Obama Administration // Current

change.org deletes new 9/11 investigation idea as it had more votes then any other idea .

Jon Gold 9/11 Blogger Dec. 1, 2008 Donna Marsh O’Connor, mother of 9/11 victim Vanessa Lang Langer, recently posted an... more

masliko
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Obama to Announce his National Security Team Decemeber 1st.

Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, went unarmed into his first meeting with the new commander in... more

wlwatkins
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US fears Pakistani role in India attacks

Of course the US fears a Pakistani role in India attacks... I am wondering if the American govt was a part of it to set up the... more

JanforGore
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What's an Attorney General to do?

Bruce Fein: The office of the Attorney General is no place for politics and obedience . Part 2 of 2 In part two of our... more

Vierotchka
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Obama looks to Eric Holder for justice

Bruce Fein: Holder lacks the necessary credibility, independence, and understanding of the constitution. Part 1

Reports indicate that Eric Holder will be Barack Obama's nominee to the position of Attorney General. Bruce Fein believes that the choice of Holder is a poor one for a variety of reasons. The first being that Holder, according to Fein, has yet to demonstrate a critique of the Bush administration's conduct that is grounded in an understanding of the constitution. Fein points to Holder's recent call for the closing of Guantanamo Bay military prison as an example of this, opining that Holder's criticisms of the prison are limited to the prison's location and do not question the underlying right of the United States to keep prisoners without charging them. One issue that is sure to factor greatly in the discussion over Holder's appointment will be his involvement in Bill Clinton's last-day pardon of Marc Rich. Fein believes that Holder's actions at that time reveal an unwillingness to stand up to his superiors, at that time represented by Clinton, a trait that Fein believes is central to the role of the Attorney General. Finally, by participating in the pardoning of Rich, Fein believes that Holder, and by association Obama, have lost the moral position necessary to denounce any of the potential pardons that many are expecting to see come from the desk of George W. Bush in his final days in office.

Bruce Fein is the founder of the American Freedom Agenda, that works to restore constitutional checks and balances. He served in the US Justice Department under President Reagan and has been an adjunct scholar with the American Enterprise Institute, a resident scholar at the Heritage Foundation, a lecturer at the Brookings Institute, and an adjunct professor at George Washington University. He is an adviser to Ron Paul.

See Part 2 at:

http://current.com/items/89563039/what_s_an_attorney_general_to_do.htm

Related Story:

http://current.com/items/89525280/when_and_how_will_obama_close_guantanamo.htmBruce Fein: Holder lacks the necessary credibility, independence, and understanding of the constitution. Part 1 Reports... more

Vierotchka
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2 responses

8 days ago

Obama, like Bush, may be ag biotech ally

Looks like the letters, petitions, and protests will have to get louder on this from those of us who see the dangers of genetic... more

JanforGore
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15 responses

9 days ago

Stocks surge as Obama Treasury Sec. is leaked

US shares have risen sharply, following a report that US President-elect Barack Obama has chosen his treasury secretary,... more

InformedTexan
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16 responses

12 days ago

Appeals court rules against Bush administration Arctic drilling plan

The Bush administration authorization of a major new offshore oil drilling program in the Arctic Ocean was dealt a serious setback Thursday when a federal appeals court ruled the plan did not adequately consider the effect on bowhead whales and the native villagers who make their living from the frigid coastal waters.

Ruling on the first of several major new projects for tapping oil and gas deposits from the Arctic floor, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said the federal government should have prepared a more exhaustive environmental review before concluding that harm to whales, caribou and other Arctic wildlife either would be insignificant or could be mitigated.

In a 2-1 decision, the court ordered the federal Minerals Management Agency to prepare a more thorough review, a decision that probably puts the offshore exploration plan up for new consideration under the administration of Barack Obama. Environmentalists have fought the plan, saying it could have disastrous consequences for Arctic wildlife.

I think the new administration can respond to this decision by calling for a timeout on new exploration and leasing in the Arctic Ocean until a full review of potential impacts and conservation measures is completed, said Eric Jorgensen, managing attorney at Earthjustice in Juneau, Alaska.

Rebecca Noblin of the Center for Biological Diversity, one of several plaintiffs in the case, said in a statement: If polar bears and other ice-dependent species are to survive as the Arctic melts in the face of global warming, we need to protect their critical habitat, not turn it into an industrial zone.

