President Obama, making a speech this morning in Accra, Ghana to the Ghanian Parliament, had this to say:

"No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to to the rule of brutality and bribery.  That is not democracy, that is tyranny, and now is the time for it to end."

President Obama, like most journalists and establishment politicians, refuses to apply this same logic to the country he actually lives in.  Instead of lecturing Africans on democracy and the rule of law, the President could have included this in his speech:

"Look, upholding the rule of law is the most important thing any democracy can do, especially when the law applies to the most senior government officials.  That is why I am opening an independent investigation into the conduct of the former Bush administration in their prosecution of the War on Terror.  9/11 was a horrific event, no one can deny that.  But the truth of the matter is that 9/11 was a direct response to US foreign policy in the Middle East, specifically the presence of US troops in Saudi Arabia, something Osama bin Laden took particular offense to, considering the two holy cities of Islam, Mecca and Medina, are both located in this country (which also happens to have a large supply of oil).  Under my administration, it will not be the policy of the US government to lecture and criticize other countries for their failures to uphold the rule of law, democracy, and human rights when we have clearly not lived up to those standards, especially since 9/11.  Investigating the previous administration is not a partisan, vindictive attack on Republicans.  It is a matter of upholding the law.  We have clear stipulations, under domestic law and international treaties that we have signed and the US Senate has ratified, that our government does not torture, physically or psychologically.  There have been numerous reports, from the International Red Cross to Congressional investigations, that have highlighted the flawed legal opinions justifying the expansion of executive power and abuses of the law under the auspices of national security.  Under our system of governance, everyone is afforded a fair trail before an impartial judge.  Everyone, even so-called enemy combatants, has access to defense and is assumed innocence until proven guilty.  I am not here today to convict anyone for anything.  What I am saying is that the law applies to everyone in my country, not just ordinary citizens."

Just a thought...