President Obama is winding down his first trip to Europe, and I am trying to figure out what was most like: 

1) A Rock-Star tour

Watching the European and American press just go into spontaneous obamagasms at his and his wifes every move has been fascinating!   Play by play on Mrs. Obama "touching" the queen...........the complete inobjectivity has been astounding. 

MAYBE that is in no small part to to the fact that it may have also been a bit of an:

2) Apology tour

Just some of the comments of President Obama while in Europe have been:

"An enduring commitment to the rule of law is the only way to achieve the security that comes from justice for all people. Robust minority rights let societies benefit from the full measure of contributions from all citizens.  I say this as the President of a country that not too long ago made it hard for someone who looks like me to vote."

"But it is precisely that capacity to change that enriches our countries. Every challenge that we face is more easily met if we tend to our own democratic foundation. This work is never over. That is why, in the United States, we recently ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed, and prohibited -- without exception or equivocation -- any use of torture."

"Another issue that confronts all democracies as they move to the future is how we deal with the past. The United States is still working through some of our own darker periods. Facing the Washington monument that I spoke of is a memorial to Abraham Lincoln, the man who freed those who were enslaved even after Washington led our Revolution. And our country still struggles with the legacy of our past treatment of Native Americans."

Thanks Mr. President for sharing the fact that you think we are discrimmatory and uncivilized country.......... and we are still "struggling" with it.....SHEESH, I get the feeling you may need some therapy............

Or, has it in fact been a:  3) REALITY tour  

In the campaign Mr. Obama made it quite clear that he believes in 'global' solutions........and that we are far too often a country doing what we want without regard to other nations, and as such without their cooperation and support.   As such, he clearly went to Europe hoping to gain European support for the fight in Afghanistan.  The response, it seems to me, has been pretty weak:   President Obama stated that:  "All of NATO understands that al-Qaeda is a threat to all of us,"   Mr. Obama was able to garner the following additional support from Europe/NATO:  5,000 additional troops soley to provide security for the upcoming Afghan elections, and an additional 2,100 combat troops, 900 of those from Great Britian.   

BTW, we will be upping our forces in Afghanistan by over 20,000 personnel........thanks Europe and NATO for really STEPPING UP?!   Were we not told we couldn't get European support because all of Europe hated of G W Bush?!  That in fact, BUSH was the problem??????  What's the deal?  Is the Obama Administration running into foreign policy reality that in the end, all nations, like individuals will act in what they perceive to be their own self interest VS some sort of collectivist interest??? 

And, oh by the way, the North Koreans have just blatantly fired off a missle in clear disregard for the wishes of the Global Community......the response by the Obama Adminstration and the UN has been (in my opinion) WEAK, at best.  

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

What’s at stake on April 7, 2009

Friends,

There is an election on Tuesday, April 7, 2009.  Odds are many of you are either unaware of this, or if you are, you may lack the motivation to get out and vote.  It is my intent in this blog to CHANGE that.

There are two statewide races which have “caught my eye” and have ramifications for the citizens of Wisconsin.

The first is for the Superintendent of Public Instruction. 

The difference between the candidates is STARK.  The choice is between Tony Evers and Rose Fernandez

The candidate supported by the Teachers Union is a long time Madison insider and current DPI administrator is Tony Evers.   If you are satisfied with how things have been and are being run in the Wisconsin educational system, Evers is your choice.

BUT, if you want to put in place a real “firecracker”, then I would ask that you consider Rose Fernandez.  She single handedly took on the State when they tried to shut down the choice of “virtual learning”, and WON.  Not many people can say that. 

“This is an exciting opportunity to change business as usual in Madison. I’m not part of the status quo. I’m not going to merely listen to a select group of special interests who have been at war with each other over educational issues for decades. I intend to listen to, and be the public voice for, all in Wisconsin who support fiscally-sound policies that encourage and promote educational excellence.

