Paul Krugman: Reclaiming America's Soul (we can investigate the Bush era AND look forward)

[Cali_Democrat]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/opinion/24krugman.html?_r=2&ref=opinion

Reclaiming America’s Soul
By PAUL KRUGMAN

“Nothing will be gained by spending our time and energy laying blame for the past.” So declared President Obama, after his commendable decision to release the legal memos that his predecessor used to justify torture. Some people in the political and media establishments have echoed his position. We need to look forward, not backward, they say. No prosecutions, please; no investigations; we’re just too busy.

And there are indeed immense challenges out there: an economic crisis, a health care crisis, an environmental crisis. Isn’t revisiting the abuses of the last eight years, no matter how bad they were, a luxury we can’t afford?

No, it isn’t, because America is more than a collection of policies. We are, or at least we used to be, a nation of moral ideals. In the past, our government has sometimes done an imperfect job of upholding those ideals. But never before have our leaders so utterly betrayed everything our nation stands for. “This government does not torture people,” declared former President Bush, but it did, and all the world knows it.

And the only way we can regain our moral compass, not just for the sake of our position in the world, but for the sake of our own national conscience, is to investigate how that happened, and, if necessary, to prosecute those responsible.

Read more.....
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/opinion/24krugman.html?_r=2&ref=opinion

[calimary]

1. The great Paul Krugman hits yet another one outta the ballpark.

Sure speaks for me!

[Cali_Democrat]

3. This is really one of his best op-eds

It really blows away the media meme that we can't walk and chew gum at the same time.

It's not our fault that the corporate media can only focus on one issue at a time.

The media is really pathetic and this notion that we should "not look back" will only encourage future criminals within our government.

[calimary]

14. And dammit - we warned everybody about this! Or at least we tried to!

Every question we had, every challenge, every appeal to listen to reason, every attempt to provide proof or facts to the countrary was rebuffed, or ignored, or suppressed, or scoffed at, or shouted over. We were all kicked out the back door. And everything we warned about turned out to be true. But some of it was worse than even we feared.

That just bothers the hell out of me!!! I find myself wondering, all the time, what might have happened IF ONLY someone had taken us seriously and let us speak and heard us out and then, once enlightened, acted on it.

:banghead:

[Skink]

2. Then after Obamas term Kucinich takes office and all is right with the world.

[indimuse]

4. knr!

..

[polichick]

5. He's right - the march to war needs to be looked at, as well as torture...

And it's all about our future.

[tomp]

11. everything about bush, inc needs to be looked at.

the election theft, cheney's secret energy meetings, 9/11, the "patriot" act, afghanistan, iraq, torture, fisa, doj....all of it.

[slipslidingaway]

6. "...investigations both of torture and of the march to war..." nt

[mod mom]

7. Our moral compass needs to be upfront. The rest of the world has been supplied

more detailed reporting of abuse. The world is looking for leadership from the US and just saying it won't happen again, just won't suffice.

We swept Iran Contra, BCCI under the rug and look what it produced-Cheney & Rumsfeld. We need to fully address what was done in our name and prosecute those responsible-end of discussion.

[PBS Poll-435]

8. I am thrilled that Krugman decided to give up writing on the banks

Thrilled, I tell ya.

[mkultra]

13. perhaps he will do better in his new field of commentary

"morality"

[BklynChick]

9. that was a very good piece.

[tomp]

10. this goes directly to the flaw in obama's thinking.

and it is a major flaw. we CAN NOT "move forward" WITHOUT addressing the bush, inc. crimes. proceeding from such a position calls into question obama's reasoning power or his intentions. at best his position is misleading political rhetoric, at worst it is a deeply flawed analysis of history.

[Uzybone]

12. Good piece

America lost its moral compass a long time ago (if it ever had any), that aside, all President Obama needs to do is let the Dept of Justice and Congress do its job. I believe he will.

He will mildly protest outwardly, because he doesn't want this tee appear to be a political witchhunt, but he will not get in the way.

[AtomicKitten]

15. I hope this lights a fire and that more people weigh in. We need clarity on this issue. n/t