Officials at Shell Offshore Inc., which has proposed to drill up to 12 exploratory wells in the Arctic s Beaufort Sea over the next three years, said they were convinced that the company had met or exceeded requirements for environmental analysis -- including how noise from exploratory drilling might affect the migration patterns of fish, endangered bowhead whales and caribou, which give birth in the nearby Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The U.S. faces an energy supply crisis, and delays like this only extend and aggravate it. In times of shrinking global supply and ever increasing reliance on imported oil, the Alaska offshore could be a significant resource for national energy security, Shell said in a statement.

Republican Gov. Sarah Palin, who has urged the nation to take better advantage of Alaska s untapped oil and gas resources, expressed determination to get the project back on track.

We re disappointed, but will work with the company moving forward from here, said her chief spokesman, Bill McAllister.
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Oh, do not worry, drilling is environmentally safe. That is the rhetoric we hear from proponents who want to drill baby, drill. And that is all it is... rhetoric. There is no way to drill for oil that will not affect the wildlife and inhabitants in this area. Time and time again the Bush regime has shown its total disdain for the environment and the lives of those their destructive policies touch. This ruling by the 9th circuit court of appeals reaffirms that the rule of law takes precedence over any man or woman (Governor Palin, I am pointing at YOU) and their greed.

Instead of calculating ways to now steal the resources below the Arctic for corporate profit we should be working on ways to preserve it and its habitat for future generations and those who live there now. This is also one area I will be looking at regarding the Obama administration. Drilling is a false choice and if Obama and his Congress permit this to happen just to not piss off Republicans who want it over the moral imperative, it will speak volumes about their priorities as well. Bi-partisanship is one thing, but capitulation to an immoral principle for political expedience is quite another.The Bush administration authorization of a major new offshore oil drilling program in the Arctic Ocean was dealt a serious setback... more

JanforGore
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37 responses

12 days ago

Constitution may sink Hilary's state chance

Should Barack Obama nominate Hillary Clinton for secretary of state, the confirmation process could be the least of her worries,... more

cantucwearebrothers
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5 responses

12 days ago

Hillary Clinton accepts post as Secretary of State in Obama administration

Senator Hillary Clinton has accepted Barack Obama's offer to become US Secretary of State, as the president-elect moved at... more

Crazyotto
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28 responses

12 days ago

Clinton Has Decided to Accept Offer of Secretary of State Position

Hillary Rodham Clinton has decided to give up her Senate seat and accept the position of secretary of state, making her the public face around the world for the administration of the man who beat her for the Democratic presidential nomination, two confidants said Friday.

Mrs. Clinton came to her decision after additional discussion with President-elect Barack Obama about the nature of her role and his plans for foreign policy, said one of the confidants, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the situation. Mr. Obama’s office told reporters Thursday that the nomination is “on track” but Clinton associates only confirmed Friday afternoon that she has decided.

“She’s ready,” said the confidant. Mrs. Clinton was reassured after talking again with Mr. Obama because their first meeting in Chicago last week “was so general,” the confidant said. The purpose of the follow-up talk, he added, was not to extract particular concessions but “just getting comfortable” with the idea of working together.

A second Clinton associate confirmed that her camp believes they have a done deal. Senior Obama advisers said Friday morning that the offer had not been formally accepted and no announcement will be made until after Thanksgiving. But they said they were convinced that the nascent alliance was now ready to be sealed.

The apparent accord between perhaps the two leading figures in the Democratic Party climaxed a week-long drama that riveted the nation’s capital. Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton fought the most competitive Democratic nomination battle in modern times, one that polarized their party for months and left bitterness in both camps. But in asking Mrs. Clinton to join his Cabinet, Mr. Obama signaled that he wants to turn a rival into a partner and she concluded that she could have the most influence by saying yes.

The decision followed days of intense vetting and negotiations intended to clear any potential obstacles to her taking the job due to her husband’s global business and philanthropic activities. Lawyers for Mr. Obama and former President Bill Clinton combed through his finances and crafted a set of guidelines for his future activities intended to avoid any appearances of conflict of interest should she take the job.

People close to the vetting said Mr. Clinton turned over the names of 208,000 donors to his foundation and library and agreed to all of the conditions requested by Mr. Obama’s transition team, including restrictions on his future paid speeches and role at his international foundation.

As secretary of state, Mrs. Clinton will have had a powerful platform to travel the world and help repair relations with other countries strained after eight years of President Bush’s policies. But at the same time, she will now have to subordinate her own agenda and ambitions to Mr. Obama’s and sacrifice the independence that comes with a Senate seat and the 18 million votes she collected during their arduous primary battle.Hillary Rodham Clinton has decided to give up her Senate seat and accept the position of secretary of state, making her the public... more