“Pouring more money at a problem doesn’t solve it. That’s true in business, government and public schools. The decisions we face center around not just investment in education. It’s about the return on that investment. We can, and must, expect better outcomes for what we are already spending.” -Rose Fernandez

And believe it or not, she is ENDORSED by the Madison Journal?!

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/opinion/443730<
/p>

MY VOTE IS FOR ROSE!

The second race is for the Wisconsin Supreme Court.  Since 1976, Shirley Abrahamson has been on the bench and is the current Chief Justice.  Her opponent is Randy Koschnick a Circuit Court judge of ten years and a public defender for fourteen.  As reported in a recent debate: 

Koschnick said he would be a judicial conservative who would tend to uphold laws passed by the Legislature as opposed to what he called a judicial activist like Abrahamson who often strikes them down. Abrahamson called both terms meaningless and said she spent her time ruling independently.

"Why do we need any labels? Just say, 'I'll decide cases based on the facts of the law,'" Abrahamson told Koschnick. "No personal ideology. No personal views. No outside influences."

Judges don’t declare party affiliation.  They don’t have too.  What is most telling to me is the Pro-Abrahamson/Anti-Koschnick ads that have been running on local stations, including Fox11.

The ads have been paid for by the unquestionably liberal group:  GREATER WISCONSIN. 

 With judgeships, in my opinion you have to consider who is supporting a candidate as much as anything else.  And with Louise Bulter LOSING in the November election to Michael Gableman (the conservative jurist), the left is INTENT on keeping Ms. Abrahamson on the bench

 MY VOTE IS FOR KOSCHNICK!

I hope you will remember to go to the polls on April 7!

And in case you haven’t realized it yet………….ELECTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES!

In an earlier blog, I highlighted some of the tax and spending changes in the President's proposed budget.  Congress has started the budget process and to this point, the House seems to to be on course to pass Obama's budget with little change.

The CBO (Congressional Budget Office, a non-partisan entity) recently evaluated the Obama budget and among it's conclusions are:

 Debt held by the public would double to 82 percent of the gross domestic product by 2019 under Obama's budget, from 41 percent last year, CBO said. If current law remained unchanged, debt held by the public would rise to 56 percent of GDP in 2019, the CBO said.

 Obama's budget would add \$4.8 trillion to cumulative federal deficits over that decade, boosting their total from \$4.4 trillion under current law to \$9.3 trillion

 The cost of paying interest on the swelling national debt, much of it held by foreign central banks, also drives up the debt by about \$1.3 trillion over 10 years.

 To review the non-partisan CBO report on your own:

 http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/100xx/doc10014/03-20-
PresidentBudget.pdf

 In response to these budgetary realities/concerns our President has said the following:

 "What we will not cut are investments that will lead to real growth and real prosperity over the long term. That's why our budget makes a historic commitment to comprehensive health-care reform. That's why it enhances America's competitiveness by reducing our dependence on foreign oil and building on a clean-energy economy. And that's why it makes a down payment on a complete and competitive education for every child in America,"

Current yearly revenue to the Federal government (excluding SS taxes) is approximately 1.2 Trillion dollars a year.  http://www.usgovernmentrevenue.com/

By definition, or government has long been insolvent, or does not have the assets to pay the total public debt which is approaching 12 TRILLION dollars.  http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/

The overriding problem with Obama's budget is twofold:  with the public sector taking up so many of what is a limited amount of capital resources, the private sector will suffer, and secondly, the massive growth in the public debt raises serious concerns about there being a point in time in which our Federal government will not even have enough revenue to pay interest on the public debt.  Much of which is held by foreign entities. 

As such, there is a very real concern about there coming a time when our currency will have to be"devalued".  That is what I would equate to our government declaring "BANKRUPTCY".  The economic consequences of this would be disaterous for us, and the rest of the world.   

There is much we can respectfully disagree on.  However, one cannot argue that the path our current government when it comes to taxes and spending at the Federal level is at best, dangerous, and at worst apocolyptic.

I urge all who read this to review the CBO report on your own, and other reports out there and consider the path we are on, and then get in touch with your Congress people.   As citizens, this is OUR responsibility.

