no comment...

the HELL i won't comment...

Obama Backs Off a Reversal on Secrets (New York Times, February 9, 2009)

in response to a case before the Ninth Circuit Court

...Binyam Mohamed, an Ethiopian native, and four other detainees filed suit against a subsidiary of Boeing for arranging flights for the Bush administration’s “extraordinary rendition” program, in which terrorism suspects were secretly taken to other countries, where they say they were tortured.

The new administration, who criticized the Bush administration for its handling of terrorism cases, invoked the exact same stance concerning states-secrets

When asked by the justices,

...a government lawyer, Douglas N. Letter, made the same state-secrets argument on Monday, startling several judges on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

“Is there anything material that has happened” that might have caused the Justice Department to shift its views, asked Judge Mary M. Schroeder, an appointee of President Jimmy Carter, coyly referring to the recent election.

“No, your honor,” Mr. Letter replied.

Judge Schroeder asked, “The change in administration has no bearing?”

Once more, he said, “No, Your Honor.” The position he was taking in court on behalf of the government had been “thoroughly vetted with the appropriate officials within the new administration,” and “these are the authorized positions,” he said.

The court was surprised and inquired again. The reponse:

“No, your honor,” he said once more. The position he was taking in court on behalf of the government had been “thoroughly vetted with the appropriate officials within the new administration,” and “these are the authorized positions,” he said.

That produced an angry response from Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing the plaintiffs in the case.

“This is not change,” he said in a statement. “This is definitely more of the same. Candidate Obama ran on a platform that would reform the abuse of state secrets, but President Obama’s Justice Department has disappointingly reneged on that important civil liberties issue. If this is a harbinger of things to come, it will be a long and arduous road to give us back an America we can be proud of again.”

so, here is the first of what i fear will be a litany of my making this statement:

I TOLD YOU SO!

there will be no change, real change that is. Obama is first and foremost a politician. Nothing more; nothing less.

as another example, Obama has already indicated he is going to take more time to consider revoking DADT. As one blogger, and the New York Times, have already asked, "How many more studies do we have to have when all the research and surveys show this to no longer be a big issue with the brass even asking the same question.

again i say

I TOLD YOU SO!