By Glen Ford

From Black Agenda Report | Original article

A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford

There was a time when much of the public clamored for justice to rain down on White House illegalities, through impeachment. But then came Barack Obama, who made George Bush’s crimes his own and “then proceeded to out-Bush Bush, especially when it came to wielding imperial power and doing away with what’s left of due process and the rule of law.”

Impeachment: If Not Obama, Who?

A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford

“With Obama, we get a continuity of George Bush's crimes, plus a whole host of new ones.”

One thing about of the Bush administration that makes me something very close to nostalgic, is the number of people who, back then, wanted to impeach the president. It was exhilarating to hear Americans full of righteous emotion, willing to use up their last Aladdin’s lamp wish for the pleasure and privilege of seeing George Bush indicted by the House and put on trial before the Senate. For the vast majority of Black folks, the impeachment of George Bush would have been the best thing that’s happened since 1965, a genuine “Free at Last” moment. Hell, nothing could beat that but the election of a Black President to succeed Bush…

Which is what happened, and that’s the problem. We did get a Black successor to George Bush – and what did the new guy do, but move most of Bush’s luggage right back into the White House. Barack Obama then proceeded to out-Bush Bush, especially when it came to wielding imperial power and doing away with what’s left of due process and the rule of law.

Bush attacked nations that hadn’t done anything to the United States, and was arrogant enough to strut around and brag about it. But Barack Obama does Bush one better: He gangs up with the old European colonial crowd to set loose the war dogs on poor Libya, which hadn’t said an angry word to the Americans in years, and then denied that all that bombing and rocketing constituted making war, at all. In fact, said Obama, as he reloaded his weapons, there were no “hostilities” between the U.S. and Libya, since no Americans were getting killed. So, now we have the Obama Doctrine: no dead Americans, no war.

“Unlike during Bush's crime spree, there is little clamor for Obama's head outside the racist Right.”

There has to be a multitude of impeachable offenses connected to the war on Libya, alone, but they’re just the latest in a long list of high crimes and misdemeanors racked up by the First Black President. An organization called Voters for Peace has compiled a list of items that would send Obama packing if there was such a thing as justice and constitutional law in this country. He is guilty of:

Ordering military attacks on sovereign nations without Congressional authorization.

Issuing Executive Orders for the extra-judicial assassination of U.S. citizens in violation of guarantees of due process.
Presiding over military, paramilitary and intelligence service use of torture in violation of prohibitions against cruel and unusual treatment.
Ordering and attempting to assassinate foreign heads of state.
Obstructing justice by failing or refusing to investigate credible allegations of torture brought against the previous administration.

Thus, with Obama, we get a continuity of George Bush's crimes, plus a whole host of new ones. Call it Bush-Plus. But, unlike during Bush's crime spree, there is little clamor for Obama's head outside the racist Right. If Michelle keeps Barack in check and there are no sexual indiscretions, it looks like he'll have a record-breaking term in office, in terms of breaking the law. And Black Americans, by clinging to Obama, will lose the distinction of being a people that cherish justice most of all.