President Barack Obama was holding a new kind of online town hall where he answered some questions that 92,928 people submitted for him. The event was held at the White House and broadcasted live on the White House website this morning. In total, 104,111 questions were submitted.

This is a good way to connect with the American people. Allowing people to ask questions via the internet and having the President of the United States of America answer them, is pretty good in my opinion. What do you think? Was this a good idea? Did you watch the town hall?

Asher Heimermann is a teenager from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. You can learn more information about Heimermann by visiting his official website at www.asherheimermann.com.

You probably aren't aware of the fact that across this country there have been over a dozen "TEA PARTIES" railing against what is becoming a frenzy by our elected leaders to raise every kind of tax we have at the national and often state level or create new ones.  This is occurring in a poor economic climate were long term sustainable economic growth MUST COME investment and consumption from the private sector, and raising taxes in any way, shape, or form is absolutely the WRONG policy. 

On April 15, 2009, there will be "TEA PARTIES" happening all across this country, INCULDING MADISON at 11:30 AM at the Capitol building.

THAT WAS THEN:  as stated by Goververnor Doyle

"Going forward my mind will be open to every solution except one.
We should not,
we must not,

and I will not raise taxes.

Wisconsin's problem is not that we tax too little,
it's that we spend too much"

THIS IS NOW:

"There are three targeted ways to raise the revenues we need to protect what’s important to Wisconsin. First, this budget calls for taxpayers to pay one percent more on any earnings above \$300,000 a year. If you’re like 99 percent of Wisconsin, you won’t pay this tax."

"Second, Wisconsin is the only state with an income tax that exempts 60 percent of capital gains from any tax. This budget would lower the exemption to 40 percent of capital gains earnings..... "

"Third, we can pass an oil assessment so that big oil companies, which are still making record profits, pay their share for our roads. These companies make money when people drive on our roads, so it is appropriate that they help maintain them – and we will go after companies that break the law by passing that assessment on to consumers."

Text of Governor Doyle's 2009-2011 Budget Address

ARE YOU FED UP????? 

Then make plans to be in Madison on April 15th. 

I am planning on being there, JOIN ME!

Go here for more information and an audio clip of Governor Doyle:  http://fightbackwisconsin.com/ 

To Register:  ://www.fightbackwisconsin.com/Feedback.php

HEY MEDIA (FOX 11), how about covering this........PLEASE!!!!!!!

  1.    Respect for the Constitution
  2.    Respect for Life
  3.    Less Government
  4.    Personal Responsibility

It is from those specific principles that most domestic policies and policy views come from. 

Respect for the Constitution:   We don't think the Constitution needs to be modified to "fit the times".  We don't see it as "living breathing" document that can be molded and its meaning changing over time to suit what is deemed to be the "will of the masses".  It means what it says. 

Respect for life:   As stated in the Declaration of Independence, life and the right to it, is an "unalienable right" given from our "creator", which is God.  This is the most often misconstrued conservative principle.  It is often take to imply that conservatives argue for undue relgious influence in public policy.

 Less Government:  Ronald Reagan most clearly stated this principle. 

"In this present crisis, (the economic crisis which his administration dealt with) government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem."

"The best minds are NOT in government.  If any were, business would hire them away."

The nine most terrifying words in the English language are "I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

 As such,  conservatives believe that the current action by the Obama Administration and Congress are absolutely going the wrong direction.  It is almost daily that there are headlines about a "new govt. program", or public assistance being offered to "help".  You can also review the "stimulus bill", the Omnibus spending bill, and Obama's proposed budget as further examples of this.

 Personal Responsibility:

 I (we) don't believe in a government that protest us from ourselves. (Ronald Reagan)

We believe in helping hands, which also best come from the private sector, not handouts or welfare from the Federal government.   We believe we are destroying lives with welfare.  We want to get people OFF of welfare, not get more on it.  We want Americans to get something out of this life and that we have been born with more than sitting around and subsisting on something that's very little from the government with no future. 

