Feingold optimistic Obama will dial back Bush abuses

[kpete]

Feingold optimistic Obama will dial back Bush abuses
Nick Juliano
Published: Friday November 21, 2008



"The problem that we had under President Bush is that what he would do is present unacceptable packages of legislation that involved anti-terror and other measures that we all supported, but he refused to put in the protections that were needed. And they would say, well ... then you're voting against the whole bill," Feingold said, predicting an Obama administration would be more accommodating.

.....................

Obama "has said all the right things," regarding those issues, Feingold said. As an Illinois senator, Obama voted for a timetable to withdraw troops from Iraq. He also voted in favor of Feingold's amendments to FISA, although the two split on the final bill. Soon after his election, Obama reiterated his pledge to close Guantanamo.

"This is going to be, I think, a wonderful cooperative effort, where we're going to get action right away," Feingold said. "Some of the things are going to get taken care of right away, some of the things are going to take longer. But I'm committed to working on this over the next few years, and I can't imagine a better person than President Obama."

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Feingold_optimistic_Obama_will_dial_back_1121.html
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Transcript_of_RAWs_interview_with_Sen._1121.html

[bigtree]

1. he was supportive of Holder, as well

RS: What's your take on Eric Holder?

RF: Everything I've seen so far and with my contacts with him in the past, which have not been extensive, has been positive. He's a very good public servant. He's done distinguished work in the Justice Department already. Easily was confirmed the previous time, by I think a 100 to nothing vote. ... I always am very cautious because you never know what's going to come out, but my sense is this is a very solid choice, and one of the least controversial choices he could have made.

RS: You sit on the Judiciary Committee. When he comes up for his confirmation hearings, assuming this all goes forward, what are you going to ask?

RF: Well that's a big decision, that takes a lot of preparation, so I don't want to commit to anything. I will tell you this, though. There's no question that one of the things that will be important to me and many other senators will be the issue I started this interview with, which is Mr. Holder's view of the role of the powers of the president, particularly under Article II of the constitution and whether they trump Congressional acts. Mr. Gonzales was unable to give me a satisfactory answer to that question, as a result, I voted against him. Because if the attorney general cannot say that the president isn't above the law, basically, I'm not voting for him. And so I'm very confident Holder's answer will be excellent, but that will be one of many areas that I will be taking up.

[amdezurik]

Holder is an ass

[cali]

5. Well, you better add Feingold and Leahy and of course Obama

to your list, because all three of them think that Holder will make a fine AG. And we all know what traitorous right wing tools Feingold and Leahy are.

[amdezurik]

10. well just pardon the hell out of me

for having a different opinion on this nominee.

[JDPriestly]

4. What don't you like about Holder?

I don't know much about him, but what I have seen looks pretty good.

Obama is middle of the road to conservative. What's new? The only liberals in the primaries were Kucinich and Edwards. Those were our choices. The MSM didn't give the liberals a chance from the get-go.

[amdezurik]

7. he defended the use of death squads

uesd to "protect" plantations in SA and believes in the myth of "gateway" drugs

[cali]

12. he certainly did not defend death squads. that's a plain out lie.

he defended Chiquita. Can't say I like that, but he certainly did not defend death squads, and no it's not the same thing.

[amdezurik]

13. ah just the ones who BOUGHT the death squads

and sent them to kill men, women and children to protect their profits. yeah, a big difference there don't cha know...

[bigtree]

17. I'm a fan of Holder

I took some flack for supporting him here.

[madokie]

2. I have confidence that soon to be President Obama will make us all proud

[JDPriestly]

3. OK, some guy steals a car.

He goes to jail.

Bush and Cheney steal us blind and they go back to Texas and Wyoming to enjoy their billions. What's wrong with this picture?

[cali]

6. and what would you suggest? That President Obama order them

arrested as soon as he gets sworn in? Gee, that would really help the people suffering in this country. I support ongoing Congressional investigations into the malfeasances of bushco. I don't want to see all the momentum for important issues sucked into bushco.

