Dear Mr. President,

I, like most Americans, and, I suspect all of Congress, listened attentively to your speech on Thursday about the fate of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay.  Your decision earlier this year to close Gitmo within the year left most of us wondering how you would accomplish this.  Even the Democrat controlled Congress was concerned enough that they denied your request for $80 million to accomplish the closure unless they first knew what your plan was.

Here’s what I read this morning:

White House officials have said Thursday’s speech will provide more detail on the president’s plan for closing Guantanamo.

But, I heard no plan.  Instead, I heard, once again, about what you  “inherited”.  I know exactly what you inherited Mr. President, I lived through it.  So, I, for one, am growing tired of the “inherited” speech.  You campaigned on what you believed to be wrong with the Bush administration, and its policies, and, you told us you would foster change.  Telling us over and over again about what you inherited isn’t change, it’s history.  Every President “inherits” from the prior administration.  It is the nature of our democratic republic.

I have searched history for any reference that President Truman spoke incessantly about what he inherited from President Roosevelt , or that President Roosevelt spoke incessantly about what he inherited from President Hoover, or that President Wilson spoke incessantly about what he inherited from President Taft, or that your hero, President Lincoln spoke incessantly about what he inherited from President Buchanan.  There are no such references, Mr. President.

Those presidents, as all before you, knew exactly what they were getting into before they campaigned for the job.  And, so did the American public.  Once elected, those presidents simply went about doing that job without pointing fingers at the past, but rather focusing on the future. 

Please, Mr. President, don’t tell us what we already know.  Tell us what, if anything, you are going to do about it.

Very truly yours,

SoundOffSister

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SoundOffSister

The Sound Off Sister was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and special trial attorney for the Department of Justice, Criminal Division; a partner in the Florida law firm of Shutts & Bowen, and an adjunct professor at the University of Miami, School of Law. The Sound Off Sister offers frequent commentary concerning legislation making its way through Congress, including the health reform legislation passed in early 2010.

6 Comments

  1. Lazybum on May 21, 2009 at 11:26 pm

    I know citizens across the nation are screaming out those same thoughts, SOS. Will they ever say that out loud on MSNBC?



  2. libertarian27 on May 22, 2009 at 12:19 am

    I'm going to call him Professor Obama from now on.

    He reminds me of pontificating professors I've had the great displeasure of being forced to listen to in college.

    One outstanding professor had the terrible habit of saying 'um' and I would make the time go by faster by counting the 'ums' – one day, after the 300th 'um' I had to leave before I cracked.

    With Professor Obama I think I will count how many times he says "I".

    Wonder how long it will take before I crack…..



  3. Anne-EH on May 22, 2009 at 12:31 am

    SOS, this is why I call President Obama PBO. It seems like just about all his speeches have to revolved around him or his family to start with. Then there is the scolding of the former President Bush White House. The PBO White House is making this country weaker by the day and embolding those who hate us. Thankfully former Vice President Cheney provided "balance" in response.



  4. Trawlerowner on May 22, 2009 at 2:12 am

    Right on SOS! Hope you send this directly to the President! He needs to hear this on a daily basis.



  5. Eric on May 22, 2009 at 12:39 pm

    Excellent post "sister"! I hope the young president learns to be the leader that he said he would be instead of the whiner he's become.



  6. Dimsdale on May 22, 2009 at 1:49 pm

    This is what you get from a newbie politician with a razor thin resume trying to learn the job on the fly.  Most presidents would be smart enough to 1) take the time to get things and people in place, 2) perhaps consult the former office holder to see what insights he might offer, and 3) take a lesson from Harry Truman and learn that the "buck stops here."

    "It's Bush's fault" is on a par with "the dog ate it."  I guess that will be next.  Good thing he bought a dog.



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