Six Months Later: Real Change or Continuing the Bush Doctrine?
Josh Harding
July 27, 2009
There were a lot of campaign promises made by Barack Obama when he ran for president. The biggest promise of all: change. Change the way things get done in Washington. Change the partisan rancor so things CAN get done. And most importantly: change how our government operated under President George W. Bush.
To his credit, Obama changed one of the ugliest stains left from the Bush administration: the use of so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques" such as waterboarding. The fact that our government used methods that were prosecuted as war crimes when done by the Axis Powers is unconscionable. The American ideal stands for due process and humane treatment, even of our prisoners. George Washington famously declared torture brings "shame, disgrace and ruin" to those who use it. Obama´s reversal of this hideous policy was long overdue.
Unfortunately, very little else has changed since Obama has taken office. It could even be argued that Obama has reinforced the reckless policies of the Bush era.
For example, The Obama Department of Justice moved to strike down a lawsuit on warrantless spying, invoking extraordinary presidential authority by stating the government is completely immune from whatever lawbreaking it engaged in.
Also, while he may have shut down the "enhanced interrogations" the US employed, President Obama has left the door open on one of the most dubious policies from the War on Terror: the use of renditions (secret abductions of prisoners to countries that cooperate with the US government). While our interrogators may not torture, no safeguard is in place to ensure that captives are not tortured by other governments (as happened during the Bush administration). Obama fails to explain how this is an acceptable alternative to "enhanced interrogations."
Additionally, the Obama administration continues to embrace the Bush policy of suspending habeus corpus, the legal provision that allows a prisoner to challenge their imprisonment. Under Obama, someone "who cannot be prosecuted" but the government claims to "pose a threat to the security of the United States" can still be held indefinitely as a prisoner.
Another promise that has fallen by the wayside is the guarantee of a more open government. While Candidate Obama expressed outrage that Vice President Dick Cheney met in secret with oil and gas executives to develop energy policy, his administration has barred the public from knowing the names of health industry lobbyists that have participated in discussions on health care reform, citing a "presidential communications privilege."
The Drug War, another area supporters hoped to see change in, will continue unabated, despite the promise of not raiding medical marijuana clinics (a promise that was broken within a week), as the "stimulus" bill calls for $3 billion to establish more drug task forces, drug prisons, and drug courts.
As for economic and budget matters, President Obama appears to be a clone of President Bush. The Bush administration allowed government spending to grow to unprecedented levels, turning a budget surplus into a deficit by spending money on failed stimulus plans, a new health care entitlement, regulatory expansion, bailouts for private industry and taking ownership of billion-dollar corporations.
Under Obama? Quadrupling the budget deficit. A stimulus plan that has failed to meet expectations. An expansion of SCHIP, and the possibility of further health care "reform." A call for financial regulations that will not prevent another recession, and in all probability would make the next recession worse. Continued bailouts. The takeover of billion-dollar corporations.
Change is definitely needed in Washington. President Obama´s first six months prove that change is the least likely thing you will ever see come out of the nation´s capital.
Sources:
http://www.theagitator.com/2009/07/22/obama-follows-cheneys-lead-on-transparency/
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/04/obama-doj-worse-than-bush
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/feb/01/nation/na-rendition1
http://www.reason.com/blog/show/132485.html
http://www.reason.com/blog/show/132807.html
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=10372
http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2009/06/17/administration-reform-plan-misses-the-mark/
http://blog.heritage.org/2009/03/24/bush-deficit-vs-obama-deficit-in-pictures/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/21/AR2009052104045.html
To his credit, Obama changed one of the ugliest stains left from the Bush administration: the use of so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques" such as waterboarding. The fact that our government used methods that were prosecuted as war crimes when done by the Axis Powers is unconscionable. The American ideal stands for due process and humane treatment, even of our prisoners. George Washington famously declared torture brings "shame, disgrace and ruin" to those who use it. Obama´s reversal of this hideous policy was long overdue.
Unfortunately, very little else has changed since Obama has taken office. It could even be argued that Obama has reinforced the reckless policies of the Bush era.
For example, The Obama Department of Justice moved to strike down a lawsuit on warrantless spying, invoking extraordinary presidential authority by stating the government is completely immune from whatever lawbreaking it engaged in.
Also, while he may have shut down the "enhanced interrogations" the US employed, President Obama has left the door open on one of the most dubious policies from the War on Terror: the use of renditions (secret abductions of prisoners to countries that cooperate with the US government). While our interrogators may not torture, no safeguard is in place to ensure that captives are not tortured by other governments (as happened during the Bush administration). Obama fails to explain how this is an acceptable alternative to "enhanced interrogations."
Additionally, the Obama administration continues to embrace the Bush policy of suspending habeus corpus, the legal provision that allows a prisoner to challenge their imprisonment. Under Obama, someone "who cannot be prosecuted" but the government claims to "pose a threat to the security of the United States" can still be held indefinitely as a prisoner.
Another promise that has fallen by the wayside is the guarantee of a more open government. While Candidate Obama expressed outrage that Vice President Dick Cheney met in secret with oil and gas executives to develop energy policy, his administration has barred the public from knowing the names of health industry lobbyists that have participated in discussions on health care reform, citing a "presidential communications privilege."
The Drug War, another area supporters hoped to see change in, will continue unabated, despite the promise of not raiding medical marijuana clinics (a promise that was broken within a week), as the "stimulus" bill calls for $3 billion to establish more drug task forces, drug prisons, and drug courts.
As for economic and budget matters, President Obama appears to be a clone of President Bush. The Bush administration allowed government spending to grow to unprecedented levels, turning a budget surplus into a deficit by spending money on failed stimulus plans, a new health care entitlement, regulatory expansion, bailouts for private industry and taking ownership of billion-dollar corporations.
Under Obama? Quadrupling the budget deficit. A stimulus plan that has failed to meet expectations. An expansion of SCHIP, and the possibility of further health care "reform." A call for financial regulations that will not prevent another recession, and in all probability would make the next recession worse. Continued bailouts. The takeover of billion-dollar corporations.
Change is definitely needed in Washington. President Obama´s first six months prove that change is the least likely thing you will ever see come out of the nation´s capital.
Sources:
http://www.theagitator.com/2009/07/22/obama-follows-cheneys-lead-on-transparency/
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/04/obama-doj-worse-than-bush
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/feb/01/nation/na-rendition1
http://www.reason.com/blog/show/132485.html
http://www.reason.com/blog/show/132807.html
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=10372
http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2009/06/17/administration-reform-plan-misses-the-mark/
http://blog.heritage.org/2009/03/24/bush-deficit-vs-obama-deficit-in-pictures/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/21/AR2009052104045.html
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