Don Siegelman Disagrees With Obama On Investigating Bush

[BlueJessamine]

Don Siegelman Disagrees With Obama On Investigating Bush

by Sam Stein

During his press conference on Monday evening, President Obama pledged to look forwards rather than backwards when it came to investigating the misdeeds of the Bush administration. It was a carefully crafted answer, designed to neither anger nor encourage individuals either side of this contentious issue. For possible victims of legal and political injustice during the Bush years, however, it wasn't nearly enough.

Don Siegelman, the former Governor of Alabama arrested on trumped up bribery charges allegedly linked to Karl Rove, wrote the Huffington Post on Tuesday to offer his opinion of Obama's answer.

Today, with a new President, everything seems brighter, more vibrant. There is a sense of hope, a new optimism... we can see change for the better coming....piercing the dark, pain of the past eight years.
I appreciate the president's desire to fix the problems created by the Bush Administration saying in part: "...let's get it right moving forward."

However, if those who have abused their power are allowed to get away with it, then it is more likely to happen again. We have seen our American Democracy threatened, our constitutional rights abused and our system of Justice subverted. We know the Bush Administration led us into war under false pretenses, used illegal wiretaps and torture to get information and used the Department of Justice as a political weapon to win elections.

For the country to safely move forward we must repair the damage done to the foundations of our democracy. That starts with digging until we get the truth as Chairman John Conyers has been doing and as Senator Leahy is now proposing and holding accountable those who have abused their power.

Restoring justice and preserving our democracy requires nothing less and that would in itself be a great legacy for our new President.

The article continues at The Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/10/don-siegelman-disagrees-w_n_165660.html

[LakeSamish706]

1. Don Siegelman isn't the only one that feels that way. There can be no...

healing in this country until the Bush Administration is investigated and charged (if applicable) for their crimes.

[cascadiance]

7. Yup, there'd still be wars in South Africa without a truth commission there!

Same deal here! We need to CLEAN UP this government and excise the cancerous tumors that are still lurking in it (or might return later). A heavy chemo is needed!

[pacalo]

2. This is one of those times when you have to look backward in order to move forward.

[bemildred]

3. I have a feeling that President Obama will not be strenuous in his objections to investigations.

He won't do it for us, but I don't think he will stop it either.

[MasonJar]

4. A Commission is not the answer; we need a special prosecutor.

Obama will fail the country is he refuses to pursue this crisis in the proper way.

[balantz]

5. There is no other way we can really move forward, it MUST be done. n/t

[VPStoltz]

6. Can you just imagine what the Republicans would do?

Look at how horrifying they have become over the success of President Obama.
I someone were to go after their former centerpiece, I would really hate to see what they would pull out of the arsenal.
Only good thing, Rush would probably have a stroke right on the air during one of his bloviations.

[Baby Snooks]

8. Only a victim of abuse of power can understand what Siegleman is saying...

Only a victim of abuse of power can understand. I do. I have been a victim of it. I wasn't falsely charged with a crime and sent to prison but someone who should have been charged with stalking me wasn't. As a favor to someone. You cannot know what it is like until it happens to you. It is giving someone a license to kill. Someone gave that license to Karl Rove. They should be held accountable as much as Karl Rove. As should anyone who abuses their power and denies justice to someone which in the end serves to deny justice to everyone.

Victims do not always forgive and forget particularly when there is no sense of justice. Victims sometimes want justice for themselves but they also want justice for others in the hope that justice serves to prevent others from becoming victims as well.

If Barack Obama tells us to "move on" I will tell him to go to hell. As a victim who heard that dismissal of a victim once too often.

We are all victims. Not just me. Not just Don Siegleman. We all are.

[newtothegame]

9. I'm all for investigations, but noone ever has to tell the truth anymore, and it doesn't matter...

Reagan can lie under oath about Contra, Clinton can lie under oath about Lewinsky, baseball players can lie under oath about steroids, there's never punishment for these things; oh sure there's "INVESTIGATIONS OF POSSIBLE PERJURY,", but if Reagan, Clinton, and all those dousche baseball players can get away with it, certainly Bush will.