Mr. President, what a high bar you have set for yourself in assuring us that you are no Dick Cheney when it comes to drones.
Wow, the country must feel so comfortably numb with your glowing self-assessment.
But actually Mr. President, you are probably worse than Dick Cheney.
Because with Cheney, the Democrats screamed and yelled (ok, more like ineffectively grumbled and mumbled) about Cheney's unconstitutional power grabs. Yes, with Cheney at least there was a modicum of pushback, a scintilla of oversight -- even if it was only due to partisan politics.
With you Mr. Obama, indeed, the halls of Congress, the media, and the provocateurs of the prattle-sphere are mostly silent. And that's what's so dangerous.
Because who could believe that the first African-American President -- a former Con-law professor, no less! -- could so thoughtlessly, recklessly throw our Constitution under the bus?
Who would have imagined that such a man like Barack would have maintained a kill list that would please even the staunchest, most hawkish Republicans?
Who would ever think that a Democratic President would task his legal team for over two years to find the language and loopholes necessary to assassinate US citizens -- even innocent 16-year-old citizens?
Tell me Mr. President, is your current aversion towards any oversight surrounding your drone program a faculty of your own lack of conviction in having killed all these people (allegedly a sum of more than 4700) or simply that you feel you are above the law? Because humbly, I think we are entitled to know.
And by the way Mr. President, glad to see you picked up Cheney's idea of using minders when it comes to protecting WH arse. It works quite well in cover-ups. I should know, since Cheney used it with regard to the 9/11 Commission investigation. But again, you're nothing like him, are you.
For me, it's quite clear. You have gone from a Senator who allegedly believed in transparency, oversight, and the balance of powers -- notably all requisite things in a d-e-m-o-c-r-a-c-y -- and erased them from your memory banks. Not because you have cogent, intelligent reasons that reveal any sort of deep conviction on your own behalf, but rather because you've tasted power.
Should I expect you to take up fly-fishing on the Snake River in the near future just to be more like Dick?
Respectfully, Mr. President, perhaps there is one thing that separates your Administration from that of Bush/Cheney, at least they returned phone calls and told you -- to your face -- when they were going to stab you in the back.