Is President Obama Hurting the Nation by Being Too "Forgiving" of the Bush Administration?

I do think Obama is being too timid about Bush and his crooks but remember the Jewish lobby in America.Let`s hope the US Justice Dept.can take things forward and bring the laws of the country to bear.History will, hopefully, reveal all but that will be 30 years time,action is needed now.

"Unless President Obama changes his policy of “looking ahead - not back” (Orwellian newspeak for whitewash) we will eventually elect another Bush-like despot and become a nation of cowering sheep meekly following the dictates of the leader whose actions will be declared as “necessary for our protection” from whatever “enemies of America” the leader contrives for us."

Great quotes. It looks like some people are waking up to the fact that the two corporate-financed parties don't represent us and are moving us toward a fascist dictatorship. It starts with not enforcing the laws on those that are considered above the law.

Voting Democratic is not progressive! It gives undeserved credibility to one of the two parties that are selling out our democracy. The Greens and the Socialists don't accept corporate money, and are more deserving of our votes. If you vote Democratic, you are part of the problem.

Although there have recently been reports that Attorney General Eric Holder might start some sort of investigation of the Bush/Cheney policy of torture of prisoners, it’s not clear that an indictment of Bush or Cheney will be sought.

It’s been six months since Bush and Cheney left office and neither of them has been called to account for the flood of crimes everyone in the world knows they committed. Even most of those who supported the Bush/Cheney political Cosa Nostra know that they committed crimes - they simply don’t care. They agree with the Nixon assertion, “if the President does it [more particularly THEIR President] it’s legal.”

These are some of the crimes we know of to a certainty: 1) waging an unprovoked war, 2) imprisoning people without charge and denying them the constitutional right of habeas corpus, 3) ordering the torture of prisoners (sometimes resulting in death), 4) kidnaping people and rendering them to other nations to be tortured, 5) wiretapping citizens without a court order, 6) exposing at least one CIA operative for Machiavellian political purposes.

In addition there are many questions concerning the events of 9/11 that have not been investigated suggesting that these events were orchestrated, or at least permitted, by the Bush/Cheney administration. The “investigation” by the 9-11 commission under restrictions imposed by the Bush administration and Congressional Republicans was a joke, a total whitewash. A new, honest and thorough investigation must be conducted.

President Obama has been a disappointment by not directing the Justice Department to investigate all of the Bush/Cheney crimes. Apparently the President, in his zeal to accommodate Republicans (who could not care less about bipartisan cooperation) is willing to be complicit in the cover-up of these crimes.

If America is to have one set of laws for the people and another for those in positions of power our democracy is dead and we will soon be under the thumb of our dictatorial masters. Our rights will evaporate, e.g., publication of columns like this one will be cause for arrest (an eventuality that would no doubt delight some “conservative” readers.)

Unless President Obama changes his policy of “looking ahead - not back” (Orwellian newspeak for whitewash) we will eventually elect another Bush-like despot and become a nation of cowering sheep meekly following the dictates of the leader whose actions will be declared as “necessary for our protection” from whatever “enemies of America” the leader contrives for us.

Like Alberto Gonzales’ view of the Geneva Conventions the constitution will be regarded as “quaint” as the people are enslaved. Of course, mindless self-styled “patriots” will boast, “they’ll never make a slave of ME!” as they goose-step to the drumbeat of the leader.

Does this hurt the nation? Of course. The cost of forgiveness at the end of the Civil War is still being paid, also for the coverup of the FDR/military betrayal of the US in getting the US into WW2, and likewise for the totally insane cold war strategy of threatening to kill all human life as a basic war-fighting strategy.

If some one doesn't stand trial and if some one doesn't go to jail for all the illegal and semi-legal and unconstitutional crap that went on during Bush II's administration we might as well just give in to the inevitable, stop voting for these frauds and let the corporations run things. Thus far Obama's done nothing to change the shift of political power. To date he has shown his policies to be as accommodating toward Wall Street interests, at the expense of everyone else, as Bill Clinton's.

Obama, at the very least, should put up some kind of show for public consumption that his administration is not above the law and neither is any other president's, especially that of George W. Bush. That might go a long way toward restoring the unwashed's faith in the system if nothing else.

True, if AG Holder's investigation--and I think we should be aware that it may be more in the nature of a cover-up than actual fact-finding--discloses any indictable wrong-doing by members of the Bush II administration, DOJ prosecution will only go as high as the lowest ranking functionary involved in the torture memos. John Yoo, be prepared to do some hard time. Perhaps Dick Cheney will send you a vacation picture-post card from time to time.

1. I disagree with those who think that going after the multiple national security crimes of the Bush administration should has a lower priority than health care, the economy etc etc.

A president, and the country too, for that matter, has to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.

2. I don't think Obama is being "forgiving" at least not in the sense of have a generous minded tolerance for the foibles and failings of others. I think he knows this is a huge problem. If he goes for a serious and thorough investigation that could likely lead to the uncovering of crimes - and the prosecution of high officials that should follow such discovery - he ties his own hands. His hands should be tied; our government in our name and with the excuse of "keeping us safe" should not be violating U.S. or international law.

But now that Obama is the chief executive he likes executive power just fine, as Cheney foresaw as he aggrandized executive power for future administrations. So Obama can promise us he won't engage in the worst abuses of the Bush administration but such promises are just hot air. If there's no public and legal accountability we're in serious trouble.

I think Obama doesn't want to have an investigation, but if Holder has a bit of spine and if public pressure is kept on Obama may not be able to stop it.

So, I think we shouldn't throw in the towel but work and work and work for investigations and accountability. Otherwise our Constitution is gone and we are "cooked."

Colleen Clark
Cambridge, MA

The President of the United States is responsible for upholding the Constitution.  We know that the Bush Administration repeatedly violated the Constitution.  It is President Obama's sworn duty to hold them accountable.