Clinton hobbled the intelligence community through budget cuts, put George Tenet in charge of the CIA, and took the first steps to limiting habeas corpus relating to terrorism. He also extended Article II Presidential authority to bypass FISA and executed search warrants for the house of Aldrich Ames in 1994 leading to his espionage conviction.
Since 9/11, dramatic extension of these actions by the Bush-43 administration are now costing us dearly. Not just in the world community, but more so in our communities and families. We have allowed too much power to be obtained by a leader bent on finishing Iraq coupled with our unquenchable thirst for oil. The suspension of habeas corpus for citizens of the U.S. is our most damning moment. Adding insult to injury, the attorney general who advocates torture, decided to reinterpret the Constitution against all precedent since before the inception of the Union (England, Habeas Corpus Act 1679).
Are we so afraid that we just give away our rights? Must the U.S. resort to war and torture to fix our problems?
In reality, we are now most afraid of Pakistan because we saw the effects of destabilization in Iraq and are worried that nuclear weapons will fall into extremist hands. This is a very real concern because of ties to Al-Qaeda and the well established relationship of our influence over leaders of Middle-Eastern countries and inverse correlation to popularity with their citizenry. Our manipulation of world events causes blowback and we still have not learned. Barak Obama has recently stunted military intervention in Pakistan by airing it out in the Democratic Primaries. This points to possible sympathy within the African-American community with Islam that should be used diplomatically. We need to build better ties to Islamic countries, but I think the shortest path to lasting peace would be the restoration of constitutional policies, consolidation of our resources to protect the homeland, and a focus on true diplomacy. The only 2008 presidential candidate that I have seen that is eloquent, honest, and resolute enough to achieve these aims is Ron Paul.
Since 9/11, dramatic extension of these actions by the Bush-43 administration are now costing us dearly. Not just in the world community, but more so in our communities and families. We have allowed too much power to be obtained by a leader bent on finishing Iraq coupled with our unquenchable thirst for oil. The suspension of habeas corpus for citizens of the U.S. is our most damning moment. Adding insult to injury, the attorney general who advocates torture, decided to reinterpret the Constitution against all precedent since before the inception of the Union (England, Habeas Corpus Act 1679).
Are we so afraid that we just give away our rights? Must the U.S. resort to war and torture to fix our problems?
In reality, we are now most afraid of Pakistan because we saw the effects of destabilization in Iraq and are worried that nuclear weapons will fall into extremist hands. This is a very real concern because of ties to Al-Qaeda and the well established relationship of our influence over leaders of Middle-Eastern countries and inverse correlation to popularity with their citizenry. Our manipulation of world events causes blowback and we still have not learned. Barak Obama has recently stunted military intervention in Pakistan by airing it out in the Democratic Primaries. This points to possible sympathy within the African-American community with Islam that should be used diplomatically. We need to build better ties to Islamic countries, but I think the shortest path to lasting peace would be the restoration of constitutional policies, consolidation of our resources to protect the homeland, and a focus on true diplomacy. The only 2008 presidential candidate that I have seen that is eloquent, honest, and resolute enough to achieve these aims is Ron Paul.
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