[Demeter]

8. Excellent Idea!

Yes, that WOULD help the people suffering in this country, to know that we are a nation of laws, not of men and their connections and "special interests". You can't expect people to abide by the law when their leaders don't. And you can't expect Blackwater to be able to "make them".

[JDPriestly]

9. Yes. And it would help the people suffering in this country.

It would give people back their sense of power. And that is what has been stolen from us more than anything. Did you actually walk precincts for Obama? I did. The anger of ordinary people, and not just lifetime Democrats is palpable. People want justice and should get it. If your life savings had just been stolen, you too would want justice. And that is what people on pensions and people who depend on their savings to live have just experienced. It's much worse than having your car stolen.

People want justice for the wanton waste of our money in Iraq and in the upper echelons of big business.

[cali]

11. no. d doubt most people in this country want bush arrested on day 1

of the Obama administration- and that includes most democrats. Yes, I canvassed for Obama. No that never came up. People I had contact with were worried sick about the economy. people want to keep their house, feed their children, afford to heat their homes and fill their cars.

You evidently don't have a clue as to what most people in this country want. They want the economy turned around. they want to get out of Iraq. they want to afford colledge for their kids.

[JDPriestly]

14. We cannot keep our houses, feed our children, heat our homes

and fill our cars as long as these criminals are free to walk the streets. Symbolism matters. Justice counts. People need to have a sense that the right thing has been done, that they are safe from these guys.

Can you imagine what would have happened in Germany after WWII had there been no Nuremburg? Nuremburg was an essential step on the way toward Germany's regaining its balance and its integrity. I lived in Germany. I also lived in Austria. Germany faced trials and repercussions. Austria did not face nearly the trials and repercussions that Germany did. Guess which country took responsibility for its wrongs? Not Austria, I can assure you. The United States needs to take responsibility for the wrongs of the Bush administration and needs to make sure that those in the Bush administration who committed crimes take responsibility for what they did.

The crimes of the Bush administration (and I'm talking about the crimes such as the theft and manipulation in contracting, the eavesdropping, the illegal arrests and all those things, not policy differences) are astounding. The reason you disagree with me is that you do not appreciate the magnitude of the crimes. And it is your ignorance more than anything that proves to me that Obama needs to indict and try the criminals for their wrongs.

Have you ever read Oedipus Rex? I suggest you do. Have you ever read the Bible? The stories of God's wrath reflect a reality about life. Some religions call it karma. The wrongs we do destroy us unless acknowledged. The Bush government committed a lot of wrongs in our names. We need to acknowledge and punish those wrongs.

As an example, I worked on reporting and managing government contracts for a non-profit homeless project. We not only had to compete to win the contracts by quantifying the services we gave and the services we would be able to add if we received the additional money from the grants, but once we received the money, we had to report back on just what we had accomplished, just how much or how little of our quantifiable goals we had reached. For example, if we obtained the grant by promising to house 30 people per night with the money received, we had to report back on whether we actually housed 30 or only 25. And past performance did help determine future ranking for future grants. So the reporting requirement had teeth.

Compare that to the contracts for support of our military or for building prisons or hospitals or other things (for example, in New Orleans) given to Bush's friends like Halliburton. What was the performance on those contracts? Many of the contracts were handed out on a no-bid basis. Remember the water that never arrived in New Orleans? That's a minor example of the kinds of unlawful conduct that should be investigated and possibly punished.

Bush let his friends get by with fraud and other criminal behavior and punished people like Siegelman for no good reason. It's time the criminals face justice.

[cali]

15. It's patently ridiculous to claim that the economy cannot improve

unless bush is put on trial for war crimes.

Nuremberg was an international tribunal. It was hardly germans on that bench. and, really there are other obvious differences that I won't get into here.

I'd like to see bush in the hague It's not going to happen anytime soon.

[JDPriestly]

16. Don't be so certain that it won't happen soon. Did you see the

video of world leaders shaking each other's hands and ignoring Bush while preparing for a photo op. That is not the way politicians normally deal with each other. There was not so much as a glimmer of recognition even in the eyes of Angela Merkel when Bush passed before her.