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The Cheney administration was openly deceitful, as it were, a brazen set of liars fronted by an idiot stooge. This turn of events - particularly given Obama's r
by espeed 13y ago
The Cheney administration was openly deceitful, as it were, a brazen set of liars fronted by an idiot stooge. This turn of events - particularly given Obama's rhetoric and the expectations of him - seems in many ways much more insidiously dangerous.
That's one way to look at it. Another is that the policies were put in place under Bush/Cheney, and they are being exposed under Obama.
Obama ran on transparency, and things are definitely becoming more transparent, albeit through unconventional means.
Politics is a complicated game and a delicate balancing act, especially when its intertwined with the military, the agencies, and the powers that be. We may be observing a complex line on the grand chessboard, and unless we are able to see the whole board, we won't fully understand the moves or the strategy in play.
- wyclif 13y agoObama ran on transparency, but that turned out to be a total lie. Blaming Bush/Cheney for Obama's failures is just a way for the people who voted for him to assuage their hypocrisy. The reality is that the Obama admin is far more like Bush's admin, and is contiguous with it in terms of policy.
- espeed 13y agoI am not what you would call an Obama advocate. But just like watching what people do can reveal more than listening to what people say, observing the effects in a complex system can reveal more than focusing on the mesmerizing flap of its butterfly wings.
- einhverfr 13y agoIndeed, it is worth noting that some of Obama's campaign promises have actually been fulfilled, albeit despite his best efforts....
- espeed 13y agoRemember in Obama's first term, the GOP strategy was strict opposition. But now Obama's positions on present issues make strict opposition more difficult because he is, on face value, supporting many GOP policies. There seems to be a bit of "don't throw me in the briar patch" mixed in with a dash of "gaffes" and "blunders". This surreal stew may be designed to complicate the GOP's public policy opposition strategy. And in the case of Syria, even Bush's ex-admins are split on what to do (http://www.politico.com/story/2013/08/bush-vets-split-on-syria-96077.html http://www.politico.com/story/2013/08/bush-vets-split-on-syr...).
- einhverfr 13y agoI dunno. On the civil liberties front, the EFF was complaining by April 2009 that Obama was worse than Bush regarding state secrets privilege. The NSA issues are things that appear to have accelerated under Obama as well. Sure Congress bets some blame, but you can't blame the opposition in Congress for Executive abuses of power. That we are out of Iraq was despite Obama's best efforts to the contrary. That we got some transparency in civil liberties vs the war on terror have occurred despite Obama's war on whistleblowers.