These are the basic principles of what I believe to be conservatism today, in 2009.  And believe it or not, it can also be called  "classical liberalism"  which argues that we all have a nature according to the Creator's design. By nature he is entitled to certain freedoms and bound by certain duties. Human reason is the means by which we discover these rights and the duties. The universal moral law and the laws of nature are binding upon man. The main role of government is to protect human rights. There are certain activities such as the police and the military which government can offer but men cannot provide for themselves. The legitimate role of government is limited. Men form a social contract with government — men will submit to government and government will protect their rights.

So, I ask the following:  Those of you who also consider yourselves to be conservative, do you think this accurate? 

Those of you who would never, ever, consider yourself to be a conservative, is this what you always thought? 

And lastly, are YOU perhaps more conservative than you ever thought?

“We (government) need to raise the standard of living of our poor, unemployed, and minorities.  For example, we have an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in our country who need our help along with millions of unemployed minorities. …….”

“We (government) need to work toward the goal of equalizing income in our country and at the same time limiting the amount the rich can invest…….”

“Profits from the stock market do not reward the hard work of our working class, who, by their hard work, are responsible for generating these corporate profits that create stock market profits for the rich.  We in congress will need to address this issue to either tax these profits or to control the stock market to prevent this unearned income to flow to the rich”.

Who do you think????

Society does not consist of individuals, but expresses the sum of interrelations, the relations within which these individuals stand.

Capital is dead labour, that, vampire-like, only lives by sucking living labour, and lives the more, the more labour it sucks. The time during which the labourer works, is the time during which the capitalist consumes the labour-power he has purchased of him.

A rise in the price of labour, as a consequence of accumulation of capital, only means, in fact, that the length and weight of the golden chain the wage-worker has already forged for himself, allow of a relaxation of the tension of it..

Who do you think????

The $410 billion bill is chock-full of those pet projects and significant increases in food aid for the poor, energy research and other programs. It was supposed to have been completed last fall, but Democrats opted against election-year battles with Republicans and former President George W. Bush.  The measure was a top priority for Democratic leaders, who praised it for numerous increases denied by Bush.

 To the embarrassment of Obama — who promised during last year's campaign to force Congress to curb its pork-barrel ways — the bill contains 7,991 earmarks totaling $5.5 billion

 Can you say "HYPOCRISY"?

 At the same time, the measure chips away at several leftover Bush administration policies. It clears the way for the Obama administration to reverse a rule issued late in the Bush administration that says greenhouse gases may not be restricted to protect polar bears from global warming. Another Bush administration rule that reduced the input of federal scientists in endangered species decisions can also be quickly overturned without a lengthy rulemaking process.

 This is very, very dangerous.  If administration via the EPA or other Federal agency is able to arbitrarily make "rules" related to CO2 emissions  in the context of protecting "endangered" species.........this will likely lead to more and more rules and regulations which will lead to the following:

  1)  more job losses, particularily in manufacturing, and this will also have a stifling effect on future manufacturing and will undoubtedly lead to even more manufacturing being done outside the United States........

  2) higher costs for energy as a result of this alone (and I'm not talking about the 650 BILLION dollar tax on energy in Obama's proposed budget), and as a result, just about everything else will rise in price as well.........AND/OR, business will just absorb the higher costs, impacting profitability and their ability to invest and grow..........

 The big increases — among them a 14 percent boost for a popular program that feeds infants and poor women and a 10 percent increase for housing vouchers for the poor — represent a clear win for Democrats who spent most of the past decade battling with Bush over money for domestic programs.

 Even MORE Welfare spending...........let's get more and more people on GVT programs (I have had some personal experience with the "voucher" program.........it's a joke)............YEAH!

 Generous above-inflation increases are spread throughout, including a \$2.4 billion, 13 percent increase for the Agriculture Department and a 10 percent increase for the money-losing Amtrak passenger rail system.

