Obama's Right and Cheney Doesn't Get It: Freedom Makes Us Strong

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Are you for real?
You say "Our freedoms and our democratic form of government are a great strength and aid to our national security"
President Obama is taking or trying to take most of our freedoms away. Private business, gun rights, freedom to be stupid and screw up your life, etc.

Freedom of MI 8:29AM May 25, 2009

Torture is ok, if it doesn't happen to you or someone you know! After WWII we proscuted people who tortured others. The excuse of "just following orders" was not accepted.
So now I see the nation reversing itself, not only not condemming torture but using it ourselves under another name. Enchanced interogation. At one time, the US was the best at gaining information and using it to protect ourselves. Now we endorse just beating the information out of "terrorists" (who have never had any kind of a trial or hearing)
Just how low can we sink in this cloud of paranoia?

Rob of NV 1:30AM May 24, 2009

In reading one more rant against the Bush administration, it sounds like it's OK with Mr. Schlesinger if thousands of people are killed by terrorists as long as "The Stase" survives. How fitting with the statists disregard for individual freedom and individual life. No Mr. Schlesinger, Dick Cheney was absolutely right.

Paul from Temple Terrace of FL 1:19PM May 23, 2009

What sort of propagandist are you? No Obama is all about Statism, not Liberty. Plus he's a total liar, Mr Teleprompter is a tyrant in the making , not another John Adams.
His tax policy, his environmental policy, his energy policy (ie: his no-energy policy), his Govt seizure of hospitals policy, etc... are the biggest power grab by Washington from the sovereign people of the United States ever and will destroy all Liberty in this land.
And you support it. We will remember when the time comes for those loyal to the original American Revolution will purge those who support the Jacobins from positions of power, by force and with no compromise.

VinceP1974 of IL 8:30AM May 23, 2009

The prior administration gave us freedom. The new radical administration is taking it away piece by piece.

Johnny of NY 1:43AM May 22, 2009

This whole "torture" mess is nothing but Obama's political distraction while OUR "freedoms" wain away. Mr Obama threw out this bomb and has continuously waffled back and forth about how far it will go. The USA (us) currently HAVE "boots on the ground" that ARE at DAILY RISK.
(OUR?) Favorite Jr Senator has naively chosen to take a "high moral ground" and declare that throwing water in a Terrorist's face is "torture" while condoning AND supporting with OUR Federal tax dollars the systematic murder AND harvesting of un-born Americans. I see this as blatent hypocracy.
Mr Obama has chosen political advantage over United States Security in order to attack his rivals including Ms. Pelosi.
Chicago Attorneys have no "high moral ground", only personal gain.
Meanwhile we have an un-elected tax cheat running the Treasury with the authority to fire CEO's of OUR banks, the US government has taken control of the PRIVATE US auto industry after throwing Billions of OUR dollars into them, OUR medical AND personal information is about to be thrown onto a National Database (we all know how secure THAT is), credit cards are now "sharing the wealth" by redistributing their costs to the responsible holders, a second wave of Mortgage foreclosures is looming because IF you still hava a job and pay your bills YOU cannot re-finance your home, YOUR state government is being "strong-armed" IF they accept Federal money to do fiscally irresponsible things, AND the US DEBT has risen at a RATE UNPRECIDENTED IN HISTORY and NOBODY can tell the difference. YET!..the bill's in the mail.
Freedom to disapprove,STILL...American Idol, I vote thumbs down.

Chris Petty of GA 1:43AM May 22, 2009

I'm sorry but I cannot believe someone like Cheney who FIVE (5) TIMES got deferments so he would not have to serve his country. He so willingly sent our sons and dauthers to war but would not send his children to serve our nation. Like the Looserbaugh, all they can do is talk fast, talk a lot, but they say nothing credible or substantive. While Cheney was advising Bush we were not safe--all Cheney was thinking about was how to get non-bid billion dollar contracts for Halliburton, KBR, and Blackwater. He cheated taxpayers of billions and helped bring this nation to its knees. I'm sorry but there is no way you can compare Cheney to President Obama. No one believes or listens to Cheney. He should go home and ask the Good Lord for forgiveness for the deaths of 4500 Ameicans and thousands of Iraqis. Please give it a rest. Why the media even gives him the time of day is beyond me. I certainly would not waste my time listening to his drivel or lies.

ataxpayer2a of IA 4:19PM May 21, 2009

First, let me say I am a 26-year military veteran and retired colonel who has served in Iraq among other places. The hideously bad strategy of the Bush-Cheney Administration, that of invading Iraq, was probably one of the things that propelled Barack Obama into the White House. I am quite certain many people voted against the Republicans, just as many voted for the Democrats. But without the Cheney-Rumsfeld-Feith-Wolfowitz-Perle inspired notions that if we somehow invaded Iraq, we could bring peace to the Middle East, the Bush presidency may have actually been considered a success. And now, the Republicans seem happy to let Cheney speak for them! That said, President Obama has waffled so much on this issue (do I release photos? Do I prosecute? Do I close Gitmo?) that he is starting to show that it is easier to run against a hugely unpopular president than actually to be the president.
As a veteran, I support the Constitution and the Law of Armed Conflict. I hope we are past the stage where we have elected leaders who have to dig up lawyers who find legalistic ways to ignore our treaty obligations and our own national military heritage.
It is my firm conviction that the Bush-Cheney Administration was completely wrong on so many foreign policy issues: they were wrong about invading a country whose dictator leader we already had contained, they were wrong to rule the Geneva Conventions as somehow "quaint" (Alberto Gonzalez memo), they were wrong to not bring criminal terrorists to trial in federal court instead of just letting them rot in confinement, they were wrong to alienate our allies. But again, time will tell if President Obama will actually be right, and not just the anti-Bush.

