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January 06, 2009
Obama Stuck On Clinton Administration As He Picks Justice Nominees
Obama's Justice nominees signal break with Bush counterterrorism policies
In filling four senior Justice Department positions Monday, President-elect Barack Obama signaled that he intends to roll back Bush administration counterterrorism policies authorizing harsh interrogation techniques, warrantless spying and indefinite detentions of terrorism suspects.
The most startling shift was Obama's pick of Indiana University law professor Dawn Johnsen to take charge of the Office of Legal Counsel, the unit that's churned out the legal opinions that provided a foundation for expanding President George W. Bush's national security powers.
Johnsen, who spent five years in the Office of Legal Counsel during the Clinton administration and served as its acting chief, has publicly assailed "Bush's corruption of our American ideals." Upon the release last spring of a secret Office of Legal Counsel memo that backed tactics approaching torture for interrogations of terrorism suspects, she excoriated the unit's lawyers for encouraging "horrific acts" and for advising Bush "that in fighting the war on terror, he is not bound by the laws Congress has enacted."
One of the refreshing things about Dawn Johnsen's appointment is that she's almost a 180-degree shift from John Yoo and David Addington and (Vice President) Dick Cheney," said Harvard University law professor Laurence Tribe, referring to the main legal architects of the administration's approval of harsh interrogation tactics.
Walter Dellinger, a Duke University law professor, said that Johnsen's appointment "sends a very strong message that the administration intends to make sure that its power is exercised in conformity with constitutional rights and respect for civil liberties."
Obama also said that he'd nominate:
-David Ogden, a top Justice Department official during the Clinton administration, as deputy attorney general, the No. 2 figure under attorney general nominee Eric Holder.
-Elena Kagan, the dean of the Harvard University Law School and a former Clinton White House aide, as solicitor general. She'd be the first woman to hold the post.
-Tom Perrelli, counsel to Clinton Attorney General Janet Reno from 1997 to 1999, as the associate attorney general who oversees civil matters.
Obama said he hoped that the four appointees would restore "integrity, depth of experience and tenacity" to the lead federal law enforcement agency, which has been battered by scandal.
Wild Thing's comment.........
Great...back to the Clinton policies that allowed the 9/11 cells to sit here for years. Some even training for their mission on US soil.
Obama is demonstrating clearly, by his appointments, that he has more sympathy for the terrorists, than the gullible America people who elected him president of the US.
I have heard some people ( Republican's) say how they hope he succeeds. I take into consideration they want to keep their jobs with the networks but at what cost? Selling their soul ? How can any sensible person wish that Obama succeeds, is beyond me. Do we want him to succeed in completely destroying the US, including killing innocent Americans, because he doesn't want to interrogate the terrorists, to prevent attacks on us? I say NO, I do not want him to succeed, not even a little.
I want his socialist agenda to get shot down if it is possible. And all the other things he plans to do that will destroy our country.
It's been over 7 years since the Islamofascists have been able to attack America. Our counterterrorism guys have halted many of their planned attacks on this country. Leniency to terrorists becomes a death sentence to innocent Americans.
Posted by Wild Thing at January 6, 2009 03:44 AM
Comments
What's up with all these Clinton people? Change indeed.
Think he's starting to spread the ass kissing a bit thin. Recipe for the test that Biden remarked about (gird those loins).
Where are they hidin' Biden at these days? Wonder if he's at Obedience School with MEchelle? I see they let her out yesterday for a photo op taking the girls to school.
Posted by: Eden at January 6, 2009 06:10 AM
This country went through four years of jimmah to get Eight Years of Reagan. We will endure four years of barry to get Eight Years of Palin. That's what we as American's do we endure and survive troubled times, and come out ahead.
Posted by: JohnE PFC U.S. Army at January 6, 2009 06:44 AM
It's a shame these hygienically challenged Woodstock looney tune libs weren't seated on
~AA11~ ~UF175~ ~AA77~ & ~UF93~ on 9-11-01,
or INSIDE the Twin Towers at 0845 a.m. and 0905 a.m. that morning either!
Posted by: darthcrUSAderworldtour07 at January 6, 2009 10:40 AM
I am surprised Barry hasn't picked Jamie Gurelak(sp) afterall she is the one who built the wall between FBI and CIA, which help create the mis-information before 9/11.
The next time it might not be a few planes hi-jacked but a dirty bomb or a Biological one in NYC. These people just don't learn. The Terrorists don't care about feel-goodism, or PC, they just want to kill Americans. And Barry will be tested and when he fails, there will be hell to pay.
Posted by: Mark at January 6, 2009 11:20 AM
These appointments make me think of Waco and Ruby Ridge. More assaults on individual freedoms are ahead.
Obama and the Clintons have a lot in common, so former Clinton people being rehired doesn't surprise me that much.
Posted by: TomR at January 6, 2009 01:03 PM
I share your apprehensions Tom. Picking Panetta for CIA Chief ensures no barriers for direct Whitehouse intervention in the agency. He's a functionary KGB chief.
Posted by: Jack at January 6, 2009 02:14 PM
"Obama said he hoped that the four appointees would restore "integrity, depth of experience and tenacity" to the lead federal law enforcement agency, which has been battered by scandal."
If the four appointees want to restore "integrity, depth of experience and tenacity" to the lead federal law enforcement agency then they can start with demanding that the BOGUS-POTUS produce his original birth certificate and other documentation proving that he meets all of the constitutional natural born citizen requirements to be President of the United States.
Should the United States become a victim of another domestic terrorist attack we will not need another 9/11-like commission to know what went wrong. The core of the failure will be the BOGUS-POTUS himself, an inexperienced in intelligence CIA Director, an inexperienced in security Secretary of Homeland Security, and an AG with four Justice appointees who favor law breakers and terrorists over law abiding citizens and national security.
Posted by: Les at January 6, 2009 05:38 PM
