Obama’s Hypocricy
July 12, 2009 at 5:24 pm
Yesterday, in a speech in Ghana, President Obama said (emphasis mine):
America has a responsibility to work with you as a partner to advance this vision, not just with words, but with support that strengthens African capacity. When there’s a genocide in Darfur or terrorists in Somalia, these are not simply African problems — they are global security challenges, and they demand a global response.
And that’s why we stand ready to partner through diplomacy and technical assistance and logistical support, and we will stand behind efforts to hold war criminals accountable. And let me be clear: Our Africa Command is focused not on establishing a foothold in the continent, but on confronting these common challenges to advance the security of America, Africa and the world.
In Moscow, I spoke of the need for an international system where the universal rights of human beings are respected, and violations of those rights are opposed. And that must include a commitment to support those who resolve conflicts peacefully, to sanction and stop those who don’t, and to help those who have suffered. But ultimately, it will be vibrant democracies like Botswana and Ghana which roll back the causes of conflict and advance the frontiers of peace and prosperity.
President Obama, you say America stands ready to help African nations hold their war criminals accountable, but you aren’t willing to investigate the war criminals we have here in the United States. I speak of former President Bush and former Vice President Cheney. Pres. Obama, your administration has shamefully pursued the same extravegant powers of detention and surveillance that Pres. Bush and V.P. Cheney instituted during their administration and continues to obstruct all attempts in our courts and in Congresss to investigate these illegal programs and bring them into the light. You’ve failed to uphold your promises for increased transparency in and bring changes to the Federal government.
Now, we’ve learned there are more secret programs under operation by the CIA. What will you do with these? Will you bring them into the light and help reform them, or will you let them stay in the dark?
I was so hopeful whenyou took office that we would see a real change in our government. I’m deeply saddened and frustrated by your continued support of Bush-era policies and government positions. I believed you were a better man than you’ve shown yourself to be.
Edit: Updated spelling in title
Categories: Politics
Hypocracy is a misspelling.
The correct spelling is hypocrisy.
Thanks, Robin. Fixed.
Everything the CIA does is Secret.
It may be Secret, but that doesn’t mean no Congressional oversight. The Executive is not supposed to be able to operate independently without oversight from Congress. Bush/Cheney were wrong to authorize such activities and Pres. Obama should stop such activities.
If the screat policy was assasination, it seems to me the predator drone attacks are accomplishing that task; without the CIA too.
Reyes hasn’t held a hearing on the CIA since Pelosi leveled the lying charge. The House is failing in its ovrsight responsiblity. Obama not really the one at fault here. Considering CIA must be giving Obama intel one way or the other on AFPAC, it’s a pretty egregious failure ot oversee on the part of the House.
My argument with Obama is that his administration has, to-date, continued to support many of the programs and policy positions the Bush administration held; policies and positions that Obama promised to air out and bring into the light or outright stop doing.
Also, given that Cheney apparently ordered the CIA to with-hold information about some (several?) from Congress, it is hard to acuse the Congress of failing at oversight.
Oversight of the Executive is Congress’s job. If one institution has failed America badly this decade, it’s been Congress. To have the Speaker accuss the CIA of serial and systemic lying, and then to fail to hold hearings on the that charge, in a middle of a way, is a failure on a huge scale. There is no way around that… right or left, Bush or Obama fan.