Obama Agrees: Bush Was Right

by Robert P. Heslin, for ElectionDebates.com

Almost from the moment he first declared his candidacy for the Presidency, Barack Obama campaigned as the anti-Bush. Pick any policy, foreign or domestic, and you would find Mr. Obama and Mr. Bush on opposite sides of it. Whether the subject was taxes or the War on Terror, missile defense or domestic wiretaps, Bush and Obama personified the enormous policy gulf that separated Democrats and Republicans.

The theme continued after Obama won the election, to a degree which many onlookers came to see as churlish and un-Presidential. Until the advent of the Obama government, political tradition had dictated discretion on the part of new administrations with respect to the sins of their predecessors. No longer. In one public forum after another, in press conferences, interviews, and ceremonies overseas, President Obama bemoaned the political, economic, and diplomatic damage bequeathed to him by ex-President Bush, who himself continued to honor the old tradition, never speaking ill of Obama.

But something has changed, though Obama and his spokesmen may be loathe to admit it. Much to the dismay and displeasure of his core supporters on the left, President Obama has found himself, on issue after issue, adopting the policies of George W. Bush. He does so quietly, and often with absurd contortions meant to disguise the damning similarities of his approach to that of the hated cowboy from Texas. The Presidency has brought Obama and his advisors into direct contact with those forces which pose such serious threats to the United States and its citizens, and they have forced Obama into seeing the wisdom of Bush's responses to them. Some examples below:

GUANTANAMO BAY
Obama Then	Obama Now
"We are going to close Guantanamo and restore Habeas Corpus." –February 11, 2008, at a campaign stop at College Park, Maryland	"One of the toughest problems is what to do with people that we know are dangerous... releasing them at this stage could potentially create greater danger for the American people." – December 23, 2010, at a news conference following the signing of an Executive Order making indefinite detention without trial for some Guantanamo detainees official.
TAX CUTS
Obama Then	Obama Now
"We heard the President say he wants to make tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans permanent, when we know that at a time of war and economic hardship, the last thing we need is a permanent tax cut for Americans who don't need them and weren't even asking for them." – January 28, 2008, in response to the 2008 State of the Union address by President Bush	"It's a good deal for the American people; this is progress and that's what they sent us here to achieve... This is real money that is going to make a real difference in people's lives." – December 17, 2010, while signing the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 (otherwise known as the extension of the Bush Tax Cuts)
THE IRAQ WAR
Obama Then	Obama Now
"I am not persuaded that 20,000 additional troops in Iraq are going to solve the sectarian violence there. In fact, I think it will do the reverse." – January 10, 2007, responding to President Bush's announcement of The Surge.	"In the 18 months since President Bush announced the surge, our troops have performed heroically in bringing down the level of violence. New tactics have protected the Iraqi population, and the Sunni tribes have rejected Al Qaeda--greatly weakening its effectiveness." –July 14, 2008, writing in The New York Times
NSA WARRANTLESS SURVEILLANCE
Obama Then	Obama Now
"No one should get a free pass to violate the basic civil liberties of the American people – not the President of the United States, and not the telecommunications companies that fell in line with his warrantless surveillance program." – January 28, 2008, in written statement opposing retroactive FISA immunity for telecom companies.	"...the Court does not have independent power ... to order the Government to grant counsel access to classified information when the Executive Branch has denied them such access." – March 2, 2009, in a written statement from the Department of Justice arguing against FISA-imposed limitations on warrantless wiretapping by the Executive Branch.

Further Reading...

New poll results are devastating for Obama's Gitmo plan
Thoughts on Obama's Gitmo Remarks
Obama signs massive tax bill, hails deal with GOP
Obama, Democrats, and the Surge
My Plan for Iraq, by Barack Obama
Obama Sides With Bush in Spy Case
Obama Channels Cheney

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