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In the past 24 hours, specifically beginning with the moment Barack Obama announced that he now supports the Cheney/Rockefeller/Hoyer House bill, there have magically arisen — in places where one would never have expected to find them — all sorts of claims about why this FISA “compromise” isn’t really so bad after all.
People who spent the week railing against Steny Hoyer as an evil, craven enabler of the Bush administration — or who spent the last several months identically railing against Jay Rockefeller — suddenly changed their minds completely when Barack Obama announced that he would do the same thing as they did.
What had been a vicious assault on our Constitution, and corrupt complicity to conceal Bush lawbreaking, magically and instantaneously transformed into a perfectly understandable position, even a shrewd and commendable decision, that we should not only accept, but be grateful for as undertaken by Obama for our Own Good.
The ACLU specifically identifies the ways in which this bill destroys meaningful limits on the President’s power to spy on our international calls and emails.It’s either that Obama “chickened out” or — as Yale Law Professor Jack Balkin asserts and Digby wonders — Obama believes he will be President and wants these extreme powers for himself, no doubt, he believes, because he’ll exercise them magnanimously, for our Own Good.
“I get on my knees and pray, we don’t get fooled again.” (The Who, “Won’t Get Fooled Again“) Although that could be said of either candidate right now.
This broke me for Obama, if it was a lesser issue, I would give it to him, but I believe he’s “playing politics” like he used to say about Clinton. It’s the old “Who’s the Lesser Douchebag?” game all over again…
And we slowly wake to the realization that this year we are offered nothing really new – new packaging perhaps. Two senators running for prez – is there really a difference between them? I was hoping for a governor to make one of the tickets. Former governors seem to make better presidents.
If Obama supports it, I am confident it is the right decision or the best option. He is a leader.
I can’t wait until he replaces the Dick and Bush douche oil bags that have squandered this nations resources and plunged the US in recession, war, misery and isolation.
Is it possible that he is only supporting it for right-wing votes? Could he change his decision later?
Supporters of the Obamanation are in for a life changing experience. If crowned, the magnitude of taxes he has in mind is staggering.
It’s not likely that you would work all week, get your paycheck then give half or more to your neighbor down the street. So why allow the very man that “promises” to do this into office?
Prediction: The Messiah will be campaigning in some small community thousands of miles from DC when this issue comes up for a vote.
Just the same way he waffled by voting “Present” 129 times while in the Illinois state Senate. That’s not yes, that’s not no. That’s maybe.
I guess we now know why Obama and Hillary disappeared to the Bilderberger conference a while back. To get their marching orders. I am REALLY disappointed in Obama. I guess the FIX is in.
He hasn’t agreed to the compromise by itself. He said he would monitor things when in office to make sure privacy is protected. Why are you so upset?
I’m looking forward to giving my Obama tax dollars to the guy down the street than to rebuilding Iraq.
While you continue to support a party’s candidates, it’s more important to pick specific issues and make all candidates support that position. This is how the NRA has become so powerful. They will endorse whichever candidate supports their positions regardless of party. Meanwhile the unions went all in with Democrats, even running ads against pro-union Republicans, and their decline accelerated. You should make privacy a major issue, and support whomever takes the right positions.
It’s amazing just how truly brainless and sheep like the left wingers are.
MikeN,
Since nobody takes the right positions, out of the available choices..I’m afraid I still have to go with O. I know he’s a mealy mouthed politician saying and doing whatever he can to get into office…but in what way is McBush different? I want a new batch of evil manipulators and their cronies running things for a while after 8 years of the current crowd of lying, thieving, murdering scumbags. Is it a difference of Tweedledum and Tweedledee? Of course. I’m just damned tired of Tweedledumb. Right now, I just feel anything is better..but I’ve lived by the “won’t get fooled again” credo for almost 40 years. I’ll pick my fights with Obama as time goes on, and I won’t need lies and distortions to do it. Right now, I’ll pretty much ignore anything to get rid of the current batch.
#14 An Omama presidency will result in a repub Congress, just like Clinton’s time.
The Bilderberg group must have showed Obama pictures of their man on the grassy knoll. He’ll probably do as he’s told from now on.
#10 So what happens when he’s out of office? Do you trust the guy after him? Or the guy after him?
This has nothing to do with Obama. It has to do with the small end of the wedge – violations to the constitution getting pushed through one small bit at a time until we no longer notice when there’s nothing left.
You’re telling me what I think, and then telling me why I’m dumb for thinking it.
Why do I read this blog again?
Well pedro..I do know one thing. The phrase “less deceiving” and Republican or conservative or “right” are non sequitur’s, or maybe oxymoron’s, so nothing much is changed from my point of view. Examples you say? Well..you and MikeN and Dr. Dodd for a quick list….^_^
Bahhhh..
Quit fretting about Obama being elected – you know he will win.
Republipukes have 2 options after he is president:
Option 1: Be patient and let Obama clean up the mess you fucktards created by electing Dick and Bush.
Option 2: Leave to whatever country will give Dick and Bush asylum for crimes against humanity.
By the way, Mustard has assured me that Obama will not support this. I suggest you all doublecheck.
#23 “Republipukes have 2 options after he is president:”
Actually, rupubs will retake congress within 2 years once the middle class receives the huge tax increases and are being thrown in jail by the IRS for not purchasing his mandatory health ins.
Regarding #24
See..there’s an example of the type of deception I’m talking about. MM responded to MikeN’s post in that thread with a reasoned response based upon this bill’s reinstatement of at least some of the oversight that Dumbya and his gang have insisted was not necessary. Enough so that he can rationalize to himself that this is not a complete reversal of previous statements…even if it is a bit disappointing to him. All of which flies right over the head of Mr. Distorting Lies, for whom there is only right/wrong and no reasoned compromise is possible.
Personally, I’m not as much in agreement with MM as I often am when he’s not talking about religion…although I’m more upset about letting the bastard telco’s off scott free from their selling out their customers than I am about the continued spying on US citizens with some oversight back in the package. Not that I expect Dumbya and gang to pay any more attention to that reinstatement than they did to the constitution in the first place.
This is an expansion of wiretapping authority.
Didn’t John post about Macs getting hit with viruses?
Now we see Obama as the Mac.
http://tinyurl.com/3tgwmm
#27
At least finish the statement Mike.
“..and voted for by all but 1 Repug. senator and and a minority of Dem sens.” Yes…I too think that O is trying to show the Dem “leadership” that he can be a team player..since I’m sure most of the yea voters on this one come from Hillary’s wing of the party. It’s called politics. It’s what they do. There will never be a politician that I want watching my henhouse given a choice of any other profession..(well..except maybe for lawyers..^_^). That doesn’t mean I can’t see a difference between a fox that takes a hen for food and one that just pops in and kills everything that moves….
Sigh. Idiotic.
#24, There is no deception. In the previous thread, I asked Mustard about his statement that Obama wouldn’t flipflop on wiretapping authority, and he gave the response you saw. In this thread, I didn’t requote Mustard to needle him, tempting though it is. Instead, I am saying that the people who are upset with Obama should reconsider given Mustard’s statements.
I have said it before I will continue to say it.
There will be no change.
These are plutocrats seeking the highest plutocrat office.
We have to change the whole government and start all over with a new constitution.
Cursor_
#33 – Impossible. Omama means hope & change or hopefully change for the hopeless or changing hope. Or some such drivel…
Just another politician
This episode just serves to illustrate that Obama does not share progressive values and, if recent polling is to be believed, the values of the American people as a whole. I have a few choice words for people like him but I’ll keep them to myself. Ralph Nader’s looking pretty good these days.