Holy Crap! Obama flips lid on Bush-era anti-terror history...

[kage69]

WOW.


I knew Obama was going to clean house (and rightly so!) but I didn't see this coming!


92 tapes missing.... wonder why....

The memos reflected a belief within the Bush administration that the president had broad powers that could not be checked by Congress or the courts. That stance, in one form or another, became the foundation for many policies: holding detainees at Guantanamo Bay, eavesdropping on U.S. citizens without warrants, using tough new CIA interrogation tactics and locking U.S. citizens in military brigs without charges.

Bravo to Obama, this is humility in action given his current office. The gall of the former admin is just amazing. And hey, didn't Karl Rove ignore another Congressional supeona? I hope this amounts to something.

Anyway, discuss!

Summary edited to remove profanity.

Rio Rebel
Anandtech Moderator

 

[StageLeft]

Good. Now if he's say in no uncertain terms none of this bullsh*t warrantless wiretapping, I could get on board with it.

 

[kage69]

We'd both be happy to hear that skoorbles.

 

[BW86]

:thumbsup:

 

[Siddhartha]

Originally posted by: BW86
:thumbsup:

 

[daniel49]

If I wanted to distract people while I was robbing the treasury blind. I might use this tactic also.:thumbsup:

 

[Genx87]

Is this the same stuff he is continuing?

 

[Siddhartha]

Originally posted by: daniel49
If I wanted to distract people while I was robbing the treasury blind. I might use this tactic also.:thumbsup:

Are you saying that you are against transparency in government because it might "distract people"?

Wasn't there a thread a while back where people were complaining that Mr Obama was talking too much about his economic plans?

 

[daniel49]

Originally posted by: Siddhartha

Originally posted by: daniel49
If I wanted to distract people while I was robbing the treasury blind. I might use this tactic also.:thumbsup:

Are you saying that you are against transparency in government because it might "distract people"?

Wasn't there a thread a while back where people were complaining that Mr Obama was talking too much about his economic plans?

I'm saying Obama's solution to decades of borrowing and overspending is to borrow and overspend times 5 .
And a smart person might want peoples attention on something else.

 

[Jhhnn]

Originally posted by: daniel49
If I wanted to distract people while I was robbing the treasury blind. I might use this tactic also.:thumbsup:

No, you'd use the tactics that the Bush Admin employed so well- a Terrarist! under every rock, around every corner! Spin the Terrar! color wheel to say what you want, when you want!

And you'd "link" an unfriendly regime in another country to teh ebil Terrarists!, invade, toss as much cash as possible to selected contractors on a no-bid basis... totally screw up the occupation to spread the cash out for as long as possible...

 

[Phokus]

Originally posted by: daniel49

Originally posted by: Siddhartha

Originally posted by: daniel49
If I wanted to distract people while I was robbing the treasury blind. I might use this tactic also.:thumbsup:

Are you saying that you are against transparency in government because it might "distract people"?

Wasn't there a thread a while back where people were complaining that Mr Obama was talking too much about his economic plans?

I'm saying Obama's solution to decades of borrowing and overspending is to borrow and overspend times 5 .
And a smart person might want peoples attention on something else.

Yeah, that's a little different than destroying tapes and hiding documents, at least obama's administration is more open and transparent in what it's doing

 

[DealMonkey]

Originally posted by: daniel49
If I wanted to distract people while I was robbing the treasury blind. I might use this tactic also.:thumbsup:

An interesting way to phrase what amounts to deficit spending on par with Bush's deficit spending. Specifically, I'm referring to the actual spending in the Obama stim package being = to the actual spending of Bush's 2 rounds of stim checks. Roughly about $300B give or take in both cases.

Hmmm... I should do some searches of the archives to see just how you reacted to those checks going out. I'd be willing to bet you thought it was the best idea evah.

In case you've been living in a cave for the past decade, that's how the US Gov't now deals with recessions, they deficit spend. It works, check into it.

 

[DealMonkey]

Originally posted by: kage69
92 tapes missing.... wonder why....

