HENTOFF: Obama shrugs off concerns

The Washington Times ^ | April 20, 2009 | Nat Hentoff

[Scanian]

During his presidential campaign, a solemn pledge by Barack Obama that almost made me vote for him (but I'm pro-life, and he's a pro-choice extremist) was that his administration would be the most open and transparent in our history, in contrast to the deeply, darkly secret George W. Bush-Dick Cheney administration. But, as with some of his other broken promises to restore the Constitution, I increasingly have less hope for a reason to believe in the Obama presidency.

For a glaring example, with regard to the pervasive secrecy of his predecessors, President Obama has stunningly not only continued to invoke state secrets to order judges to close down lawsuits, but has gone further than Mr. Bush by claiming total government immunity from litigation by citizens protesting illegal spying on our communications by the National Security Agency.

On April 3, Mr. Obama's Justice Department filed an answer to a federal lawsuit against warrantless wiretapping of Americans brought by the San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation, which has been the lead litigator concerning lawless Bush, and now Obama, violations of our privacy.

[ballplayer]

What is Obamas GPA at Columbia,How did he pay for his tuition? Where are his writings from his stint as Editor at the Harvard Law Review? I dont know ,but We now know all our “Torture” techniques now dont we . HOW Special

[Scanian]

You’d have an easier time getting instructions from the government for building a nuclear device.

[FreeSouthernAmerican]

Lovely little troglodyte, is he not?

[wny]

Get a clue Nat

[Northern Yankee]

During his presidential campaign, a solemn pledge by Barack Obama that almost made me vote for him (but I'm pro-life, and he's a pro-choice extremist) was that his administration would be the most open and transparent in our history, in contrast to the deeply, darkly secret George W. Bush-Dick Cheney administration. But, as with some of his other broken promises to restore the Constitution, I increasingly have less hope for a reason to believe in the Obama presidency.

Dear Nat... Obambi never released his birth certificate, college scores, medical reports or explain his associations with Bill Ahyers and Jeremiah Wright. These things didn't set off alarm bells in your head?

Whenever I hear a politician claim that they are going to have the most "ethical and transparent" administration in history, I begin to worry.

Didn't Bill Clinton say the very same thing?

BTW... How's that Vince Foster thing working out for you?

Good grief!

[Scanian]

Nat’s come a long way. Time was, he was tantamount to a Stalinist.

[Robert DeLong]

He’s still got a long way to go, and that’s just to get away from stuoid.

[Vaduz]

For a glaring example, with regard to the pervasive secrecy of his predecessors, President Obama has stunningly not only continued to invoke state secrets to order judges to close down lawsuits,what’s that thing that keeps magging obama oh yea the constitution.

[Dr. Sivana]

Time was, he was tantamount to a Stalinist.

Nat has come a long way. Unlike many of the others, he was a Stalinist who was striving to be consistent and intellectually coherent. That inevitably leads to asking some of the right questions. George Orwell would be another example of a socialist who figured out a lot of the problems.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Nat’s brain is as bankrupt as the Village Voice.

[aruanan]

Nat’s brain is as bankrupt as the Village Voice.

And your knee jerks faster than a cricket's. Did you actually read the article or just react to the Village Voice name?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I’ve been avoiding Nat and pecker gnats like him for decades.

[giotto]

he was a Stalinist who was striving to be consistent and intellectually coherent. That inevitably leads to asking some of the right questions.

No, that inevitably leads to abandoning Stalinism.