“Any hope that the Obama administration would roll back the constitutional excesses of George Bush..

[Poll_Blind]

...in the war on terror was extinguished today." -Anthony Romero, President of the ACLU, 12/31/11

Full press release HERE.

Of all the things I imagined President Obama would do after taking office, the last thing I would ever have imagined is that he would validate and expand on the Bush administration's unconstitutional policies when it came to the War on Terra™. Should he be reelected in 2012, President Obama has "promised" us his administration will not abuse the authority granted in the NDAA.

Indeed, the hand that signs the bill into law is a part of the same body whose mouth swears us protection from it. Merciful. A greater mercy would have been to veto the bill but Congress might have overruled him so...why bother?

That's the New Pragmatism, isn't it? "Why bother?"

Still, it is a kind of protection. For the moment. But if he loses in 2012 or when a new president is chosen in 2016...what then?

PB

[SammyWinstonJack]

1. ...what then...?

That is the question, isn't it?

[Poll_Blind]

9. And every 4 years, the potential for a new president to be tempted by that ember of tyranny.

How long do you think our luck is going to hold out on that one?

PB

[DCKit]

2. A damn good point.

The Constitution and Bill of Rights aren't things that should be traded away so easily.

[frylock]

3. knr

[SixthSense]

4. I am making my backup plan now

I would suggest everyone who can to do the same. Have a way to get out of the country and stay out of the country - there are no longer any legal barriers to all-out totalitarianism. My plan involves re-establishing contacts with blood relations overseas, in preparation for seeking asylum and refuge.

If you think I'm overreacting, I got a few words for you: "President Gingrich" "President Santorum"

[Journeyman]

5. I first recognized this would probably happen early in 2004. . .

From a post of mine made in early 2004 on how soon Bush's power grab would be overturned. . .

I'll be surprised if Bush's successor relinquishes any power. . .

It's my fervent hope that whoever succeeds Bush will want to dismantle the new powers BushCo has accrued. However, power is more easily grabbed than relinquished, and whoever becomes our next Presidnet will have to prove an an exceptional man for him turn it aside.

As the recipient of a political reality altered beyond anything the wildest thinkers could have imagined just a few short years ago, it will take a remarkable will for anyone to revoke these powers, let alone strive to revert it to what it was before. Certainly, there will be a quick return to some aspects of "normality," but the allure of unbridled power will remain and, despite readily accomplished cosmetic improvements, power's seduction will be a Siren song of indeterminate appeal. I hope our next President proves a greater man than we can even hope he will prove to be.

[FreakinDJ]

6. I supported Obama because he taugh Constitutional Law

and now he shreds it

[RC]

7. If the Constitution is the Supreme Law of the land by which this country is governed,

How can Congress just pass laws willy-nilly that violates said Constitution? And have a Constitutional Scholar sign them?

How is that legal?

[woo me with science]

8. We are in deep, deep trouble in this country.

Occupy. It is our only visible hope.

[Left Coast2020]

10. This whole issue--besides his signing this makes my.....

....blood pressure go up.

[_ed_]

11. Shameful

This is a shameful chapter in our history. We had a chance to change course from the lawlessness of the Bush era, and instead, Obama has doubled-down on it.

How can I vote for someone who does this and not look like a hypocrite for everything I said about Bush? What party can I belong to if I care about civil liberties?