Jim H of NE 4:09PM May 21, 2009

AGREED MR. SCHLESINGER ABOUT THE HANDLING OF PRESIDENTIAL AUTHORITY AND PRIVILEGE. HOWEVER,I AM SURE YOU WILL CONCUR THAT IT IS THE ROLE OF POLITICIANS TO GET RE-ELECTED AS WELL AS CATER TO OTHER VESTED INTERESTS. SO IF PRES.BUSH AND HIS ADMINISTRATION SEEM TO YOU TO HAVE MISUSED THEIR POWERS, LET US REMAIN WARY OF THOSE PRESENTLY IN POWER AS WELL, WHO OFFER A PANACEA, SEEKING SELF- INTERESTS AND SELF AGGRAMDIZEMENT UNDER THE GUISE OF FOR THE GOOD OF THE NATION.
CERTAINLY OUR VALUES AND LIBERTIES ARE THE SUSTENANCE OF OUR GREAT NATION, BUT OUR LEADERS CAN NOT ACT WITHOUT THE CONSENSUS OF THE PEOPLE.
I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT TERRORIST THREATS DO NOT UNDERMINE OUR EXISTENTIAL EXISTENCE AS A NATION AND PEOPLE.
A DEAR AND CLOSE FRIEND OF MINE WHO IS AN AWARD WINNING PHYSICIAN AND SCIENTIST WORKING IN THE UNITED STATES AND ISRAEL, HAS WARNED ME MANY TIMES OF THE EASE WITH WHICH TERRORISTS COULD ENTER OUR CITIES WITH NUCLEAR ARMED SMART BOMBS AND DECIMATE OUR COUNTRY AND ITS CITIZENS. THIS IS ONLY ONE OF MANY WAYS TERRORISTS COULD SUBVERT OUR CITIES AND NATION.
WE, AS A NATION AND WORLD ARE HIGHLY VULNERABLE AND SUSCEPTIBLE TO MASSIVE AND DEVASTATING ACTS OF TERRORISM. I ALSO BELIEVE IN SOMETHING I WILL TERN POLITICAL TERRORSIM. COUNTRIES SUCH AS IRAN, PAKISTAN, KOREA, CAN AND DO OFFER EXISTENTIAL THREATS TO THE WORLD AND ITS SECURITY AND EXISTENCE.
SO PARTIALIZING THE BUSH ADMINISTRATIONS USE OF THE 9/11 TRAUMA IS TO SIMPLIFY A MUCH GREATER AND MORE COMPLEX EUQUATION. PERHAPS WHAT WAS VIEWED AS REPREHENSIBLE BY SOME WAS A MATTER OF COMMUNICATION AND TONE.
THE PRESENT ADMINISTRATION WAS ELECTED AND NOT OVERWHELMINGLY, BY THE TRAUMA EXISTING IN AMERICA AND ITS VOTERS, THAT IS A LACK OF HOPE, A FEELING OF HELPLESSNESS AND VICTIMIZATION.
THESE ARE ALSO THE CRITERIA FOR DEPRESSION. SO AMERICA AND AMERICANS WERE A NATION IN A STATE OF DEPRESSION IF NOT DESPONDENCY.
SO OUR PRESENT ADMINISTRATION HAS COME TO POWER OFFERING THE COUNTRY CHANGE. THIS OFFER SYMBOLIZES HOPE, SUPPORT AND AUTONOMY FOR AMERICANS. BUT WHAT IS THE CHANGE TO BE AND FOR THE GOOD OF WHOM? FOR OUR LEADERS TO ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING THEY MUST FIRST, BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES AND THEIR CAUSE.
IT IS THEIR PRIMARY JOB TO GET RE-ELECTED AND SECONDARY TO LEAD. SO THEIR PRIMARY JOB IS TO PROMOTE THEMSELVES AND THEN SELL THEIR AGENDA. THEY NOW MUST CONVINCE THE PEOPLE OF THEMSELVES AND THEIR INTEGRITY.
SECONDLY, THE PEOPLE MUST BELIEVE WHAT THEY ARE BEING TOLD, OTHERWISE THERE CAN BE NO MARRIAGE. THEY MUST BE CONVINCED OF THE EARNESTNESS OF THEIR LEADERS.
THIRDLY, THE PEOPLE MUST BE CONVINCED THAT THIS IS FOR THEIR BENEFIT ALONE AND OUR LEADERS ARE SELFLESS AND EVEN SACRIFICIAL.
WELL THE VERACITY AND INTEGRITY OF POLITICIANS IS CERTAINLY INDIVIDUAL, BUT ALL ARE GOVERNED BY THE SAME COMMON PRINCIPLES OF SURVIVAL. TERRORISTS DO NOT HAVE OUR AGENDA, SHARE OUR LEADERS, FREEDOMS OR VISIONS. WE MUST PRESERVE THE INTEGRITY OF OUR DEMOCRACY BUT NOT BY SIMPLY TURNING THE OTHER CHEEK.

ASHER SOLOMON of NY 3:33PM May 21, 2009

Torture is not something that represents who we are as a democratic naiton. We, as a country, can not compromise our values in the name of national security.

Frank Ralphkin of KS 3:28PM May 21, 2009