WILL TRUTH BECOME THE FIRST CASUALTY OF THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION?
Today's reports that President-Elect Obama intends to avoid investigating and reporting to the American people the details of the Bush administrations actions raise the troubling prospect that Bush's misdeed will never be thoroughly investigated. The bottom line is that unless the Obama investigates and reports on the actions of the Bush administration, we probably will never learn the truth.
It will be too bad indeed if truth becomes the first casualty of the Obama administration.
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Until we know the truth about the Kennedy Assasination, blogging about the future should be suspened for the immediate future.
January 12, 2009 12:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
No
January 12, 2009 6:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Dick,
You are far too glib. Obama may, or may not, care to provide the public with details regarding the misconduct of the Bush administration.
During the campaign, I would have bet that Obama would have investigated and outed the miscreants and made relevant documents public. Now I'm not quite so sure.
January 13, 2009 1:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh Ron I get glib depending on my mood. Do not really mean to be rude. A lot of other blogs have skirted this subject.
You pose the issue very well. I think that the New President cannot come out with guns blazing and make wild accusations (like I do every damn day).
I like Conyers bill calling for a truth commission.
I am sure there will be more than a few investigations in several committees in both houses of Congress.
I think that the DOJ will be investigating certain transactions, certain behaviors of w's administration.
I think that individual DA's that do not or are not supposed to take their walking orders from the AG's office will be making separate inquiries.
There have been so many laws broken by individuals in this outgoing administration that I think it would be difficult to find a issue that does not have goo all over it as far as w is concerned.
Just take a look at Haliburton alone. A vp gets no bid contracts to his own company? That company ends up with, what? 60-80 billion dollars and then moves to Dubai. My god, it could take years to get the real info on this. The vp claimed he received a package worth 16 mill when he took office and just two years ago he declared 16 million dollars in income.
How much other dirty rotten things that involved money took place under w's watch? And this is just money. Did you know that Rummy might have made as much as 50 million dollars on the drug legislation?
Now we get away from money (which is impossible) and you have issues concerning lies made to the American people to get us into war, lies made to Congress to get us into war...
There will be no end to this. And this torture crap that supposed involved one person--and now they say 3--is pure bullshit. Hundreds (or thousands?) of supposed terrorists, or pows, or
(pick a term) sent to undisclosed locations like Turkey to rot in holes we would not permit serial killers to inhabit.
Sorry to go on and on. But new teams are coming into DC and they are going to do a job.
The news, I swear, will be hard to keep up with.
And I really do hope the worst for these felons.
January 13, 2009 1:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
The very best that can be said about Obama to this point is that he is an unknown entity. There are some participants in TPM (one in particular) who profess to be good at reading tea leaves and predetermining what, exactly, Obama is going to do once he assumes the Presidency. But even these declarations are couched with "I believe..." qualifiers.
I will not ever regret casting my vote for Obama. There is simply nothing imaginably worse than the possibility of Bush/McCain still in control. But that is something akin to saying "My choice would be gonorrhea, because gonorrhea is preferable to syphilis."
There is simply no way to determine just how much more preferable Obama will be than Bush/McCain. A lot will be determined when we see how serious he is about honoring the oath to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution." We ask nothing more than that of our President, and he fails us if he doesn't seek criminal charges against those who have placed it under such incredible assault these last number of years. I'm just not sure he's got the intestinal fortitude to do it, and there is nothing we have seen thus far that offers any real assurance. We'll just have to wait and see.
January 13, 2009 1:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
One of them involves a smaller needle, I think, I mean I have been told this by third or fourth persons.....
If you have not already read my comment above yours.
January 13, 2009 1:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
And it is my understanding that multiple partners, such as the "third and fourth persons," raise the odds that needles will be in your future! Watchout, DD! :O)
Without actually having reviewed Conyers Bill, I agree that a Truth Commission could be a very good start. But I'd like to see a bit more moral grandstanding from Obama that these actions by the Bush Administration (and, yes, Congress and Clinton, as well, where applicable) is not acceptable in a democracy.