 Why don't they just save time and "flush it"??????  Heck, it could be "stimulative"...........all the clogging it would do would have to lead to work for plumbers.............

 Congress also awarded itself a 10 percent increase in its own budget, bringing it to $4.4 billion  Obama is expected to sign the measure Wednesday to avoid a partial shutdown of the government.

 What happened to the notion of "shared sacrifice"????

I've shared some of my observations...........what are yours???

 The document is titled “The Islamic Response to the Government’s Nine Accusations,” the military judge at the Guantánamo Bay detention camp said in a separate filing, obtained by The New York Times, that describes the detainees’ document.

The document was filed on behalf of the five men, including Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who has described himself as the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks. 

President Obama halted the military proceedings at Guantánamo in the first days after his inauguration, and the five men’s case is on hiatus until the government decides how it will proceed.

 Several of the men have earlier said in military commission proceedings at Guantánamo that they planned the 2001 attacks and that they sought martyrdom. The strategic goal of the five men in making the new filing, which reached the military court on March 5, was not clear.

 In their filing, the men describe the planning of the Sept. 11 attacks and the killing of Americans as a model of Islamic action, and say the American government’s accusations cause them no shame, according to the excerpts read by the government official.

“To us,” the official continued reading, “they are not accusations. To us they are a badge of honor, which we carry with honor.”

COMMENTS.......

SEC.9 FCC Authorities. (a) Clarification of General Powers. – Title III of the Communications Act of 1934 is amended by inserting after section 303 (47 U.S.C. 303) the following new section:

SEC.303B. Clarification of General Powers. (a) Certain Affirmative Actions Required – The Commission shall take actions to encourage and promote diversity in communication media ownership and to ensure that broadcast station licenses are used in the public interest. …

 SO, instead of DIRECTLY going after conservative media, they appear to be trying to get the same result, but doing so in the name of encouraging and promoting  "DIVERSITY" in media ownership...............

 This seems to be a the strategy of the Democrats on a number of Agenda items...........complete the agenda in ways in which debated is limited and in a "piece by piece" strategy.  This is obvious in healthcare as in the "stimulous/spending bill" the creation of a new Federal authority which willl have broad "discretionary" power in rationing healthcare resources.........which is just one piece of the "socialized medicine" puzzle. 

 I have a couple of question for all of my Liberal blogging friends as it relates to the specific topic of this blog:  FREE SPEECH.

 1)  Do you really care about "FREE SPEECH"?   Or, is your caring limited to speech which you approve of?  If you argue that you believe in "free speech", please explain to me why the Obama Administration seems to care more about Rush Limbaugh than just about anything else, and that it seems that wanting Socialistic  (Obama's) policies to fail, is akin to treason.

 2) Do you really think the populace will accept de-facto censorship in the name of "diversity"?

 3) Do you really think "conservatives" are'nt intelligent enough to put the pieces of this together?

In keeping with longstanding tradition, President Obama recently welcomed the first foreign leader from the UK.  Also in standing with tradition, they exchanged gifts.

 The Prime Minister gave Mr Obama an ornamental pen holder made from the timbers of the Victorian anti-slave ship HMS Gannet.

 The unique present delighted Mr Obama because oak from the Gannet's sister ship, HMS Resolute, was carved to make a desk that has sat in the Oval Office in the White House since 1880.

 Mr Brown also handed over a framed commission for HMS Resolute and a first edition of the seven-volume biography of Churchill by Sir Martin Gilbert.

 In addition, Mr Brown and his wife showered gifts on the Obama children giving Sasha and Malia an outfit each from Topshop and six children's books by British authors which are shortly to be published in America.

 In return, Barack Obama, the leader of the world's richest country, gave the Prime Minister a box set of 25 classic American films - and two models of the presidential helicopter, Marine One, to take home to sons Fraser and John.

 WOW..............I wonder if he went to Wal-Mart.........

COMMENTS?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1
159627/To-special-friend-Gordon-25-DVDs-Obama-gives-Bro
wn-set-classic-movies-Lets-hope-likes-Wizard-Oz.html?IT
O=1490

Help defend the American Dream in Wisconsin!

