If investigating Bush/Cheney would make our nation more secure, isn’t it time for it to happen?

7. April 2010 by admin.

I’m pretty sure that those who are sick of me harping on what a HUGE blunder President Obama made by PROHIBITING investigations of the Bush/Cheney administration consider it an act of retribution, reprisal, or even vengence.  I’m not going to go back and read my many posts on this subject, but I don’t believe I ever suggested prison or jail for the perpetrators (well, that might not include Cheney - I think I once suggested he be put in GITMO and waterboarded).  My concern has ALWAYS been, even if it hasn’t been apparent, the prevention of “reliving” history by ignoring it - and, probably MORE IMPORTANT, figuring out the places in our government that are in IMMEDIATE need of being fixed.  Take for example the “underpants bomber” (still makes me laugh thinking about it - although the potential was for something far from funny) who presumably burned up his “private parts” (using the vernacular of my granddaughter) in a failed attempt at blowing up an American plane approaching Detroit last Christmas.  What became apparent as the “evidence” filtered into our “liberal” media was that the intelligence community in America is still not communicating properly from agency to agency to the detriment of our nation. 

This SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIXED after 9/11 - because the terrorists who committed that CRIME were known to be in the U.S. for the entire year preceeding the attack.  The reason the perpetrators were roaming our land without being apprehended was due to the conflict, or whatever causes these agencies to be independent from each other (I’m speaking of the FBI, NSA, CIA, and other agencies affiliated with our counterterrorism program in America designed to prevent further attacks).  So, investigations of the previous administration could clarify what was done during the seven years prior to President Obama assuming office in early 2009.  How will we understand what decisions were made under Bush without thorough investigations of his administration.  When you look at the incompetence of our government’s prosecution of both the Iraq and Afganistan fiascos it’s easy to be concerned with the level of decisionmaking in other areas of our government.  In addition, the Bush/Cheney administration was very busy OUTSOURCING as much of what government does as possible on the ASSUMPTION that privat industry is more efficient.  You know, the theory that protecting large corporations such as Halliburton, KBR, or companies in the private health care industry - companies with CEO’s earning in excess of 10 - 20 MILLION dollars per year  - saves money because they are more efficient than our government.  Personally, I’d like to see more than republican speculation to let me know if that’s really true.

Take for example counterterrorism.  It has been rumored in articles and publications that I’ve personally read that virtual communities have been “spawned” in Washington for all the NEW companies bidding for the counterterrorism business.  This may or may not be effective.  But, shouldn’t there be an investigation to make sure we don’t have a huge “JUGGERNAUT” running wild and spending money as if that alone will prevent further attacks?  It didn’t seem to work in Iraq and Afganistan and it sure didn’t seem to be working last Christmas with Mr. Underpants.  Also, I know from several books I’ve read that Blackwater (now called Xe services) is still knee deep in our government intelligence business with a mini army capable of doing a lot of damage to someone or something if they wake up on the “wrong side of the bed.”  (Yes, that’s a strong “hint” regarding all this inflamatory rhetoric of a violent nature from the “right” which is what Blackwater is affiliated with)  Shouldn’t we be investigating how this group got so strong and if it’s really that great an idea to have them interconnected with our government - receiving BILLIONS in no-bid contracts?  That’s a main part of why I’m still calling for the investigations - because, I’m just not a fan of all this outsourcing of our government responsibility to corporations who answer to stockholders instead of the American public.

Not only the intelligence “business,” but what about departments in the government itself.  If you recall, for example, the U.S. Justice Department - to me, the department that holds everything in America together by keeping alive the hope (fantasy?) that we are truly a nation of laws - and that there is not a preference for the POWERFUL.  Most of us probably have our doubts about this - I’m guessing those doubts are “bipartisan” - so, wouldn’t a thorough and independent investigation of the Justice Department after all the politicization done during Bush/Cheney/Rove/Addington/Yoo/Gonzales et al make sense?  We don’t have to be putting people in jail here - although, it’s been a real curiosity to me how Alberto Gonzales was able to appear before committees of Congress LYING THROUGH HIS TEETH with virtually no consequence.  It almost seemed that our leaders decided that the ridicule he was subjected to as he left Washington was conseqence enough.  But, what damage does that do to the credibility of our Justice Department?  Also, the recent verdict against Bush/Cheney regarding illegal wiretapping.  Doesn’t that warrant further investigations?  I’m just not clear on the thinking that our leaders can violate the law without reprisal.

