Obama 2007 Radio Interview: My Attorney General Will Investigate Bush Executive Orders

Newsbusters ^ | 11/22/08 | Kerry Picket

[paltz]

VIDEO

***UPDATE***NY lawmaker seeks to prevent Bush pardons of “cronies”(h/t Naked Emperor News)

Naked Emperor News has unearthed a 2007 KJFK radio interview Barack Obama gave to host Christiane Brown. He promised that one of his first acts as president would be to call on his new Attorney General to investigate the Bush administration(emphasis is mine:)

BROWN: And when you are... if you were to be elected president of the United States, Senator Obama, do you feel that we need to look back if the investigations have been done on this administration find out what happened, because there’s a fear there’s a dangerous precedent being set... the CIA interrogation tapes missing, warrant-less wire tapping, all of these are violations of the Constitution, and people can be forgiven for thinking that it seems like we only enforce the Constitution when its politically expedient.

OBAMA: Well one of things that I’ve said, and I’ve said this repeatedly publicly, since I taught constitutional law for ten years is that...one of my first acts as president is going to be call in my new attorney general to review every single executive order that’s been issued... to overturn those that are undermining the Constitution, undermining our civil liberties, that are promoting this cockamamie theory of Unitary government, that says that somehow the executive branch does not need to obey the Constitution…uhh

(Cross talk)

BROWN: But, but Senator Obama forgive me…

OBAMA: Let, let me finish…and during that process of review, if it’s determined that laws have been broken, then obviously accountability would be part of my Attorney General’s job.

BROWN: Why, Senator, would it energize them if crimes were revealed? I think it would weaken the Republican Party.

OBAMA: You are assuming that we are not currently trying our best to document and investigate problems that are out there.

At the 2008 American Constitution Society National Convention, Obama’s choice for Attorney General, Eric Holder says the following later on in the clip:

HOLDER: The term "leader of the free world" is bestowed upon the United States President, because of the civil liberties and rights we guarantee our people. It comes from the power of our values as a nation. For the last six years, the position of leader of the free world has been largely vacant. We owe the American people a reckoning.

Again, the Bush administration will find itself being stabbed in the back by those they tried to “reach across the aisle to.”

Many were expecting Bush to go after the Clinton administration for the shady last minute Marc Rich pardon, which Holder was deeply involved in. A June 2008 AP article described Holder's involvement:

The entire matter was handled in an unorthodox manner - on a straight line from Rich's lawyer to the White House, with a consulting role for Holder.

Later, Holder said he told White House counsel Beth Nolan the day before the pardon was issued that he was "neutral, leaning toward favorable" in regard to the pardon. He said he and Nolan "never had a prolonged conversation about the matter."

To make matters worse, Holder had asked Quinn for his help in becoming attorney general in the event then-Vice President Al Gore won the 2000 election.

Both Republicans and Democrats were apalled by the lack of judicial process displayed. Yet the Bush administration looked the other way when it came time to issue any accusations. A 2005 AP article described the situation:

The Bush White House has argued that releasing pardon-related documents would have a chilling effect on internal discussions leading up to presidential action on such requests.

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton called it an instance of the Bush administration covering up a Clinton administration scandal.

“Reaching across the aisle” for the new Obama administration only means tapping previous Clinton administration staffers (including Hillary Clinton herself for Secretary of State), so Bush and company should not expect a slap on the back but a slap in the face post inauguration January 20, 2009.

—Kerry Picket is an associate producer with the Media Research Center's Eyeblast.tv video site.

[2ndDivisionVet]

President Bush needs to order a blanket pardon for everyone in his administration, the military and intelligence agencies from between January 20, 2001 to the present, then resign and let President Cheney pardon him.

[paltz]

Jerry Nadler is trying to prevent that:

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/washington/washington/entries/2008/11/21/ny_lawmaker_see.html

[joeystoy]

Let me understand this...

Eric (Mark Rich/FLN) Holder is going to investigate shady presidential pardons???!!!

You can't make up this stuff.

[paltz]

Executive orders, actually.

[Paige]

There Back! The Clintonistas have come home to Roost!