Today, the voices of average Americans are being drowned out by lobbyists and special interests. The result: policies that are threatening to destroy the American Dream – wasteful pork-barrel spending, higher taxes, job-killing regulations, an assault on our property rights and school choice.

You Can Help. Join us in sending a powerful message to the politicians, special interests, and the mainstream media by taking part in the 2nd Annual Defending the American Dream - Wisconsin Summit.

On March 7th at the Midwest Airlines Center in Milwaukee you can join Wisconsin’s foremost free-market voices, top experts on grassroots mobilization, and Wisconsin’s largest gathering of grassroots leaders from across our great state in a massive show of force for our shared belief in lower taxes and more limited government.

- For the out state folks, there will be a bus available, starting in Minocqua at Island City Lanes at 5 am Saturday, with stops in Wausau at the Holiday Inn on Imperial Ave. at 6 am and Stevens Point at the Holiday Inn on Amber Ave. at 6:30 am. Do call the AFP-Wisconsin offices at 414-475-2975 for reservations.

- For those that need a hotel room, the Hilton Milwaukee, right across the street from the Midwest Airlines Center at 509 W. Wisconsin Ave., will be offering special rates. Just mention that you are with Americans for Prosperity and are in town for the summit.

- AFP-Wisconsin has teamed with the Conservative Young Professionals of Milwaukee to have a pre-Summit Happy Hour at Bootleggers, 1025 N. Old World 3rd St., Friday at 5:30. The special guest will be Joe Wurzelbacher (better known as Joe the Plumber).

There’s still room, and the price is far better than CPAC at $36 for general admission and $19 for students.

For more information and to register to attend: http://defendingthedream.org/WI/

I will be there...........I hope you will too!

You've probably heard people talking
about this "magic phrase"... right now,
everything is being turned upside-down,
people are questioning the very way we
live and the dis-functional nature of
the "systems" which have created the
situation in America.

The magic phrase is "self sustainability"

The question is "How do you get 'off' the
system and become independent of the mega
marts that have monopolized our food supply,
the power plants that 'own' our electricity,
the banks which own our homes, the oil
companies that control how we travel.

All these things just get more complicated, and more
expensive and more corrupt...

The question is... "How Do You Get OUT!?"

Some people are communities are and have
already done it, and are taking the
first steps...

However, the BIGGEST problem in doing so
is this: FOOD.

How do you get fresh food? This is the biggest challenge of
independence from the system. A greenhouse

is a solution. But it is not the only one.

Here's what it is, in a nut-shell:

Imagine for a moment, that you had a
"magic" device which automatically
supplied you and your family with
FREE organic food...24 hours a day,
7 days a week, all year round?

While others drive to the grocery store
to get their fresh fruit and vegetables,
you could simply walk out to your
amazing system and always have fresh
food, fruit, and even fresh fish
waiting for you every morning.

And... all you need to maintain this
device is ... 5 minutes a day to keep
it running... with no prior experience
necessary or complicated training.

Sound like a dream?

Even though it sounds like something
from a sci-fi movie... today, it's
actually reality, and several people
are already doing it..

The reason why you haven't heard of it
before is because this project has been
in "re-search" phase by the University
of the Virgin Islands for the past few
years.(Which has been doing a lot of
sustainability research)

Recently, it has leaked and people are
now doing it with amazing results.

There is a home in Hawaii right now,  that has been converted
to this system.

This ONE family is now completely self
sustainable and produces all their food.

In fact, they produce so much food, they
have scaled their system, and now sell
the food to local markets and make a
living out of it.

It will change EVERYTHING, and be to
our way of living what the Internet
has done to our communication in the
20th century.


Sincerely,

Kacper
Powerful Life Green Products

Suite 202, 15388 24th Avenue
Surrey, BC
V4A-2J2
CA

In nine legal opinions disclosed Monday by the Obama administration, the Justice Department under President George W. Bush claimed exceptional search-and-seizure powers. Within two weeks of the 2001 attacks, government lawyers were discussing ways to wiretap U.S. conversations without warrants.

