Former DOJ Official: Obama Worse Than Bush On Civil Liberties...

[paulitician]

The Obama administration’s use of executive power has gone further than the Bush administration’s toward diminishing Americans’ civil liberties, author John Yoo told The Daily Caller.

“Somehow the Obama administration has increased the protections for terrorists, while at the same time reducing them for the rest of us law-abiding citizens in the United States,” Yoo said after a panel discussion on his new book “Taming Globalization” at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C.

Yoo was deputy assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice during the Bush administration. During his tenure, he authored what came to be derided as the “torture memos,” which defined what techniques were acceptable to use during interrogations of terrorist suspects.

Anti-war organizations branded him and many others in the Bush administration, including Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and President Bush himself, as “war criminals.”

Yoo said the anti-war movement has not criticized President Barack Obama, despite his administration’s formalization of a process for “targeted killing” of American citizens without trial.

“You don’t see the same critics who so thrashed President Bush, for allegedly thinking he was a king, making the same arguments and engaging in the same criticism of President Obama,” Yoo told TheDC.

“I think a reasonable person can only conclude that is because President Obama happens to be a Democrat, where as President Bush was a Republican.”


Read more: Civil Liberties | Barack Obama | Targeted Killings | John Yoo | The Daily Caller

 

[Truthmatters]

John Yoo is a right wing poltical hack who was part of the DOJ and torture scandals of Bush

 

[paulitician]

I've always said the 'Anti-War' Left were the biggest frauds in our Country. If Obama were a Republican, they would be howling for Impeachment over his dismal record on American Civil Liberties. No one should ever trust the Left. It's always only about getting their Democrat elected. Party before Country.

 

[paulitician]

John Yoo is a right wing poltical hack who was part of the DOJ and torture scandals of Bush

Looks like your Left Wing political hack President is even worse. Gotta be a tough pill for you guys to swallow.

 

[LeftofLeft]

Remember Reid and Pelosi celebrating the death of the original Patriot Act? Seems Or, the New York Times gleefully reporting that they had "uncovered" a tracking program US Intel had under Bush for following funds from Al Qaeda throughout an international financial network.

Seems the anti-war Left has no problem taking out American citizens without due process or fair trial when the Leader is like them; but, God forbid a Leader wants to track financial transactions and/or phone conversations of non-US Citizen terror suspects ???

Obama was able to oversee the successfull execution of bin Laden because he inherited a solid intel system built and funded by Bush/Cheney and Obama knew well enough to leave the system alone. Contrast that with what Bush inherited....a gutted intel whose funding had been slashed over the previous 5 years and a Department of Justice committed to hindering rather than enabling law enforcement information sharing (SEE: Gorelick memo).

 

[rightwinger]

You do realize who John Yoo is don't you?

He is the guy who told Bush it is OK to torture. He is the guy you pick to evaluate civil liberties?

 

[BlindBoo]

Of course Yoo's gonna say that with no facts to back it up. His document was intrumential in the torture of thousands in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Notice how the pseudo-cons are always trying to make the claim that anything Obama does is "As bad as Bush......"

So Conz, how bad was Bush?

 

[Avorysuds]

You do realize who John Yoo is don't you?

He is the guy who told Bush it is OK to torture. He is the guy you pick to evaluate civil liberties?

Yeah, and now that Obama starts wars, expands wars and has torture the Democrat party is ousted for the typical war mongering party we all knew it was already. Obama wanted to stay in Iraq past the evil Bush timeline but they kicked us out…

The Republican have Mitt, Mitt that shows the Republican party for the "conservative" frauds they really are. The Dems have Obama, Obama who show the Democratic party for the frauds they are. If we went off policy alone, with no face or letter (D/R) next to their name, you would swear a Republican won the 2008 election and you would attack them relentlessly… instead it’s Obama, a Democrat, so you defend his Bush III policies to your death.

Give us all a list of the repeals of Bush era policies Obama did with his HISTORIC Democratic congress… After you fail, if you like I’ll give you a list of what policies they expanded or extended.

Sadly, in the end you're to far gone to realize you have been and still are getting played, just like the Bush bots were that you attack daily.

 

[Avorysuds]

Of course Yoo's gonna say that with no facts to back it up. His document was intrumential in the torture of thousands in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Notice how the pseudo-cons are always trying to make the claim that anything Obama does is "As bad as Bush......"

So Conz, how bad was Bush?

Bush was a horrid President. Bush was vastly Progressive liberal based on policy, he grew Government and spent on welfare like whoa. Bush also started illegal wars by obtaining a "war powers act" that just happens to not be constitutional. Obama simply took over where Bush left off and expanded on most of these actions. Unless of course you can show us all where Obama repealed any of these policies… and you can’t…

 

[BlindBoo]

Of course Yoo's gonna say that with no facts to back it up. His document was intrumential in the torture of thousands in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Notice how the pseudo-cons are always trying to make the claim that anything Obama does is "As bad as Bush......"

So Conz, how bad was Bush?

Bush was a horrid President. Bush was vastly Progressive liberal based on policy, he grew Government and spent on welfare like whoa. Bush also started illegal wars by obtaining a "war powers act" that just happens to not be constitutional. Obama simply took over where Bush left off and expanded on most of these actions. Unless of course you can show us all where Obama repealed any of these policies… and you can’t…

Yoo said it was worse and increase protection for terrorist. While I can agree that in sereral areas President Obama is a continuation of President Bush. It's hardly worse.

 

[Avorysuds]

Of course Yoo's gonna say that with no facts to back it up. His document was intrumential in the torture of thousands in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Notice how the pseudo-cons are always trying to make the claim that anything Obama does is "As bad as Bush......"

