Obama administration doesn't actually think the omnipresent, everlasting war on terror is a bad idea

In fact, they quite support it. For the sad truth, one only needs to read Turley's post Top Obama Aides Embrace Bush's War on Terror Rhetoric and Enemy Combatant Policy. Harvard Law Dean Elena Kagan, Obama’s Solicitor General nominee, believes that we are both 1) at war and 2) the whole world is part of our 'battlefield.' Disgusting (and, as we might note, quite antithetical to any kind of 'change').

Obama administration doesn't actually like restraints on presidential power

From Turley:

Literally days after proclaiming that change had come to “signing statements” with a new policy, President Obama has issued a very Bush-like signing statement with his signing of the appropriations bill. The signing statement reserves the right to treat literally dozens of provisions as presumptively unconstitutional.
...
That particular provision is troubling to me as a constitutional matter. The Framers expressly gave Congress the power of the purse as a check and balance on executive authority. The use of appropriations to restrict “foreign entanglements” and “adventures” was well-accepted. This has a true Bush-like quality as a signing statement.

Looks like not much has changed from the past administration to this one...

Obama administration doesn't actually like transparency

In a 180 from his professed love of transparency (as embodied in his executive order), Obama is now claiming 'national security' reasons for rejecting a FOIA request to release details about a new secret, international copyright treaty. Looks like this administration's love of secrecy is not so different from the past's. And reading the list of people who are allowed to view this treaty reads like a who's who of Big Media and their lobbyists.

Any and All Disruptive In-Flight Behavior Now "Terrorism"

America is now reaping what the Patriot Act hath sown: much behavior that flight attendants consider disruptive, whether it be a loud argument, throwing food, or spanking a child, is now considered 'terrorism' under the law. This is what happens when you let power-hungry neocons paint the law with overly broad strokes: some guy gets thrown in with all the other Al-Qaeda suspects because he had one too many martinis on a plane.

LA Times
Bruce Schneier

FBI Looking for Terrorists contributes to pervasive Financial Fraud

Turns out that all of these Ponzi schemes and otherwise financial fraud might not be as prevalent if the FBI allocated as many resources as in the past to stopping these crimes. Unfortunately, the Bush administration's emphasis on terrorism put more FBI officers chasing bad guys that may or may not exist and less on things that are now putting people on the streets. Another endearing chapter in the Bush administration legacy.

File a FIOA request, get some of DHS's profile of you

A Newsweek reporter filed a FOIA request to obtain what the government, DHS specifically, was tracking about him (as any citizen is entitled to do). Here is the report and discussion on Slashdot. Nothing really surprising, but it is worth noting.

US Using Viagra in Afghanistan to win over Warlords

The CIA and US military are using Viagra as a bribe to win over Afghani warlords. This is sick for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that taxpayer money is being used to perpetuate traditional Afghani cultures of polygamy, forced marriage and child rape. Awesome. Also see another Turley post on the subject of the plight of Afghani women.