Subscribe to Breaking NewsWithers: Is Barack Obama George Bush 2.0?
Barely a month into the job and there’s chatter among the political blogs that President Barack Obama differs little from the former president now living in Dallas. The Daily Show host Jon Stewart got the ball rolling on Obama’s first day by noting both men used the same rhetoric in their speeches.
That conversation will only get louder after what happened yesterday. The lawsuit Mohamed et al v. Jeppsen Dataplan, Inc. involves 5 men who claim they were flown by the San Jose Boeing subsidiary to CIA secret camps and tortured. The case was thrown out last year because the Bush Administration claimed national security concerns. Yesterday when the suit was brought on appeal, by the ACLU, to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals the Obama Administration made the same exact argument.
“A source inside of the Ninth U.S. District Court tells ABC News that a representative of the Justice Department stood up to say that its position hasn’t changed, that new administration stands behind arguments that previous administration made, with no ambiguity at all. The DOJ lawyer said the entire subject matter remains a state secret.”
This dearth of hope and change has the ACLU miffed.
“Candidate Obama ran on a platform that would reform the abuse of state secrets, but President Obama’s Justice Department has disappointingly reneged on that important civil liberties issue,” said Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the ACLU. “If this is a harbinger of things to come, it will be a long and arduous road to give us back an America we can be proud of again.”
I really can’t take the ACLU seriously about this. From the famous 2002 speech when Obama came out against the Iraq War to multiple positions he has taken, it’s always been clear Obama is not your standard ACLU liberal. Only “brain-iacs” like Sean Hannity have thought otherwise.
Ha Ha! Bush had 90% approval ratings at one point.
So much for the hopey changey unicorn polls of Obama right now!
Take that! You hope and change unicorn lurvers…
can we give the ‘he was against the iraq war’ meme a rest already ? so was pat buchanan.. would you have voted for him ??
besides, it looks as though we’re following the same course in iraq that was set under bush anyway so it’s a pretty hollow point.
.. and why is any criticism of barack labeled as coming from fox or hannity or rush ? can’t folks have their own mis-givings and disappointments ? whatever happened to “dissent is the highest form of patriotism” ?
TARP, rendition, “politics of fear”, afghanistan, robt gates, the list goes on and on. looks like the starry-eyed believers in “hope and change” got bamboozled… it was all just about seizing power.
“Well Sean Hannity has something in common with the gay community. They are both anti Obama. Neither of them can really explain what their distaste for Obama is.”
Here’s an explanation for you:
Obama preached inclusivity during his campaign, then took his name off of my state primary ballot. So much for inclusivity.
Obama preaches transparency. Here’s a question I’d like you to answer, Bob. What grades did Obama have when he went to Columbia? Don’t know? Nobody does. We knew GWB was a “C” student by this time in his administration. So much for transparency.
Obama preaches that we need to “spread the wealth”, but looking at the Obama’s charitable contributions on their tax returns will tell you that he’s talking about other people’s wealth.
Obama preaches respect, but in the primaries he crassly slid his middle finger down his cheek, to hoots and hollers from his followers, after mentioning his opponents name. So much for respect.
I could also talk about his “past” acquaintances, his demagoguery, and his race-baiting during the last eletions cycle. All distasteful to me.
This is only a small sampling of the reason I have “distaste” for Obama, and will not support him, but you’ll notice that not one of the things I’ve listed has anything to do with me being gay. I’m disgusted with him as an American first.
Here’s one final thought (pay attention Justin): George Bush took the deplorable position that the U.S. government has every right to spy on its citizens eletronically, and that companies that help the government do so should be given immunity, and Obama TAKES EXACTLY THE SAME POSITION AS BUSH! Chew on that one for awhile.
365gay: Is James Withers George Bush 2.0?
Where oh where were you for the last eight years, or the last 30 years if you want to find the real roots to how we got where we are today? You think Obama can unwind even the last eight years in his first 30 days in office?
If you are not prepared to live in the ‘real’ world, like the rest of us little people, then you need to at least learn to speak and write as though you do. Otherwise, ‘liberal ACLU’ types think you come off as an angry and vindictive Republican that just lost an election.
