Thursday, March 8, 2012

'Remember your history?' Hell, Eric, you can't even remember your own speeches!

Glenn Greenwald points out certain, er, inconsistencies in the belief structures of individuals within the current administration. "Right" and "Wrong", it seems, depend entirely on whether you're currently on the side with power. Three years ago it was obscenely immoral for the administration to arrogate the power to spy on and capture Americans they say are working with them bad ol' terrorists. Now, the same people say it's fine to go right ahead and kill them. Due process? They gotcher due process right here, Achmed.

Here's aspiring government functionary Eric Holder, three years ago:
To those in the Executive branch who say “just trust us” when it comes to secret and warrantless surveillance of domestic communications I say remember your history. In my lifetime, federal government officials wiretapped, harassed and blackmailed Martin Luther King and other civil rights leader in the name of national security. One of America’s greatest heroes whom today we honor with a national holiday, countless streets, schools and soon a monument in his name, was treated like a criminal by those in our federal government possessed of too much discretion and a warped sense of patriotism. Watergate revealed similar abuses during the Nixon administration.

Attorney General Eric Holder, today:
Some have argued that the President is required to get permission from a federal court before taking action against a United States citizen who is a senior operational leader of al Qaeda or associated forces. This is simply not accurate. “Due process” and “judicial process” are not one and the same, particularly when it comes to national security. The Constitution guarantees due process, not judicial process.

Oh, so there is due process! Well, that's a relief. And what does that new, improved "due process" consist of, since the government can no longer trust the judgement of its own courts? Here's SecDef Leon Panetta to clue us in:
"[The] President of the United States obviously reviews these cases, reviews the legal justification, and in the end says, go or no go," Panetta said.

Oh.

Well.

That kinda...sucks.

We who are about to be declared terrorists salute you.

2 comments:

Tam said...

Remember his speeches? Hell, he can't remember which narcotrafficantes he gave Kalashnikovs to!

Ken said...

He probably remembers his older speeches perfectly well. Truth-content of a speech is irrelevant to whether the speech serves the cause. Both speeches served the cause; therefore, both were valid (and arguably, in their view, served a greater Truth).