[Marxism] the claimed irrelevance of presidential appointments

[Dbachmozart@xxxxxxx]

Gen. Hayden and the claimed irrelevance of presidential appointments
 
 
Glenn Greenwald -- salon.com
 
 
Monday Dec. 8, 2008 13:51 EST
 
[note - a few comrades who seem to oppose criticism of  Obama - even on this 
list - stated that his Cabinet and adviser choices were  irrelevant, that the 
Prez makes the decisions, and everyone else simply follows.  This is an 
alternative view - DB]
 

 
clip -- 
A _report from U.S.  News & World Report_ 
(http://www.usnews.com/blogs/washington-whispers/2008/12/5/president-elect-obama-may-keep-mike-hayden-as-director-
of-the-cia.html)  today suggests  that Obama is considering having Gen. 
Michael Hayden -- Bush's former  NSA Director -- remain on as CIA Director.  I 
have 
no idea  whether that report is true, but here is what I do know: 
(1)  In May, 2006, Barack Obama voted  against confirming Gen. Hayden as CIA 
Director. Obama  was _one of only 15 Senators to oppose  Hayden_ 
(http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&s
ession=2&vote=00160) .  In his _speech on the Senate floor_ 
(http://obamaspeeches.com/073-General-Michael-Hayden-Nomination-Obama-Speech.htm)
   explaining 
his vote, Obama emphasized Hayden's role as Bush's NSA Director in  
implementing and overseeing Bush's illegal warrantless surveillance programs -- 
 
programs Obama has repeatedly decried as an assault on the rule of law.   
In fact, Obama, while acknowledging in his speech that Hayden was  
"qualified," described Hayden -- accurately -- "as the architect and  chief 
defender of 
a program of wiretapping and collection of phone  records outside of FISA 
oversight."  Obama said his vote against Hayden's  confirmation was necessary 
"to 
send a signal to this Administration that even in  these circumstances 
President Bush is not above the law" and "in the hope that  [Hayden] will be 
more 
humble before the great weight of responsibility that he  has, not only to 
protect our lives, but to protect our democracy." 
If, less than 3 years later, Obama chooses as his CIA Director the very  same 
Michael Hayden -- who, _during his confirmation hearing_ 
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/18/AR2006051800823.html)
 ,  
justified Bush's illegal NSA spying and said how proud he was to help implement 
 it 
[to say nothing of his (at best) _equivocations on torture_ 
(http://thinkprogress.org/2008/12/08/hayden-record/) ] -- then it should be 
quite .  . . let us, 
for the moment, say "interesting" . . . to watch him and his  most loyal 
supporters explain and justify that. 
(2) Until five weeks ago, I literally never heard anyone  claim -- in either 
party -- that it was irrelevant who the President  appointed to his Cabinet 
and other high-level positions.  I never  heard anyone depict people like the 
Defense Secretary  and CIA Director as nothing more than impotent little 
functionaries --  the equivalent of entry-level clerical workers -- who exert 
no 
power and do  nothing other than obediently carry out the President's orders. 
full -- 
<_http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/12/08/hayden/index.html_ 
(http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/12/08/hayden/index.html) >




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