Clearly, because the CIA tortured people and were stupid enough to film it.

 

[Double Trouble]

Two thumbs up for Obama on this one!

This is absolutely batshit insane:

Fourth Amendment protections against unwarranted search and seizure, for instance, did not apply in the United States as long as the president was combatting terrorism, the Justice Department said in an Oct. 23, 2001, memo.

"First Amendment speech and press rights may also be subordinated to the overriding need to wage war successfully," Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Yoo wrote, adding later: "The current campaign against terrorism may require even broader exercises of federal power domestically."

There ya have it. Free speech? Constitution? Naaaaah, the president does whatever he deems is needed. Yikes. Initially, though I think what the previous admin did was very wrong, the cost of the new admin "going after" the old one would be too steep.... but with the mentality shown in these docs, I'm starting to think Obama should go after some of these folks after all.

 

[Harvey]

See my sig. If it makes sense to you, click the link.

This IS the start of the shit storm I wrote about. I hope it's the start of justice and the return of the Constitution of the United States of America. :light:

Here's more from the Electronic Frontier Foundation:

DOJ Releases Secret Bush Era OLC Memos

News Update by Kurt Opsahl

Today, the Obama Administration released nine previously secret legal documents written by the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel during the Bush Administration. The release includes two previously undisclosed OLC memoranda and seven previously undisclosed OLC opinions. According to the DOJ, "The two memoranda memorialized that certain legal propositions in ten OLC opinions issued between 2001 and 2003 no longer reflected the views of OLC and 'should not be treated as authoritative for any purpose.'" For example, the January 15, 2009 memo withdraws reliance on several Bush Administration opinions, including the opinion that the Fourth Amendment did not apply to domestic military operations.

Here is the list of the OLC documents released today:

Memorandum Regarding Status of Certain OLC Opinions Issued in the Aftermath of the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001 (01-15-2009)

Memorandum Regarding Constitutionality of Amending Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to Change the "Purpose" Standard for Searches (09-25-2001)

Memorandum Regarding Authority for Use of Military Force to Combat Terrorist Activities within the United States (10-23-2001)

Memorandum Regarding Authority of the President to Suspend Certain Provisions of the ABM Treaty (11-15-2001)

Memorandum Regarding the President's Power as Commander in Chief to Transfer Captured Terrorists to the Control and Custody of Foreign Nations (03-13-2002)

Memorandum Regarding Swift Justice Authorization Act (04-08-2002)

Memorandum Regarding Determination of Enemy Belligerency and Military Detention (06-08-2002)

Memorandum Regarding Applicability of 18 U.S.C. § 4001(a) to Military Detention of United States Citizens (06-27-2002)

Memorandum Regarding October 23, 2001 OLC Opinion Addressing the Domestic Use of Military Force to Combat Terrorist Activities (10-06-2008)

The memorandum, dated Oct. 23, 2001, states that the President has ample Constitutional and statutory authority to use military force against international or foreigh terrorists operating with the United States and that these military actions need not follow procedures that govern normal law enforcement.

The memorandum, dated June 27, 2002, denies that 18 U.S.C. § 4001(a) (2000) interferes with the President's ablity to detain U.S. citizens as enemy combatants.

Both memos were written by John C. Yoo, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for OLC.

---

Finally, if you don't like me or my song, please take it to PM's. Please don't crap on the thread to take shots at me. TIA.

 

[Starbuck1975]

He is throwing a carrot to far left Democrats who are none too pleased that his strategy for Iraq and Afghanistan is to essentially follow the Bush plan...mainly, turning over the mission in Iraq to its government, but maintaining an "advisor" force on the ground...and surging forces to Afghanistan.

So open up the Bush-era anti-terror files and let the left fringe blow their tops over that for a few weeks.

Its seems Obama took copious notes on Rovian tactics of distraction.

 

[Craig234]

Originally posted by: Starbuck1975
He is throwing a carrot to far left Democrats who are none too pleased that his strategy for Iraq and Afghanistan is to essentially follow the Bush plan...mainly, turning over the mission in Iraq to its government, but maintaining an "advisor" force on the ground...and surging forces to Afghanistan.