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

I wouldn’t worry too much about this, for several reasons. First of all, after he leaves office, Bush is a “gone coon” aka “gone goose”. He is no longer part of the political picture, so the Democrats might as well lash out against Richard Nixon.

Second of all, the Democrats have almost unlimited power in D.C., to do what they want for two years. An opportunity like that doesn’t come along very often, and they can either take advantage of it, or waste time going after the “gone coon.”

Third, the Shinola is about to hit the fan, the economic crunch, and the Democrats are going to watch Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid go down the tubes, and there won’t be a damn thing they can do to stop it. A few weeks or months into his term, and Obama is going to be hard pressed to remember who Bush was, much less to worry about what he did.

Fourth, any Republican called before congress, even if they are being asked about tuna fishing, are going to point out that the Democrats created this crisis, so what are they going to do about it. This will conclude their testimony.

[SteamShovel]

He is no longer part of the political picture, so the Democrats might as well lash out against Richard Nixon

I disagree.

The market is crumbling as capital is fleeing in anticipation of Heir Obama and the RAT stacked House, Senate, and soon to be Court System. The RAT policies of higher income and Capital Gains taxes, global warming energy policy, reparations, forced public service, Fairness Doctrine, and even control of Internet free speech are going to cause life as we know it to crumble.

The RATS will be looking for a scapegoat to distract from their own mess. BUSH AND CHENEY WILL BE FIGURATIVELY LYNCHED by this RAT mob, just as the Jews were the scapegoats in Germany. This is a very bad precedent and may well represent the last time anyone will WANT to run for President.

[rbmillerjr]

This is the bread and butter of the uber liberals, just attack Bush - easy target.

This comes down to Obama realizing that he has to govern from the center. So to keep the base nice and meaty, he’ll attack Bush to keep the them ubers happy.

[seekthetruth]

Obama might want to wake up and realize that the US Supreme Court might be investigating him on December 5th!

[freekitty]

How very sad this new administration will be. It seems instead of taking care of business of continued success in and of America; they are hell bent on living in the past with their grudges. Everything they do will be rooted in hated and misguidance and misjudged thinking simply because they can’t get rid of this cancer or sickness.

And how very, very sad for every American who know in their hearts this is the best country in the world.

[G Larry]

Not too bright for BO to draw attention to “executive orders”.

Watch for the chaos created by BO’s executive orders in his first weeks in office.

[ken21]

we need a political party that stands up to these thugs.

[TalBlack]

“Second of all, the Democrats have almost unlimited power in D.C., to do what they want for two years. An opportunity like that doesn’t come along very often, and they can either take advantage of it, or waste time going after the “gone coon.””

Don’t project any reasonable impulses you may have on Democrats. Hate is cancer of the soul and every damned Democrat suffers from it.

[New Jersey Realist]

Why will the the Supreme Court investigate Obamanation on December 5th?

[ruthles]

Wow that’s a strong analogy. Sad, but quite possibly accurate. Ths is shaking me to the bone, as it explains the illogical, insanity of their hatred to Bush.

[ckilmer]

A detroit radio station called the Kenyan embassy after the election of Obama. After a lot of trouble they get through to the ambassador of Kenya.

The ambassador of Kenya says that obama was born in Kenya and that his birth place has become a national shrine.

Listen to the recording here

The quote is around 12:35, so if you don’t have time to listen to the whole thing, you can jump ahead.
The transcript reads:

Radio Jockey: President elect Obama's birth place over in Kenya -- is that going to be a national spot where he was born

Ambassador: its already an attraction. his paternal grandmother is still alive

Radio Jockey: his birth place...they'll put up a marker there

Ambassdor: its already well known.


Be sure to download the recording as well. The chances of it remaining online for long are remote.

If you have the skills to post it on Utube...please do.

The Arnold would have run for president long ago and likely won if he were a "natural born" american. He's not. He's naturalized. So he can't run. And he knows it. (though there were some trial balloons sent up a couple years back about changing the law.)

Like the Arnold, Obama looks to be a naturalized citizen--but maybe he's not even that.

In any case the supreme court--at Justice Thomas instigation-- is taking up the issue Dec 5