Once upon a time, Barack Obama had some libertarian supporters. He really knew how to talk about liberty subjects in the aftermath of George W. Bush’s big government presidency. Ultimately, you can find “libertarian” quotes by most presidents and presidential hopefuls, because some libertarian ideas are tremendously popular, and they appeal to broad crowds of inspired people, even when the person saying them is lying through their teeth.
To start us off, let’s see what 2009 Obama said about words:
“Rules must be binding. Violations must be punished. Words must mean something.”
Words must mean something.
Let’s see what Obama’s words mean…
#1. “No more illegal wire-tapping of American citizens. No more national security letters to spy on citizens who are not suspected of a crime. No more tracking citizens who do nothing more than protest a misguided war. No more ignoring the law when it is inconvenient. That is not who we are. And it is not what is necessary to defeat the terrorists. The FISA court works. The separation of powers works. Our Constitution works. We will again set an example for the world that the law is not subject to the whims of stubborn rulers, and that justice is not arbitrary.” — Barack Obama, 2007
Which is why he immediately stopped all spying on Americans — oh wait, what about PRISM?
#2. “I believe that the free market is the greatest force for creating and distributing wealth that the world has known. … Think of what’s possible today that was unthinkable two decades ago. A young woman with an Internet connection in Bangalore, India can compete with anybody anywhere in the world. An entrepreneur with a start-up company in Beijing can take his business global. An NES professor in Moscow can collaborate with colleagues at Harvard or Stanford. That’s good for all of us, because when prosperity is created in India, that’s a new market for our goods; when new ideas take hold in China, that pushes our businesses to innovate; when new connections are forged among people, all of us are enriched. … Ultimately individuals must advance this cooperation, because the greatest resource of any nation in the 21st century is you. It’s people; it’s young people especially.” — Barack Obama, 2009
Such inspiration! Yes! We can! But wait, we didn’t build that.
[A two for one]:
#3. “I opposed going to war in Iraq; I warned that the invasion of a country posing no imminent threat would fan the flames of extremism. That’s why I strongly stand by my plan to end this war.” — Barack Obama, 2008
&
#4. “[W]hen I am President of the United States, we will end this war in Iraq and bring our troops home.” — Barack Obama, 2008
Which is why he promptly pulled all troops from Iraq– oh, nevermind.
#5. “It’s become apparent, Mr. President, that there’s no military solution to this war. No amount of U.S. soldiers — not 10,000 more, not 20,000 more, not almost 30,000 more than we know — that we know we are sending — can solve the grievances that lay at the heart of someone else’s civil war. Our troops cannot serve as their diplomats, and we can no longer referee their civil war. We must begin a phased withdrawal of our forces starting May 1st, with the goal of removing all combat forces by March 30th, 2008. … History will not judge, Mr. President, the architects of this war kindly.” — Barack Obama, 2007
Thank goodness he’d never decide to try to solve someone else’s civil war… except oh.
#6. “I believe we owe it to the Nation, we owe it to those who fought for our civil liberties, we owe it to the future and our children to make sure that we craft the kind of legislation that would make us proud, not just legislation that we would settle for because we’re in a rush. We don’t have to settle for a PATRIOT Act that sacrifices our liberties or our safety.” — Barack Obama, 2005
Which is why he refused to sign reauthorizations of– nevermind.
#7. “This is legislation that puts our own Justice Department above the law. When national security letters are issued, they allow Federal agents to conduct any search on any American, no matter how extensive, how wide ranging, without ever going before a judge to prove that the search is necessary. All that is needed is a signoff from a local FBI agent. That’s it. … And if someone wants to know why their own Government has decided to go on a fishing expedition through every personal record or private document, through the library books that you read, the phone calls that you’ve made, the e-mails that you’ve sent, this legislation gives people no rights to appeal the need for such a search in a court of law. No judge will hear your plea; no jury will hear your case. This is just plain wrong. And there are Republican Senators as well as Democratic Senators that recognize that it’s plain wrong. Giving law enforcement the tools they need to investigate suspicious activities is one thing and it’s the right thing; but doing it without any real oversight seriously jeopardizes the rights of all Americans and the ideals America stands for.” — Barack Obama, 2005
Which is why massive surveillance ended when Obama took office – oops, not so fast.
#8. “Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our Nation — not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago:
‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’
That is the true genius of America, a faith — a faith in simple dreams, an insistence on small miracles; that we can tuck in our children at night and know that they are fed and clothed and safe from harm; that we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door; that we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe; that we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will be counted — at least most of the time.” — Barack Obama, 2004
Which is why we all feel safe and free here in America, unless we get in the way of government.
#10. “We’ve changed this country before. In the face of tyranny, a band of patriots brought an Empire to its knees. … Each and every time, a new generation has risen up and done what’s needed to be done. Today we are called once more — and it is time for our generation to answer that call.” — Barack Obama, 2007
Which is why Obama was really respectful to protesters during Occupy, except when he wasn’t.
#11. “I went to law school, because I wanted to understand how the law should work for those in need. I became a civil rights lawyer, and taught constitutional law, and after a time, I came to understand that our cherished rights of liberty and equality depend on the active participation of an awakened electorate.” — Barack Obama, 2007
Which is why he’s always been really respectful of the Constitution, except when it’s inconvenient.
#12. “As President, I will close Guantanamo, reject the Military Commissions Act and adhere to the Geneva Conventions. Our Constitution and our Uniform Code of Military Justice provide a framework for dealing with the terrorists.” — Barack Obama, 2007
Which is why this clock shows that there’s still 122 prisoners being held at Gitmo.
It’s enough to make you want to pull a Carey Wedler, isn’t it?