Greenwald applauds President Obama's decision to "reconsider his approach"

[jewishlibrl]

Progressive blogger civil rights advocate Glen Greenwald sees a change of approach in President Obama's handling of the torture issue today. Today, he says the President did the right thing. Some excerpts:

"one could almost reasonably argue that the increasingly aggressive pressure he and his aides, such as Rahm Emanuel, have been exerting to impede prosecutions was becoming improper."

...

"Clearly, Obama today -- in the face of rising rapidly pressure to investigate -- seems to have re-considered that approach."

...

One can only speculate about whether this is all just a means of shielding Obama from the fall-out of whatever decision is ultimately made, but regardless of what motivates it, Obama said the right thing here. It is simply not his decision to make, and he should not be trying to pressure the DOJ one way or the other.



Read it all: http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/04/21/harman/index.html

[FrenchieCat]

1. Greenwald taking quite a bit of credit for

being impatient. Why would Obama want to "look" like he wants prosecutions of the last administration? That would just give the media and the opposition something to counter torture; political retribution.

In fact, it is happening already....and as the media concentrates on Obama "reversal", the issue of torture is being obscured. In fact, I've come to the conclusion that it is possible that Obama would have been better off waiting a couple of more days, thereby getting even more people on record of saying that we should prosecute.

[Cha]

2. Greenwald doesn't know shit with that

statement..like he's taking all the fucking credit and he doesn't know shit about the way President Obama works.

[butterfly77]

7. Exactly!

[K Gardner]

3. That's crap "speculation". What people do when they don't realize Obama is smarter than they are.

[AtomicKitten]

4. Well, if Greenwald said it, it must be true -- Pay no attention to what OBAMA says.

See your prior thread for rebuttals: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8360775

[jewishlibrl]

10. Greenwald was among those who told Obama not to hire Brennan as CIA chief

At a time when, according to news reports, Brennan was President Obama's favorite for the position.

I am grateful for the fact that Obama listened to the right chorus and reconsidered his preference.

[Cha]

11. "According to news reports"...that's the big Hole

in your argument. Since when does the corporatemedia get anything right?

[Realtalk]

5. Well...

Greenwald can be quite the annoyance.

[Thrill]

6. Um. Obama never said the lawyers shouldn't be prosecuted. Read his statement from the first day

[Peacetrain]

8. If Greenwald wrote to the White House to express his opinion.. good for him

So did I and so did a gazillion other people. If he thinks he is the power behind the throne, then he certainly is full of himself.

But the important thing is let you congresscritter, President, neighbor etc, know what you feel.

The only thing that gets on my last nerve, are people who criticize others and they should be doing this and that, or they will somehow implode, and sit flat on their backsides and do nothing.

It is like dragging a bag of wet cement around, having people who would rather critique than participate.

[Hutzpa]

9. Greenwald is being an ass right now

by getting you guys into spamming us with this claim that he is solely responsible for Obama
changing his tone....what tone is that??? because Obama never never said anything about
prosecuting the crimes, people like Greenwald and the media has been the one pushing that
BS.

President Obama has always maintain that he would uphold the Law, which means that he will
let the full letter of the Law run it course.