So open up the Bush-era anti-terror files and let the left fringe blow their tops over that for a few weeks.

Its seems Obama took copious notes on Rovian tactics of distraction.

Can aloways count on the right for idiocy. I suppose his 'cure cancer' plan is distraction too.

 

[FuzzyBee]

Originally posted by: Starbuck1975
He is throwing a carrot to far left Democrats who are none too pleased that his strategy for Iraq and Afghanistan is to essentially follow the Bush plan...mainly, turning over the mission in Iraq to its government, but maintaining an "advisor" force on the ground...and surging forces to Afghanistan.

So open up the Bush-era anti-terror files and let the left fringe blow their tops over that for a few weeks.

Its seems Obama took copious notes on Rovian tactics of distraction.

C'mon - you know that Obama is benevolence and honesty defined. He'd never ever do anything like that. Just ask Craig.

Edit Whoops - he beat me to the punch. Anyway, see?

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

So nine legal opinions were released and the majority of those opinions were abandoned anyway? Whoop de fucking doo.

Don't the partisan tools on either side ever get tired of trying to brew that tempest in a teapot?

 

[miketheidiot]

so, the official conservative line on this issue is that obama is only doing to to distract from something, and not that he is coming through on campaign promises?

 

[halik]

"First Amendment speech and press rights may also be subordinated to the overriding need to wage war successfully," Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Yoo wrote, adding later: "The current campaign against terrorism may require even broader exercises of federal power domestically."

How did you elect this fool twice?

 

[ProfJohn]

Memorandum Regarding the President's Power as Commander in Chief to Transfer Captured Terrorists to the Control and Custody of Foreign Nations (03-13-2002)

It was Clinton who started the policy of handing terrorists over to other countries.

Bush seems to have followed, or thought about, following his policy on this.

Plus these are memorandum and do not actually mean that what they said was done.

i.e. Memorandum on wearing a jacket if I go outside today. <-- doesn't mean I am actually going to go outside, just means that if I do I should wear a jacket.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: Starbuck1975
He is throwing a carrot to far left Democrats who are none too pleased that his strategy for Iraq and Afghanistan is to essentially follow the Bush plan...mainly, turning over the mission in Iraq to its government, but maintaining an "advisor" force on the ground...and surging forces to Afghanistan.

So open up the Bush-era anti-terror files and let the left fringe blow their tops over that for a few weeks.

Its seems Obama took copious notes on Rovian tactics of distraction.

What the fuck? The last president basically voided our constitutional rights under some wishy-washy premise and you're ignorant enough to imply that it's a distraction? Jesus Christ, you don't deserve to live in this country...

 

[winnar111]

Originally posted by: DealMonkey

Originally posted by: daniel49
If I wanted to distract people while I was robbing the treasury blind. I might use this tactic also.:thumbsup:

An interesting way to phrase what amounts to deficit spending on par with Bush's deficit spending. Specifically, I'm referring to the actual spending in the Obama stim package being = to the actual spending of Bush's 2 rounds of stim checks. Roughly about $300B give or take in both cases.

Hmmm... I should do some searches of the archives to see just how you reacted to those checks going out. I'd be willing to bet you thought it was the best idea evah.

In case you've been living in a cave for the past decade, that's how the US Gov't now deals with recessions, they deficit spend. It works, check into it.

I guess you buried your head in the same and missed Obama's massive health care package, and his porked up $410 billion omnibus package.

Oh, and since this is happening on a monthly basis....comparing 8 years to 35 days, only way to make your messiah look semi honest.

 

[Zebo]

Pure bone. Liberals and democrat partisan hacks are so FOS or stupid it's not even funny. I wonder if they will notice Obama's continuation of Bush's torture regime, Pakistan invasion, or not pulling out of Iraq?
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=14319

Or their very own neo-con group setup to attack Iran?
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=14334

Maybe after it happens but I'm sure it will be looked at as humanitarian bombing.