It's telling that Bush is so despised by the rest of the world that his successor is being hailed as the Messiah. I'm afraid you'll all be sorely disappointed in Obama, though, as he can't possibly accomplish so much even given eight years (and he may well have less time than that.) Obama is a charismatic speaker, but I think he won this election mostly because even America grew tired of Dubya and his narrow sightedness.
As far as I can tell, he only "suspended" the military trials pending a re-evaluation. This amounts to adding as much as another 120 days to the already overly long captivity of those on trial, and very possibly to no practical gain. No wonder many of the defendants asked not to have their trials further delayed, even in the face of military trial which is a farce in most cases and not a trial at all. It's rather like being held by the Spanish Inquisition. After a while, even being burned at the stake probably sounds good compared to more waterboarding and other tortures. At least it puts an end to the misery.
Nor, alas, did he "cancel" all the last minute regulatory actions of the Bushies. I wish he had, but all he did was freeze them pending a "review." Hopefully that review will be thorough enough to stop some of the abuses typical of lame duck presidents. That would include things like awarding grants and lucrative contracts to cronies and pals, or in this case, executive orders letting the oil companies rape public lands freely and mining companies avoid the need to protect wilderness or prevent water and soil pollution.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2009-01-21 09:38 pm (UTC)As far as I can tell, he only "suspended" the military trials pending a re-evaluation. This amounts to adding as much as another 120 days to the already overly long captivity of those on trial, and very possibly to no practical gain. No wonder many of the defendants asked not to have their trials further delayed, even in the face of military trial which is a farce in most cases and not a trial at all. It's rather like being held by the Spanish Inquisition. After a while, even being burned at the stake probably sounds good compared to more waterboarding and other tortures. At least it puts an end to the misery.
Nor, alas, did he "cancel" all the last minute regulatory actions of the Bushies. I wish he had, but all he did was freeze them pending a "review." Hopefully that review will be thorough enough to stop some of the abuses typical of lame duck presidents. That would include things like awarding grants and lucrative contracts to cronies and pals, or in this case, executive orders letting the oil companies rape public lands freely and mining companies avoid the need to protect wilderness or prevent water and soil pollution.