Angry Leftists Outrageously Demand Follow-through on Promises

Few things make this blog more angry than shrill leftists trying hold Barack Obama accountable to the promises he's made. If they wanted actual change, why didn't they advocate violent revolution? It just makes sense.

We here at ComedyandPolitics have such a blog-crush on Glenn Greewald that it's almost embarrassing. The only thing saving us from falling to fanblog status is that basically everyone else in the world (worth listening to) feels the same way we do. His piece today is a must-read, and another sad vindication of the cranks who thought that CHANGE MIGHT NOT BE COMING TO WASHINGTON.

The Obama administration today maintained Bush's policy on invoking the "states secrets" privilege as a way of keeping torture victims from bringing charges against the state in a federal court. Greenwald writes:

"What makes this particularly appalling and inexcusable is that Senate Democrats had long vehemently opposed the use of the "state secrets" privilege in exactly the way that the Bush administration used it in this case, even sponsoring legislation to limits its use and scope. Yet here is Obama, the very first chance he gets, invoking exactly this doctrine in its most expansive and abusive form to prevent torture victims even from having their day in court, on the ground that national security will be jeopardized if courts examine the Bush administration's rendition and torture programs -- even though (a) the rendition and torture programs have been written about extensively in the public record; (b) numerous other countries have investigated exactly these allegations; and (c) other countries have provided judicial forums in which these same victims could obtain relief."

Bmaz, over at FireDogLake, concludes:

In fairness, the Obama DOJ may view this as protecting information on rendition flights, not details of torture; however, the result is the same, and just as heinous. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.