Obama Begins--hmmm- with a hint of Bushism

Obama begins - and so does the resurrection of Bush
Larry Elder - Syndicated Columnist - 1/22/2009 8:40:00 AM
This week, Barack Obama became the 44th president of the United States. So now the governing begins -- along with the resurrection of George W. Bush's reputation.

Candidate Obama promised to pull all the troops from Iraq within the first year to 16 months of his administration. President Obama intends to retain Bush's secretary of Defense, Robert Gates -- a man who supported Bush's courageous decision to "surge" and send 30,000 troops, an action that then-Sen. Obama opposed while predicting its failure. When, post-surge, violence in Iraq dramatically declined, candidate Obama refused -- for a long time -- to credit the surge, later pointing to the lack of Iraqi "political reconciliation." But the supposedly nonexistent political reconciliation produced a U.S.-Iraqi agreement -- supported by Gates -- for troops to remain until 2011.

Candidate Obama claimed George W. Bush "shredded" the Constitution. But as president-elect, Obama nominated former Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder to serve as attorney general. Holder, in a 2002 CNN interview, agreed with the Bush administration's position that the Geneva Conventions do not apply to terrorist detainees! "One of the things we clearly want to do with these prisoners," said Holder, "is to have an ability to interrogate them and find out what their future plans might be, where other cells are located....It seems to me that given the way in which they have conducted themselves, however, that they are not, in fact, people entitled to the protection of the Geneva Convention. They are not prisoners of war."

Holder also supported the Patriot Act, first passed in the Senate 98-1. The Senate renewed it in 2006 with support from then-Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Both versions included the much-condemned "library provisions," which allow federal agents -- after authorization from a "secret" court -- to obtain suspects' records from businesses, libraries, and bookstores during terrorism probes.

Two months ago, the United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit ruled unanimously in support of legal warrantless searches of Americans overseas. "The Fourth Amendment's requirement of reasonableness -- but not the Warrant Clause -- applies to extraterritorial searches and seizures of U.S. citizens," wrote the judges. The panel of judges justified "sustained and intense monitoring" as reasonable, given the "self-evident need to investigate threats to national security."

Candidate Obama promised to shut down Guantanamo Bay immediately, and the new President recently reiterated his intention. But the closure may take some time -- possibly a year -- as the administration faces the reality of what to do with the estimated 245 detainees, many of whom represent serious threats. Countries claiming "abuses" at Gitmo refuse to take any of the detainees, including those from their own countries.

Between 30 and 60 of Gitmo's detainees, according to the Bush administration, returned to the battlefield upon their release. When Obama closes Gitmo, what about the "rights" of detainees held in prisons in Afghanistan? As the new administration works through these issues, Bush's choices won't seem so arbitrary, for they were good-faith decisions made in gray areas -- with the goal of keeping the country safe.

Candidate Obama criticized the Bush administration for "neglecting" the "peace process" between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The world now condemns Israel for its "disproportionate" military action in Gaza. But back during the 2006 parliamentary election in Gaza, one of Hamas' candidates was a woman named Miriam Farahat. Palestinians call her Umm Nidal, Mother of the Struggle, for she lost three sons in campaigns to murder Israelis. A Hamas recruitment video features Farahat showing her 17-year-old son how to kill Israelis and telling him not to come back. He murdered five Jewish students. Another son was killed when the Israeli air force blew up his vehicle, which was carrying Qassam rockets. Farahat celebrated his death: "I am so proud. I wish I had more sons to offer." The Palestinians elected her. President Obama will soon arrive at the same position as did Bush -- that would-be "peace partner" Hamas seeks, above all, Israel's "obliteration."

Obama promised -- before larding it up with conditions -- to sit down without preconditions with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Last year, the United Nations Security Council imposed sanctions on Iran's military and most of its banks for continued nuclear activity. Ahmadinejad calls for Israel's destruction. Iran arms and assists both the Shiite Hezbollah and the Sunni Hamas. Obama will come to regret that "cowboy" Bush did not do more to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuke, even though Vice President Joe Biden once threatened the impeachment of President Bush had he taken military action.

Many historians long ago called the Bush administration a failure. President Obama's actions suggest that he now holds a different view, if only privately.

CREATORS SYNDICATE COPYRIGHT 2008 LAURENCE A. ELDER

I'm just saying-------

A Grateful Heart

People always told me how great it was to have grandchildren. They were wrong. Anything I ever heard cannot hold a candle to how great it truly is. A feeling I was very receptive to, but surprised all the same. A blog on that at a later date.Another feeling that has surprised me is my love for my parents. I love my parents as much as I ever have, but it's different than before. I'm not even sure when the feeling took place, I just want to give it a voice now. So many times we wait til we lose someone we love before we really know what they mean to us. Well, I have had a revelation on the subject and needed to jot it down while it's fresh on my mind. (these days thoughts don't stay on my mind long) lolI have always looked to my parents for protection and security and support. It has occurred to me-I don't see them in that way anymore. Instead, I feel protective over them. I find myself attempting to be supportive and encouraging to them in their own struggle for normal in their aging years. Things I would have told them in the past, I keep to myself. My dad has always been a worrier for us girls and our families. I don't want to burden him. He just can't help himself--it's in his blood.The gratitude I have for the life they gave us girls is overwhelming. I only wish I could do more for them. On cards I send I try to write about a fond memory I have from growing up. All they really care about is spending time with us. My resolution for the new year, now that Wayne is feeling better is to visit more often. In the past, we would visit once a month, but it was always a very short visit, b/c Wayne would need to get back to our business. In the past, they would visit, but now they hardly travel at all.I feel so fortunate to still have my parents living. I want to take every opportunity to see them often. If you think about it, there is an age you think of yourself still being. And if you don't, then you're too young. You haven't arrived yet, so enjoy the ride as long as you can. Anyway, back to what I was saying.... Did you know that you still think of that age as you get older. I asked my mom a few years back and she agreed. You never feel as old as you really are. Sometimes to the point there is a stranger in the mirror looking back at you. She might look like your mother. I've been told all my life I look like my mom. I was told that just these past holidays. My sister and I are trying to empty out our parents attic. They don't need to be up there at all for any reason. We've ran into some great memories up there. I caught myself telling my Mom--Dad should carry the cell phone with him when he's outside doing stuff, in case he should fall--- Her reply was---your sister has already had that conversation with him. It's not what you know, it's what you do with what you know.---- How true THAT is. I enjoy watching football games, Wheel of Fortune, and any western that's on with them. My mom and I flip thru magazines together and watch HGTV and Food Network channels after Daddy goes to bed. When I'm there, I feel like someone's daughter again, but now it's a grown up daughter. I haven't always felt that way. I'm pushing 57, it's about time. I'll have to watch it with my own kids and remember they are all grown up now. That's a hard one to swallow. It's like a vitamin you need to take everyday. No matter how old we get--we're still someone's child. I'm ok with that. I've had a wonderful upbringing, so it's a great trade off.OK I'm through jotting down, I think.