Very important question now that it is clear Obama is the nominee

[knight_of_the_star]

Obama has been running on moving past partisanship and DC same old politics as usual. Some of this includes across the aisle reconciliation.

That said, I have an important question from Obama people which is part of why I never fell in line with him and was an Edwards man:

Will Obama abandon justice in pursuit of an illusory peace in DC? Will he rush to hold hands with the very people who tried to bring down the country and the Constitution at the expense of prosecuting the guilty, exposing the truth behind the lies, and ensuring what is right, proper, and necessary to restore our nation's honor and dignity at home be done?

From where I sit, to have peace without justice is to be chasing a pipe dream, for without justice no true peace is attainable.

So I ask the Obama people, based on his promises and rhetoric as well as his history, do you think he will genuinely pursue necessary Justice at the expense of short-term Peace?

[Recursion]

1. Look at his nonproliferation work with Lugar

He didn't compromise any principles to work with Lugar. He didn't sell progressivism down the river. He found some common ground on which both progressives and Dick Lugar could agree, and actually got something substantive done rather than having a Senate-wide fight.

As far as I've seen, Obama's main promises have been about process. I mean, sure, he supports a packer ban and aa property division limit on the farm bill (for instance), but that's not what he's running on nor what gets people excited. Do you feel he betrayed progressivism when he worked with Dick Lugar to get a more sane nonproliferation policy implemented? He's not going to destroy the Republican party and he would prefer not to spend his whole term simply warring with the Republican party when there are large and substantial issues we and they for the most part agree on.

[knight_of_the_star]

5. What is your definition of warring with the GOP?

Do you think he will try to bend over backwards to them because they decide to throw a filibuster tantrum in the Senate? Takes two to make peace work, how do you think he will do things if the GOP decides to fuss and fume and refuse to cooperate in the face of the will of the People?

[Aloha Spirit]

2. Yes.

He's talked to this point a bunch in the last month or two...
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/Barack_on_torture.html

What I would want to do is to have my Justice Department and my Attorney General immediately review the information that's already there and to find out are there inquiries that need to be pursued. I can't prejudge that because we don't have access to all the material right now. I think that you are right, if crimes have been committed, they should be investigated. You're also right that I would not want my first term consumed by what was perceived on the part of Republicans as a partisan witch hunt because I think we've got too many problems we've got to solve.

So this is an area where I would want to exercise judgment -- I would want to find out directly from my Attorney General -- having pursued, having looked at what's out there right now -- are there possibilities of genuine crimes as opposed to really bad policies. And I think it's important-- one of the things we've got to figure out in our political culture generally is distinguishing betyween really dumb policies and policies that rise to the level of criminal activity. You know, I often get questions about impeachment at town hall meetings and I've said that is not something I think would be fruitful to pursue because I think that impeachment is something that should be reserved for exceptional circumstances. Now, if I found out that there were high officials who knowingly, consciously broke existing laws, engaged in coverups of those crimes with knowledge forefront, then I think a basic principle of our Constitution is nobody above the law -- and I think that's roughly how I would look at it.

[knight_of_the_star]

4. Thank you

Now let us hope he puts a real bulldog in the AG's office to consummate such needed work.

No Justice No Peace
Know Justice Know Peace

[newmajority]

3. My gut feeling is that you'll be very happy with his Attorney General

He might look a lot like that guy in your avatar.

And if the guy who heads the Justice department is indeed interested in justice (as opposed to what Asscrotch, Speedy Gonzales, and Mukrazy are doing) that's a Hell of a good start, isn't it?

[knight_of_the_star]

6. I'd like to be sure on that

If Obama has promised it will be John then I'll do what I can to put him over the top where possible, we need a REAL bulldog with strong killer instinct like John Edwards running the Department that has known little Justice for the past eight years.

[99th_Monkey]

7. I expect Obama to deal with Rethugs the same way he ran his primary campaign

That is, that he has a sense of grace and timing that empowers him to outmaneuver his opposition, yet all
the while maintaining the high ground; leaving opponents little choice but to see things more his way.

This is a rare talent, and I'm expecting it to help lead this once great nation back to it's true greatness.