Are you even aware, and if so why not mention/write about it in the ‘political blog chatter’, that the Patriot Act & the Military Commissions Act are STILL in full effect and force, as well as any and/or all other simular legislation that supported & enabled the Bush regime’s Iraq & Torture Policies?
You think ALL of this can be legally overturned, & then not just reversed, but stopped, in the first 30 days of the Obama administration?… did you notice the economy spiraling into 1929 during the Bush regime, and that Bush & his enablers pulled the plug before leaving office, forcing an all out effort onto Obama to save the ecomony from complete collapse ahead of all else?
Not for one fleeting moment have I believed that Obama was going to be the end all for everyone, in every situation, not even in his entire first administration. Obama has made it very clear, in many speeches, that he knew he was NOT enabled to single-handedly change the world… think ‘yes WE can’ !!! Stand up, get some balls, and stop whining and complaining… not only is it REALLY unattractive, it serves to show your ignorance of some of the most basic and simple rules of ’cause and effect’.
>> “The lawsuit Mohamed et al v. Jeppsen Dataplan, Inc. involves 5 men who claim they were flown by the San Jose Boeing subsidiary to CIA secret camps and tortured. The case was thrown out last year because the Bush Administration claimed national security concerns”
Doesnt ANYONE find this unsettling? After the Arar case, in which an innocent Canadian was sent to Syria (our all-time greatest pick when it comes to outsourcing torture so we dont get our own hands dirty), you’d think the JD would be a little more diligent about these things, instead of just giving the government a pass with the vague “national defence!” excuse.
I would hope that Obama would correct that, but I’m not sure it’ll actually happen.
Short answer YES. This is why I didn’t vote for Barack Hussein Obama, I voted for Cynthia McKinney.
The answer to the headline is YES. Watch Rachel Maddow and see how the Obama administration is turning out to be no change at all.
there are sum issues in dealing with national security, that are best kept secret, i feel any president is under alot of pressure,to keep us safe,and our’ friends,and allies…i feel it be best that we’ trust the one we’ voted in,to do the best job…
this is not a gay’ or lesbian’ related issue but a issue of protection for everyone in this’ country,and its’ militaries’ men&women..and our close’ friends,and allies…
personally, i like the idea of security’ first,and freedom’ in general to be protected over gay’ rites..
i feel once this’ administration has taken care of priorities,such as national’ security,then securing the future of millions of americans’ of every color,then the obama’ adminitration will,be more then happy,to work with gay rite’ issues…
securing ‘change is necessary to its’ garuntee of life,liberty,then the pursuit of happiness!
the pursuit of happiness comes with securing life for everyone,then we can all enjoy lifes’ liberties, a little bit more; when we’ feel more free,and less stressed,over whats’ next;or what lies ‘ahead!
I think that this website should merge with fox news. They have something very important in common.
Well Sean Hannity has something in common with the gay community. They are both anti Obama. Neither of them can really explain what their distaste for Obama is. Guy has been in office for what? less than a month?
This site is miserable. Your headlines are incredibly misleading, and you’ve never given Obama an inch. He’s been there for three weeks. Before he was sworn in, you’d already written him off as a failure. The rest of us are also appreciative for your pro-PUMA articles that kept coming out during the campaign. Thanks for failing. Thanks for nothing.
I don’t believe for one second that Obama is the new Bush, and I think anyone who claims otherwise is short-changing the man. I am completely confident he is his own man and will screw over the gay community in his own way.
That said, he HAS made some promising motions towards changing things for the better, so I will reserve my judgement until he has had time to make a bollocks of everything and show his true colours.
As for the case mentioned, is it not possible that there are genuine national security concerns? I know that governments frequently abuse official secrets, classify their mistakes, but perhaps in this case there are genuine national security issues that need to be considered.
Personally I would like a judge to determine whether those concerns are sufficient to warrant denying US citizens legal redress, but government doesn’t work that way. That would be far too honest.
The ACLU is our communities greatest ally, not Obama. I will always believe the ACLU over any politician.