this column impressed me

quite a bit. as i've written before, i happen to want the obama administration to not only release the detainee abuse photos, but charge those responsible (and by 'those', i mean the big boyz, NOT the bit players). that way the world can see and believe the UNITED STATES DOES NOT TORTURE
NOR WILL IT STAND FOR TORTURE

Obama Can’t Turn the Page on Bush
By FRANK RICH
TO paraphrase Al Pacino in “Godfather III,” just when we thought we were out, the Bush mob keeps pulling us back in. And will keep doing so. No matter how hard President Obama tries to turn the page on the previous administration, he can’t. Until there is true transparency and true accountability, revelations of that unresolved eight-year nightmare will keep raining down drip by drip, disrupting the new administration’s high ambitions. That’s why the president’s flip-flop on the release of detainee abuse photos — whatever his motivation — is a fool’s errand. The pictures will eventually emerge anyway, either because of leaks (if they haven’t started already) or because the federal appeals court decision upholding their release remains in force. And here’s a bet: These images will not prove the most shocking evidence of Bush administration sins still to come..........

whenever i heard the two words

executive order(s) i got the chills (of fear and despair). now there IS hope

Obama to Use Executive Orders for Immediate Impact

Transition chief: Barack Obama to use executive orders to make immediate stamp on presidency

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER Associated Press Writer

President-elect Obama plans to use his executive powers to make an immediate impact when he takes office, perhaps reversing Bush administration policies on stem cell research and domestic drilling for oil and natural gas.

John Podesta, Obama's transition chief, said Sunday Obama is reviewing President Bush's executive orders on those issues and others as he works to undo policies enacted during eight years of Republican rule. He said the president can use such orders to move quickly on his own.

"There's a lot that the president can do using his executive authority without waiting for congressional action, and I think we'll see the president do that," Podesta said. "I think that he feels like he has a real mandate for change. We need to get off the course that the Bush administration has set."

Podesta also said Obama is working to build a diverse Cabinet. ...........