Obama gives Bush/Cheney free pass

[bobquasit]

According to the New York Times today, Obama is not going to be investigating or prosecuting the crimes of the Bush Administration - despite what he said on the campaign trail. I am shocked, shocked.

Even so, I had to make a comment:

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He hasn't even been SWORN IN yet, and he has already betrayed his oath of office (to uphold the Constitution, if anyone remembers). Can we impeach him before he gets sworn in, too?

Why would he and the Democratic leadership want to help cover up the crimes of the Bush Administration? I have the sneaking suspicion that it's because they plan to commit the same sort of abuses too - wholesale warrantless spying on Americans, the abolition of habeas corpus, and torture.

The American Dream continues to turn into a nightmare. This is NOT the change I hoped for.

Comments

[unquietsoul5.livejournal.com]

That's not what the article says. You're reading more into it than is there. It says :

"President-elect Barack Obama signaled in an interview broadcast Sunday that he was unlikely to authorize a broad inquiry into Bush administration programs like domestic eavesdropping or the treatment of terrorism suspects.

But Mr. Obama also said prosecutions would proceed if the Justice Department found evidence that laws had been broken."

That means no 'fishing expedition' is planned, not that specific detailed crimes with specific evidence won't be prosecuted. It does mean you won't see Bush up on federal charges. It does not mean his underlings are immune from being investigated.

It's not coverup, it's avoiding the extremist view to put the whole administration on trial as if they were nazi war criminals that is held by a small percentage of the population.

He's a pragmatist. If he was to do what you want there would be nothing done for 4 years on anything as the congress and senate would be tied up in hearings and trials. The economy would collapse and the country would fail.

Instead he can do an internal 'housecleaning' of the bad apples that supported and performed certain activities, perhaps without it being in the courts. Firing off the CIA and the contractors that carried out torture etc would be more practical and done quickly.

[bobquasit.livejournal.com]

I read the article and projected the most likely end result, given past history. Time will tell.