Civil Liberties Board Goes Vacant Under Obama

[sabra]

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/declassified/archive/2010/03/02/civil-liberties-board-goes-vacant-under-obama.aspx

Civil Liberties Board Goes Vacant Under Obama
Michael Isikoff

When President Bush two years ago failed to name members to a federal board to monitor the protection of civil liberties, Democrats and activist groups were duly outraged, seeing it as one more example of his administration's indifference to the subject.

But more than a year into a new presidency, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board—created by Congress in 2007—remains as much a cipher under Barack Obama as it was under George W. Bush. The White House has yet to nominate a single person to sit on the five-person board. It has no members, no staff, and no office.

Until now, the reaction to all this from the same civil-liberties groups and Democrats that bashed Bush has been largely muted. But that is starting to change. "I'm appalled," said Sharon Bradford Franklin, senior counsel of the Constitution Project, a legal-affairs advocacy group that has usually been aligned with the Obama administration.

This week, Franklin's group and more than 20 other civil-liberties and privacy groups—including a few with Republican ties—sent a letter to the White House urging that civil-liberties board members be appointed "without delay." That follows two similar letters from Democratic representatives Jane Harman, who chairs a subcommittee on terrorism, and Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee—one in October and another more recently in late January, both of which have gone unanswered.

...

Ben LaBolt, a White House spokesman, reaffirmed a previous statement from the White House more than a month ago that the president will nominate members "soon." But he declined to specify how soon. "The president is committed to constituting the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board," he said.

[niyad]

1. sigghhh

[global1]

2. Hey White House - Get Off Your Duff And Get This Done.....

preferably before the elections in Nov.

[HillbillyBob]

3. I has gone unnoted because we did not know

and with all the other insanity going one I for one had not had time to think about it.

[asdjrocky]

4. It would almost seem it's not important to them.

This would be a big story at DU if McCain had won, now, not so much.

[Echo In Light]

5. Funny how that works, eh?

[asdjrocky]

6. Funny how my principals don't change based on who is in office.

Peace, friend.

[Echo In Light]

8. Zing!

[SammyWinstonJack]

9. +1

Sickening isn't it? :puke:

[Winterblues]

15. The Bush* Administration created this board and never appointed anyone

to it. It is not as if this has been a long standing board that is suffering from neglect. It has NEVER had a single person on it..Not even sure those in the Administration even knew of it, since it has never met.

[asdjrocky]

16. Not sure the Administration even knew of it?

That's a joke, right?

[tekisui]

7. I am no longer surprised at Obama's lack of action.

[heli]

10. No excuses

It's been over a year.

[Ian David]

11. The GOP is going to obstruct anyone he nominates. He needs to have all his ducks in a row. n/t

[QC]

12. Hopetastic! n/t

[notadmblnd]

13. I read that Bunning was holding up more than just the Unemployment extension

I also understand that he holding up many of the President's appointments. Put pressure on your republican congress to get these appointments made. If I were Obama, I would Recess appoint them at this point. It's time to end this political game that the pukes are playing and get the job done.

[kirby]

14. They reauthorized the Patriot Act for another year...

The lack of civil liberty concern does not surprise me.

[ixion]

17. C'mon DLC DU'ers spin this for us and tell us

how it's not Obama's fault.

[Echo In Light]

19. That group of posters are relatively quiet today

[Individualist]

20. They're trying

and failing as usual.

[panzerfaust]

21. It's Clinton's Fault,

Clearly.

Which Clinton is up to your choice ... but it sure is not our current president's!

I mean democrats have only 60 (sorry, make that 59 and decreasing) Senate seats, so how can he be possibly expected to fill such controversial appointments?

Besides, Senator Bunny might just kick him in the nuts again, and we must avoid that ...

Civil Liberties are such a quaint notion anyhow. Plenty of time to deal with this in the second term.

[Echo In Light]

22. lol ...ugh

[panzerfaust]

18. More of the Same Change

From the article:

"This week, Franklin's group and more than 20 other civil-liberties and privacy groups—including a few with Republican ties—sent a letter to the White House urging that civil-liberties board members be appointed "without delay." That follows two similar letters from Democratic representatives Jane Harman, who chairs a subcommittee on terrorism, and Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee—one in October and another more recently in late January, both of which have gone unanswered."

"Gone unanswered," being an answer in itself.

[Solly Mack]

23. How many laws have been enacted or renewed without the

Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board in place to voice their concerns over any potential civil liberty violations?

I'm not saying it is no biggie about the lack of board members if the need for the board hasn't been there (the need to protect civil liberties is always there and shouldn't require a separate board for government to know this...alas), I'm asking a question...

Take renewal of any aspect of the Patriot Act (for example)..isn't that precisely the type of thing the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board was formed to address?

Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board:
New Independent Agency Status - September 17, 2009
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL34385.pdf