#WTFObama: Obama Limits Nukes, prefers old fashioned oppression and violence

So, yeah, President Barack Obama campaigned on change and other cool-sounding things but in office, he's seeming an awful lot like the last dude who worked out of the same job. Sure, he's limiting nukes:

 

Obama limits U.S. use of nuclear arms

By Phil Stewart and Matt Spetalnick
Reuters
Tuesday, April 6, 2010; 6:36 PM

...

The United States for the first time is forswearing use of atomic weapons against non-nuclear countries, a break with a Bush-era threat of nuclear retaliation in the event of a biological or chemical attack.

But this comes with a major condition. Those countries would be spared a U.S. nuclear response only if they are in compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Iran and North Korea would thus not be protected.

via washingtonpost.com.

And that's cool and all, but here comes some other news, this from NYTimes.com:

Video Shows U.S. Killing of Reuters Employees By ELISABETH BUMILLER Published: April 5, 2010

WASHINGTON — The Web site WikiLeaks.org released a graphic video on Monday showing an American helicopter shooting and killing a Reuters photographer and driver in a July 2007 attack in Baghdad.

A senior American military official confirmed that the video was authentic.

Reuters had long pressed for the release of the video, which consists of 38 minutes of black-and-white aerial video and conversations between pilots in two Apache helicopters as they open fire on people on a street in Baghdad. The attack killed 12, among them the Reuters photographer, Namir Noor-Eldeen, 22, and the driver, Saeed Chmagh, 40.

via nytimes.com

Now, this was NOT something that happened while Obama was in office. It happened back in July of 2007. However, Obama's been living in El Casa Blanca for over a year now and this video is being seen now, NOT thanks to Obama *finally* getting around to his campaign promise of a more transparent government, but thanks to WikiLeaks.org.

Here's the video itself, so you can see for yourself and see if you think Obama's USG should have immediately released it (it's pretty scary, though not overtly gory):

Head over to CollateralMurder.com to see the a longer version of the video.

And lest you think this instance of a video not being released is not an indication of him preferring "old fashioned oppression and violence" as I claim in the title of this post, here comes more reportage from NYTimes.com:

U.S. Approves Targeted Killing of American Cleric

By SCOTT SHANE
Published: April 6, 2010

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has taken the extraordinary step of authorizing the targeted killing of an American citizen, the radical Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who is believed to have shifted from encouraging attacks on the United States to directly participating in them, intelligence and counterterrorism officials said Tuesday.

via nytimes.com

Firstly, assassination would seem to be a violation of international law and secondly, he's an AMERICAN CITIZEN and is therefore guaranteed a trial in a court of law by the US CONSTITUTION.

But noooo, Obama seems to be a believer in the same bullshit idea that "enemy combatants" fall outside of the category of "criminal" (guaranteed a trial) AND the category of "enemy soldier" (guaranteed POW rights under the Geneva Convention). This is all very convenient for amoral types that like to cause pain and suffering to people who may or may not deserve it. I didn't think Obama was one of these guys, but maybe he is? I dunno.

But wait. There's more.

SIGH.

Once again from NYTimes.com we have the last two paragraphs of an editorial about Obama not overtly banning the use of warrantless wiretapping on Americans:

EDITORIAL

We Can’t Tell You

Published: April 3, 2010

...

The new suit over the FISA amendments points out that the Supreme Court recognized more than 40 years ago that there are few threats to liberty “greater than that posed by the use of eavesdropping devices.” In fact, FISA was originally passed because of spying conducted on anti-Vietnam War protesters and civil rights activists.

Senator Obama promised repeatedly in the 2008 campaign to reverse Mr. Bush’s many abuses of power. This was one of them. President Obama should read this court ruling with chagrin and eliminate warrantless spying. It is also far past time to stop hiding behind spurious, often ludicrous, claims of national security.

via nytimes.com

So, WTF, Obama? Did you lay in the same kind of electromagnetically enabled crib I am pretty sure George W. Bush laid in when you were a baby, too (the kind that removes your morals)? Or did you just *choose* to ignore your internal moral compass entirely?

Honestly, what are we supposed to do when a leader who campaigns on one platform gets elected and then proceeds to govern on a completely different--and fairly immoral--one?

And if there's any doubt in your mind about there being no difference in the two main political parties by now, I don't know how you'll ever be convinced. Obama's offshore oil drilling announcement the other day was more than enough for me.

How we're all putting up with this shit boggles the mind...

Posted via web from thepete's posterous