His statements on Gitmo have been reassuring, but a great deal more could be said - especially from one so well-versed in Constitutional Law and so willing to provide "teachable moments" in other circumstances.
January 13, 2009 2:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
SJ, I don't expect that Obama is the one to prosecute, as he's the executive. But if he stands in the way of DoJ investigating, if he goes against OLC's conclusion (I hope) that he must allow investigations and prosecutions to go forth, then... I'm gonna be really disappointed in him! But his appointments for AG and OLC suggest to me that he has picked people who will go after the criminals. It's the AG who makes that call, isn't it? And it OLC whose job it is to steer the prez in the direction of obeying the law.
I myself would not say Obama is an unknown entity. I'd say that we know quite a bit from his picks and from his past. What we don't know is what is arrayed against him or will be in future.
I'm hopeful though. Until proven otherwise.
January 13, 2009 1:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Clarification: I'm hoping OLC will conclude that investigations must go forward = should not be stopped.
January 13, 2009 2:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
As always, TheraP, I defer to your wisdom. I agree with your thought that it ain't Obama's direct involvement with the prosecutions that is required.
I still maintain that he is indeed an unknown quantity. This is apparent if you assume the most cynical reading of his comments and appointments to date, and I think cautionary cynicism is far more preferable to blind boosterism in making certain we step forward in the right direction.
January 13, 2009 2:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Please don't defer to my "wisdom." In this, I haven't got any special wisdom.
How is the appointment of Dawn Johnsen something you can take cynically?
I'll join you in "caution." I just can't join you in cynicism. (unless we're talking bushco!)
Unknown quantity: It may sound naive, but I've got a sense he's a man with a conscience, not a cynical manipulator. (not that there's only those two options) I trust a man with a conscience.
But ok... you're cynical and you see him as unknown. And I'm more hopeful - but I don't think it's blind boosterism. If you think I'm in that group, I'd appreciate your feedback. I admit I'm hopeful - but I view myself as having certain items on my agenda and being willing to push like heck - one of them being healthcare, but primarily, like you, the Constitution and Rule of Law are sacrosanct. And no way do I just want us to "move on."
I've got my money on Dawn Johnsen... and intend to write more about her soon.
In any case, SJ, I'm perfectly fine with you being cynical and me being hopeful. It's a very good combination! We need both kinds of people and I think when push comes to shove, you and I have our eyes on the same vital goals.
Peace. And never give up!
January 13, 2009 2:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
I may have overstated or confused the point I was trying to make.
I think cynicism is a valid perspective to take in trying to assess what we really know about a prospective leader. And from a cynical perspective, I can envision alot of the disappointments I felt about Bill Clinton and the DLC style of "progressive" politics.
On the other hand, being hopeful is required to keep us in the fight. Without hope, I would be inclined to simply write off the Bill Clinton disappointment as politics in the real world. Instead, I felt tears of hope well in my eyes on the night of November 4th as I considered the possibilities from a decidedly non-cynical perspective.
And I do think we make a pretty good team, TheraP.
And I never give up.
Wishes of peace and joy to you, also, as we move past Inauguration and into a new era without Bush.
January 13, 2009 2:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Re Clinton.... I never trusted the guy... from the start. Yes, I voted for him. But I was never enamored of his policies or of his character.
Honestly, I can see I tend to evaluate on the basis of character. Positions too, but character for me is tops. A conscience trumps all! We all make mistakes, but an ability to regret, to try and avert regret, a sense of responsibility for whatever role you bear in decisions and actions... that's what I look for. Compassion too.
What I love about TPM, at its best, is our ability to talk back and forth, even to spar at times, but with a search for trying to understand.
I know you never give up!!! I can see that. It's part of your character - and I love that!
So I look forward to many years on the same team!
I wish you peace and joy as well. What a relief the 20th is...
January 13, 2009 3:07 PM | Reply | Permalink