At a Complete Loss

/ Tracy Abell

On November 5, I wrote this.
I believed it.  Absolutely.

Last night I read this.
I cried.

This explains state secrets.

This is how Obama’s campaign website read during the campaign.

Glenn Greenwald was a constitutional law and civil rights litigator who now writes for Salon. 
The man knows his stuff.
My heart doesn’t want to believe him but my head knows he speaks the ugly truth.

Even though the Bush administration set the bar so low, Obama won’t carry us above it.
I’m sick.

         

26 thoughts on “At a Complete Loss”

        • I’d respectfully suggest there aren’t too-many-sides to torture and rendition. It’s wrong to torture people. It’s wrong to kidnap people and fly them to another country where they will be tortured. End of story.
          People are either informed and engaged in the political process, or they’re not. But “hating politics” doesn’t let anyone in this country off the hook for what our government does in our names.

          Like

          • Oh, I agree that torture is wrong, without a doubt! But what bugs me about politics is that they don’t ever write a plain and simple bill (or whatever they call them) which says, “Are you for or against torture?” Instead, they write convoluted bills with many points to them, so that for any person to vote against torture they also have to vote for other things which could be just as horrible.

            Like

            • This issue has nothing to do with legislation. There was no bill. This was one example of how the Bush administration expanded the executive power in violation of the constitution (which is a plain and simple document that clearly outlines what is and isn’t okay). It’s a huge deal not only because Bush/Cheney gave themselves the right to act outside the law and then shield themselves from prosecution, but once that power was used, it became extremely difficult to take it away from the next executive. In this case, Obama.

              Like

  4. I’m not so sure it’s as black and white as Greenwald says. Heck, Kenneth Starr was a constitutional law guy and he’s behind Prop 8 and forcing happily marrieds to divorce.
    Keeping the press from knowing evidence or closing a courtroom does not necessarily mean there’s any abuse of power. I’m just saying.

    Like

    • Kenneth Starr? Don’t get me started on him….
      I’m going to quote Digby here since she says exactly what I wish I could express:
      “The Cheney-ites used to smirk about how the Obama administration would find that they wanted these “tools” when they got into power and a lot was written before the election about how power, once taken, will never be given back. And, indeed, this was the central thrust of many of our arguments about holding the Bush administration accountable for its abuse of the constitution.
      Perhaps this will be the only case in which the Obama DOJ will assert this privilege, although it’s hard to see what’s so different about this particular case than any others of its ilk. But even if they do only use it this one time, because they have preserved the power, it will sit there, waiting to be used by leaders who may not be quite as saintly and wise as our current president. It is now no longer a relic of an administration that is widely seen as reckless and out of control. It’s been validated by their successors. You can see how this is a problem.”
      Rather than straight-out repudiating this behavior, Obama is legitimizing it.

      Like

  5. I’m not so sure it’s as black and white as Greenwald says. Heck, Kenneth Starr was a constitutional law guy and he’s behind Prop 8 and forcing happily marrieds to divorce.

    Keeping the press from knowing evidence or closing a courtroom does not necessarily mean there’s any abuse of power. I’m just saying.

    Like

    • I was prepared for all sorts of corporate-entrenched behaviors (since our government is ruled by special interests) but I was caught off guard by this ruling. I didn’t see this one coming even though the writing was on the wall with the Republicans and talking heads banging the constant drum about Democrats being weak on defense; I didn’t think Obama would fall for that in this particular instance. I didn’t think he’d continue taking us down that same dangerous path.

      Like

  8. Obama is like a mirror–everyone’s seeing in him the fulfillment of their personal wishes.
    He can’t be that. He was never that. But he was/is exceptionally adept at maintaining that illusion.
    I’m sick, too, at the thought of his seeming reversals, which appear to be (ultimately) very adept word plays.
    Don’t get me wrong. I think we’ve come very far in electing him President. He appears to be a good-hearted man, and he’s a brilliant thinker. But he’s still human–with clay feet, he’s walking through the quagmire of many flawed (wo)men’s making.

    Like

    • I had no delusions about him. Except for this one. And boy howdy, this is a rude awakening.
      He is walking through a quagmire and it’s also a mine field of traps left by Cheney, but this is one issue he could and should sidestep. No excuses.

      Like

      • You’re right in every way. It’s horrible.
        But–ha! You said “boy howdy!”
        Either I’m rubbing off on you (hopefully not the wrong way), or we once hung out in the same circles.
        🙂
        I know, I know. I shouldn’t hijack this serious (and important) post. But you said you were looking for a little bit of levity… xo

        Like

  9. Obama is like a mirror–everyone’s seeing in him the fulfillment of their personal wishes.

    He can’t be that. He was never that. But he was/is exceptionally adept at maintaining that illusion.

    I’m sick, too, at the thought of his seeming reversals, which appear to be (ultimately) very adept word plays.

    Don’t get me wrong. I think we’ve come very far in electing him President. He appears to be a good-hearted man, and he’s a brilliant thinker. But he’s still human–with clay feet, he’s walking through the quagmire of many flawed (wo)men’s making.

    Like

  11. Kenneth Starr? Don’t get me started on him….

    I’m going to quote Digby here since she says exactly what I wish I could express:

    “The Cheney-ites used to smirk about how the Obama administration would find that they wanted these “tools” when they got into power and a lot was written before the election about how power, once taken, will never be given back. And, indeed, this was the central thrust of many of our arguments about holding the Bush administration accountable for its abuse of the constitution.

    Perhaps this will be the only case in which the Obama DOJ will assert this privilege, although it’s hard to see what’s so different about this particular case than any others of its ilk. But even if they do only use it this one time, because they have preserved the power, it will sit there, waiting to be used by leaders who may not be quite as saintly and wise as our current president. It is now no longer a relic of an administration that is widely seen as reckless and out of control. It’s been validated by their successors. You can see how this is a problem.”

    Rather than straight-out repudiating this behavior, Obama is legitimizing it.

    Like

  12. I had no delusions about him. Except for this one. And boy howdy, this is a rude awakening.

    He is walking through a quagmire and it’s also a mine field of traps left by Cheney, but this is one issue he could and should sidestep. No excuses.

    Like

  13. You’re right in every way. It’s horrible.

    But–ha! You said “boy howdy!”

    Either I’m rubbing off on you (hopefully not the wrong way), or we once hung out in the same circles.

    🙂

    I know, I know. I shouldn’t hijack this serious (and important) post. But you said you were looking for a little bit of levity… xo

    Like

  14. I’d respectfully suggest there aren’t too-many-sides to torture and rendition. It’s wrong to torture people. It’s wrong to kidnap people and fly them to another country where they will be tortured. End of story.

    People are either informed and engaged in the political process, or they’re not. But “hating politics” doesn’t let anyone in this country off the hook for what our government does in our names.

    Like

Comments are closed.