Ignoring The Obvious

by Steve

Here's your morning outrage:

George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld covered up that hundreds of innocent men were sent to the Guantánamo Bay prison camp because they feared that releasing them would harm the push for war in Iraq and the broader War on Terror, according to a new document obtained by The Times.

Surprised? Not me. Will Obama do anything about it? Nope. There's a reason why Dawn Johnsen isn't already seated as head of the Office of Legal Counsel in the Justice Department today, after a tough but principled fight to run over the GOP and get her confirmed: Obama likes the executive power toolshed that Dick Cheney built for him.

Once coming into office, and seeing the challenges that face a chief executive in running two wars and making sure no one ran from his right on national security, he moved away from principles and the clarity that a Dawn Johnsen would provide. What Obama fails to recognize is that any GOP successor will have no hesitation in tripping over their own hypocrisy from the Bush years to investigate and subpoena Obama's actions.

So what we have is someone who likes the trappings of the imperial presidency that Dick Cheney grabbed for him, but who lacks the guts or clarity of principle to actually use them for good and accountability, even in cases of war crimes.