And, speaking of the wiretapping.  Really, shouldn’t that be further investigated just so we can continue to say that having our leaders uphold their oath to defend and protect the constitution is expected and is a sacred obligation?  In this case - in my view - it was a sacred obligation for Bush/Cheney to abide by the FISA law AND it’s just as sacred an obligation for the Obama administration to investigate what we now KNOW were violations of that law.  I’m guessing here that the violations haven’t stopped, thereby making it unlikely that the Obama administration will investigate - because, they’re probably still WIRETAPPING.  That being said, the FISA laws calls for penalties of 5 years in prison and humongous fines (well, humongous to me - like $10,000 per violation) for EACH VIOLATION!  Bush/Cheney allegedly violated this law THOUSANDS of times - once, now, proven.  Also, wiretapping American citizens without a warrant seems to me to violate the 4th amendment of the very constitution both Bush and Obama took an oath to defend.

Finally, the torture.  I’m sure you knew - if you’ve been around here at all - that I couldn’t leave that one alone.  I mean, it’s not even questionable whether or not laws were broken.  Both George W Bush and Dick Cheney (and others) have admitted on national TV to authorizing Waterboarding which directly violates our own laws, international laws, and the Geneva Conventions.  I’ve been confused from DAY ONE of the Obama administration as how they managed to justify letting this one go.  Aside from the FACT that both Bush and Cheney would possibly be found guilty of WAR CRIMES, there is so much to learn about what has been done by our government.  As it stands, our credibility with the rest of the world has taken a HUGE “hit,” and we all know that if a republican somehow finds his/her way into the White House anytime soon the torturing will continue (if it’s really stopped).  Regardless, I don’t understand what is wrong with the American public being given the TRUTH about what was done during an admittedly “dark” period in our history.  Remember, this saying is VERY TRUE:  “Those who ignore history are destined to repeat it.”  We’re seeing this in Iraq and Afganistan - Viet Nam, deja vu all over again - and, we’ll see it with torture thanks to Obama/Holter turning their backs on what really happened under Bush/Cheney.

That was going to be it.  However, as I was writing this post a coal mine in the state where I was conceived - West Virginia - had a HUGE explosion with the reported deaths of at leat 25 miners and probably closer to 30.  Now, I’m going to avoid making any assumptions here regarding the working conditions in this mine, but this just confirms the point I’ve been trying to make as I’ve been writing tonight.  Everyone knows that the Bush administration “gutted” one department of government after another.  I really have no idea to what extent that would cover the oversight of the mines in this nation.  However, over the years mining company after mining company have shown a tendency to put the profits of their mines ahead of the safety of their miners.  I’m not even suggesting (well, maybe I’m bringing up the possibility) that the mining company involved in this accident did this - working in coal mines is DANGEROUS - what I’m suggesting is that thorough investigations of what was done under Bush/Cheney are warranted in area after area.  They were not shy in stating that one of their goals was to gut government.  Hence their shifting obligations (like national intelligence) to private FOR PROFIT companies (companies which can make unlimited campaign donations now that “Citizen’s United” has been passed).  Isn’t it time the Bush administration’s policies were investigated, simply to make sure “we the people” know what damage they did to our government?  I wish I could get this thought out of my mind, but situation after situation continues to arise suggesting doing the investigations would be better for all Americans - all the speculation could stop and the FACTS would be KNOWN!

Final Note:  tonight I tuned into the last segment of the Keith Olberman show on MSNBC.  Olberman was discussing the comments of Tom Coburn, republican senator from Oklahoma at a recent town hall meeting with his constituents.  FOR ONCE a republican was quoted as saying something nice about democrats (in this case calling Nancy Pelosi a nice person - despite Coburn’s obvious political differences with her) and calling out Fox “news” for their campaign of MISINFORMATION.  While I don’t believe I have a lot of commonality with Senator Coburn politically, I GIVE HIM MAJOR KUDOS!  Maybe he’ll be a catalyst for other republicans who want to stem the tide of the radical discourse in this nation and actually try to put “heads together” to find manageable, workable solutions to the problems which are plaguing this nation at this time (instead of trying to destroy our president).  As I’ve said many times on this site - we need two viable, rational political parties - and, I’ve been wondering where the republican party that I grew up with (Goldwater, Rockefellor, Tom McCall, Bob Packwood, Eisenhower, Ford, ect.) has gone.

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