Since taking office at noon on Tuesday, President Barack Obama has signed quite a few Executive Orders that are music to the ears of Democrats and Progressives in the US.
On Wednesday, Mr. Obama signed an Executive Order declaring that the records of current and former Presidents claiming Executive Privilege in order to keep their records private would have to have approval by both the Attorney General and the White House Counsel to do so. He also signed an Order declaring that noone in his administration could accept gifts from lobbyists, nor could anyone who has resigned from their position in his administration lobby it for the duration of his tenure as President, thereby closing the “revolving door” into the private sector that was used by so many Bush appointees.
On Thursday, Mr. Obama signed an Order directing the closure of the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba with in one year. He also created a Special Task Force to determine what should be done with the detainees at the prison. Then he revoked a previous Executive Order and declared that all interrogations would be carried out in accordance with the Geneva Convention and the Army Field Manual.
Two days and a lot of progress, I hope, toward restoring respect for the rule of law and the Constitutional protections of due process and proper treatment. And perhaps even a sea change in the opinions of the citizens of the world about the US and human rights. It has been horrifying to be a country that practices the behaviors of tyrants and rogues.