Also revealed by the Obama administration in court documents Monday: The CIA destroyed nearly 100 videotapes — far more than previously known — of interrogations and other treatment of terror suspects. Congressional Democrats and other critics have charged that some of the harsh interrogation techniques amounted to torture, a contention that Bush and other officials rejected.

The Bush administration eventually abandoned many of the legal conclusions, but the documents themselves had been closely held. By releasing them, President Barack Obama continued a house-cleaning of the Bush administration's most contentious policies.

"Too often over the past decade, the fight against terrorism has been viewed as a zero-sum battle with our civil liberties," Attorney General Eric Holder said in a speech as the documents were being prepared for release. "Not only is that school of thought misguided, I fear that in actuality it does more harm than good."

The legal memos written by the Bush administration's Office of Legal Counsel show a government grappling with how to wage war on terrorism in a fast-changing world. The conclusion, reiterated in page after page of documents, was that the president had broad authority to set aside constitutional rights.

Fourth Amendment protections against unwarranted search and seizure, for instance, did not apply in the United States as long as the president was combatting terrorism, the Justice Department said in an Oct. 23, 2001, memo.

"First Amendment speech and press rights may also be subordinated to the overriding need to wage war successfully," Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Yoo wrote, adding later: "The current campaign against terrorism may require even broader exercises of federal power domestically."

On Sept. 25, 2001, Yoo discussed possible changes to the laws governing wiretaps for intelligence gathering. In that memo, he said the government's interest in keeping the nation safe following the terrorist attacks might justify warrantless searches.

That memo did not specifically attempt to justify the government's warrantless wiretapping program, but it provided part of the foundation.

Yoo, now a professor at the University of California at Berkeley School of Law, did not return messages seeking comment. Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who served as White House counsel when many of the memos were written, did not immediately respond to a request for comment made through his attorney.

The memos reflected a belief within the Bush administration that the president had broad powers that could not be checked by Congress or the courts. That stance, in one form or another, became the foundation for many policies: holding detainees at Guantanamo Bay, eavesdropping on U.S. citizens without warrants, using tough new CIA interrogation tactics and locking U.S. citizens in military brigs without charges.

Obama has pledged to close the Guantanamo Bay prison within a year. He halted the CIA's intensive interrogation program. And last week, prosecutors moved the terrorism case against U.S. resident Ali Al-Marri, a suspected al-Qaida sleeper agent held in a military brig, to a civilian courthouse.

A criminal prosecutor is wrapping up an investigation of the destruction of the tapes of interrogations.

Monday's acknowledgment of videotape destruction, however, involved a civil lawsuit filed in New York by the American Civil Liberties Union. It is not clear what exactly was on the recordings. The government's letter cites interrogation videos, but the lawsuit against the Defense Department also seeks records related to treatment of detainees, any deaths of detainees and the CIA's sending of suspects overseas, known as "extraordinary rendition."

At the White House, press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters he hadn't spoken to the president about the report, but he called the news about the videotapes "sad" and said Obama was committed to ending torture while also protecting American values.

ACLU attorney Amrit Singh said the CIA should be held in contempt of court for holding back the information for so long.

___

Associated Press writers Pamela Hess and Philip Elliott contributed to this report.

CLEARLY, this is the sort of action that the LEFT in this country felt was prosecutable, and reason to impeach/have members of the Bush Administration brought up on WAR crimes.  So, to my Liberal blogging friends, here's your chance. 

Make the arguement that such actions are in fact, HIGH CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS.

Make the case that our, yours and mine,  civil rights were unduly trampled.

In short:  MAKE THE LEGAL CASE. 

And, while your at, if you are up for a real intellectual challenge, explain how the public disclosure by the Attorney General makes us all in this country safer from the threat of Islamic Jihadist/terrorists from groups like Al Queda, or states like Iran.