So Conz, how bad was Bush?

Bush was a horrid President. Bush was vastly Progressive liberal based on policy, he grew Government and spent on welfare like whoa. Bush also started illegal wars by obtaining a "war powers act" that just happens to not be constitutional. Obama simply took over where Bush left off and expanded on most of these actions. Unless of course you can show us all where Obama repealed any of these policies… and you can’t…

Yoo said it was worse and increase protection for terrorist. While I can agree that in sereral areas President Obama is a continuation of President Bush. It's hardly worse.

I don't think Obama is much worse than Bush, I think this is about what is expected of large Progressive policy extended is all. That is why Obama is Bush III, Obama is not even Progressive in a different way than Bush was, same wars, only a couple new smaller ones. Obama did Obamacare while Bush did Medicare part D... Obama did stimulus and Tarp but Bush started TARP and did 2x stimulus.

Yes, Obama is only slightly worse but what makes it so bad is that after 8 years with Bush the country really didn't need to make it 12 years of massive Government intrusion and policy.

I know I will not win points with a certain group by using the word Progressive, but let’s be honest… In the last 50 years what President or Congress shrunk Government? None… By the time each is done Government has grown, that by definition is the polar opposite of smaller Government. Government has grown so large so quickly that we run a 3.6 Trillion dollar annual deficit. By almost every measurement possible Progressivism has been represented in every area of Government growth, yet every single promise of a fix falls so short the only word to describe the “achievement” is failure.


The ONLY thing we do not do is free markets and limited Government, yet oddly free markets and limited Government gets ALL of the blame, ALLLLLLL of the blame.

 

[Mr.Nick]

I've always said the 'Anti-War' Left were the biggest frauds in our Country. If Obama were a Republican, they would be howling for Impeachment over his dismal record on American Civil Liberties. No one should ever trust the Left. It's always only about getting their Democrat elected. Party before Country.

Most democrats are politically ignorant and vote for whomever has the (D) in front of their name.

How you think Alvin Greene got nominated???

Quite frankly If I ran for public office I would run as a democrat because I could just steal votes that way - my supporters on both the right and left would know my position on issues but I would be able to squeeze out more votes from the idiots just because I would have a (D) before my name... Of course I side more with conservatives/republicans/Tea Party than I do with progressives on issues, so I would just be a conservative libertarian with a (D) before my name - which I could really care less about .....

 

[BlindBoo]

Bush was a horrid President. Bush was vastly Progressive liberal based on policy, he grew Government and spent on welfare like whoa. Bush also started illegal wars by obtaining a "war powers act" that just happens to not be constitutional. Obama simply took over where Bush left off and expanded on most of these actions. Unless of course you can show us all where Obama repealed any of these policies… and you can’t…

Yoo said it was worse and increase protection for terrorist. While I can agree that in sereral areas President Obama is a continuation of President Bush. It's hardly worse.

I don't think Obama is much worse than Bush, I think this is about what is expected of large Progressive policy extended is all. That is why Obama is Bush III, Obama is not even Progressive in a different way than Bush was, same wars, only a couple new smaller ones. Obama did Obamacare while Bush did Medicare part D... Obama did stimulus and Tarp but Bush started TARP and did 2x stimulus.

Yes, Obama is only slightly worse but what makes it so bad is that after 8 years with Bush the country really didn't need to make it 12 years of massive Government intrusion and policy.

I know I will not win points with a certain group by using the word Progressive, but let’s be honest… In the last 50 years what President or Congress shrunk Government? None… By the time each is done Government has grown, that by definition is the polar opposite of smaller Government. Government has grown so large so quickly that we run a 3.6 Trillion dollar annual deficit. By almost every measurement possible Progressivism has been represented in every area of Government growth, yet every single promise of a fix falls so short the only word to describe the “achievement” is failure.


The ONLY thing we do not do is free markets and limited Government, yet oddly free markets and limited Government gets ALL of the blame, ALLLLLLL of the blame.

Well we're not that different, I just think Obama is only slightly better that Bush........

 

[Avorysuds]

Yoo said it was worse and increase protection for terrorist. While I can agree that in sereral areas President Obama is a continuation of President Bush. It's hardly worse.

I don't think Obama is much worse than Bush, I think this is about what is expected of large Progressive policy extended is all. That is why Obama is Bush III, Obama is not even Progressive in a different way than Bush was, same wars, only a couple new smaller ones. Obama did Obamacare while Bush did Medicare part D... Obama did stimulus and Tarp but Bush started TARP and did 2x stimulus.

Yes, Obama is only slightly worse but what makes it so bad is that after 8 years with Bush the country really didn't need to make it 12 years of massive Government intrusion and policy.

I know I will not win points with a certain group by using the word Progressive, but let’s be honest… In the last 50 years what President or Congress shrunk Government? None… By the time each is done Government has grown, that by definition is the polar opposite of smaller Government. Government has grown so large so quickly that we run a 3.6 Trillion dollar annual deficit. By almost every measurement possible Progressivism has been represented in every area of Government growth, yet every single promise of a fix falls so short the only word to describe the “achievement” is failure.


The ONLY thing we do not do is free markets and limited Government, yet oddly free markets and limited Government gets ALL of the blame, ALLLLLLL of the blame.

Well we're not that different, I just think Obama is only slightly better that Bush........

And you may very well be correct as opinion plays a part. I found Bush divisive but due to his incredible ability to make an ass of himself every time he opened his mouth, Obama’s arrogance on the other hand makes his divisiveness worse to me. In the end the most important issue is the continuation of overspending, wars, lies and divisiveness that has brought this country down so far.

That is how I see it at least. It does not matter who is worse, they might as well be equal.