Obama: "Bush’s laws will be scrutinized if I become president" (during first 100 days)

[99th_Monkey]

May 28th, 2008
Bush’s laws will be scrutinized if I become president, Obama says

DENVER - Maybe it’s his background teaching constitutional law.

If elected president, Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama said one of the first things he wants to do is ensure the constitutionality of all the laws and executive orders passed while Republican President George W. Bush has been in office.

Those that don’t pass muster will be overturned, he said.

During a fund-raiser in Denver, Obama — a former constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago Law School — was asked what he hoped to accomplish during his first 100 days in office.

http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/linkframe.php?linkid=60629

[Selatius]

1. I'll believe it when I see it. If it's all talk and no walk, fuck it. We went through this last time

Except last time Bill Clinton dropped the subject of BCCI and Iran-Contra and said that we should move on.

[99th_Monkey]

4. Maybe it's time for a change.

just maybe.

[PretzelWarrior]

12. cynical much?

lol. I've met Obama. And he is no Bill Clinton. THANK GOD!!

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. When you've gone around a few of these

yes, you do get cynical

I am with him.

I'll believe it when I see it!

And yes I am cynical.

Counselor please do enter my guilty plea!

[Rosa Luxemburg]

2. It will be nice to know we have an intelligent president for once in Jan 2009

the last 8 years of curious George have been ghastly.

[tularetom]

3. With all due respect isn't that the job of the supreme court

I guess he can voluntary overturn some bush era policies like the infamous signing statements. And he can surely through the DOJ open civil and criminal investigations into the inept and corrupt actions of the bush administration.

But I don't think he can single handedly "overturn" a law that has been passed by congress and signed by his predecessor (even if it was a fake president like boosh).

[99th_Monkey]

5. You don't think Obama will have an eager Democratic Conress to work with?

on those thing requiring their vote?

[tularetom]

7. Abso fuckin lutely

I'm just remembering back to the 4th grade or whenever it was I learned about the 3 branches of government and the separation of powers.

Congress can repeal any law it passed and as president Obama can request that they do so. And perhaps even lean heavily on them to do so.

My point was that by himself a president has very little power to do anything about laws that have previously been adopted and signed.

[99th_Monkey]

8. I get it, and that's so true.

I think the congressional Dem. leadership's really looking forward to finding their back-bones while not worrying
about their own and their family's safety, or being blackmailed by BushCo.

Obama can open the floodgates for the Party to reclaim it's core populist identity and principles, if it only will,
and I think today's Rules Committee meeting was a sign that key party leaders reoognize Obama's importance in this
regard.

[izquierdista]

10. Executive orders

Remember that when Repubs take office they IMMEDIATELY start issuing executive orders to accomplish what they want. Remember the see-saw over funding for family planning in foreign aid? That was one of the first things that Reagan voided his first day in office and it was one of the first things that Clinton restored his first day in office. I'll let you guess what Dumbya did his first day.

I would like to see Obama void all of Dumbya's "signing statements" as constitutionally irrelevant. Then he can start with some executive orders to repair the damage. There is a lot that he can do. Think back to Roosevelt. His first week in office, he calmed a run on the banks by declaring a bank holiday which was removed in an orderly manner.

When laws don't work because Republicans don't enforce them, that is something that can be fixed by having a competent executive.

[Rosemary2205]

16. Deliberately obtuse

You know full well a president has ways of working within channels to get what he wants. AND you know full well Obama isn't saying he can do everything by himself.

[Selatius]

6. I want him to openly advocate to Congress to repeal the Patriot Act and the

Military Commissions Act. Come out on national TV and tell Congress to repeal both of them. If they don't do it, then sign executive orders telling the DoJ and the Pentagon to stop all actions under those two acts.

[99th_Monkey]

9. I have no doubt the Patriot Act will be one of the first to go bye-bye.

or at least get all the unconstitutional crap cut out of it.

Is there anything worth saving in the Act? I confess I'm not clear on that point.

[Selatius]

11. I'd rather make sure and get rid of all the Act, not just those areas deemed most offensive.

Get rid of the whole thing just to be sure there isn't hidden clauses that'll serve as backdoors to future violations of the Bill of Rights.

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. There was.. some of the FISA provisions in the original document

were worth while... many an EO has run roughshod over that even

By the way, out of the USPA, that was about ten pages

(Yes I did one better over most of my reps, I actually read it)

[AzDar]

13. Looking immensely forward to it !

:patriot:

Barack and Roll.....

[AtomicKitten]

17. Music to my ears. Paging blm. ;)