people throwing the Constitution under the bus that is nice to be reminded that there are still people out there give a damn about justice and the rule of law.

Shepard becomes more despicable and ignorant each time she opens her mouth or puts words on paper. Obama's administration becomes more frightening . . . perhaps there's a connection.

If 'Bush crimes' have left Obama in a no-win scenario, then why isn't Obama (or Obama's DOJ) pursuing the prosecution of these crimes? You can't reverse a system of abuse until you face up to it and acknowledge it.

Because it's Eric Holder's job to appoint an independent prosecutor to investigate the torture and lawbreaking, and I expect him to do so.

If an investigation is not begun by the end of the year (or late Fall), then the Obama administration deserves criticism on this issue.

I've been hoping that Team Obama is giving some time so it doesn't look politically motivated (if they appointed, say, Fitzgerald, within six months of taking office).

The Bush crimes must be investigated.

That doesn't mean that Obama is in a no-win when it comes to the detainees in Gitmo who can't be prosecuted. While the Greenwald Hypothetical Cultists can dance around screaming he should "release them" if he can't give them a trial, there isn't one politician in either party that would actually do this.

above should read "doesn't mean Obama isn't in a no-win".

Carry on. Obama is just like Bush, there is no law in this country if the Gitmo prisoners don't get trials, etc.