In a massive, but not unexpected, recantation of his campaign promises of reform, Barack Obama has betrayed the national good by continuing the Bush policy of giving the telephone companies that spied on us ongoing immunity from prosecution of our privacy rights violations.
The Obama administration vigorously defended congressional legislation late Wednesday that immunizes U.S. telecommunication companies from lawsuits about their participation in the Bush administration's domestic spy program. It was the first time the Obama administration weighed in on a federal court challenge questioning the legality of the legislation President Barack Obama voted for as an Illinois senator in July. "Accordingly, the court should now promptly dismiss these actions," the Justice Department wrote (.pdf) U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker of San Francisco late Wednesday.It's disappointing to learn that absolute power corrupts the hopeful and crushes the innocent while raising the wanton to new heights.
If we cannot trust Obama to protect our right to privacy -- then we should never expect in our lifetime to have our federal government ever return to the full privacy protections we enjoyed pre-9/11.
That fact is a sad loss and a sorry waste of one -- once vigorously protected -- freedom.
What a disappointment. I really have no words.
Me too, Gordon.
Now it seems there won't be much difference between Obama and Bush on torture and Guantanamo, too.
Obama looks lost to me. I hope he has a clue. The conservative are already feasting and the dems are helping themselves too much too.
He does seem to be spinning in circles, Anne. He needs to push and bully his way through this. Play the Chicago politics hand if you're accused of it -- teach the opposition a hard and bloody lesson.