Moyers & Company
» Full Show: Are Drones Destroying our Democracy? » Vicki Divoll and Vincent Warren on Drones and Democracy

Comparing Obama and Bush’s Records on Wartime Civil Liberties

February 1, 2013

On this week’s episode of Moyers & Company, Bill speaks with Vicki Divoll and Vincent Warren about some similarities and differences in President Bush and President Obama’s approaches to civil liberties during the “war on terror.” Did Obama’s first term bring substantive policy change on issues such as drones strikes, surveillance and torture? Use this interactive timeline, created by ProPublica, to decide for yourself.

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  • Rico

    You should add the additional legislation passed under Obomba that reiterates or expands existing legislation, such as NDAA.

  • http://www.facebook.com/peter.mcnamee Peter McNamee

    Thanks for remaining a clear and honest beacon cutting through the fog of propaganda spewed at the American public.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001487067405 Kris Rosvold

    Can we please charge any legislator who voted for NDAA with treason as they SWORE to protect the Constitution and are WORKING to GUT it!?

  • http://profiles.google.com/uradragon Dean Libey

    Mr. Moyers thank you for the continued truth you offer. I’ve welcomed your views for years.

  • sam smith

    I have been tortured by the Virginia Sate Police and the Newport News Police for over 4 1/2 years. Just because you can’t see the blood, doesn’t make it any less painful. Please help. It is so painful. Pelase help, please, please. I need 100,00 signature in 30 days in order to stop the torture. Please help, please. Please sign my petition at:
    http://wh.gov/dXI4

  • Isis

    Why isn’t the Whistle Blowers act on here too? And the number of government/military whistle blowers each has gone after?

  • Dolores

    Thank you for helping us find out so much about what is going on on our name.

  • http://www.facebook.com/rraznikov Richard Raznikov

    This is a bit disingenuous. Although the chart indicates that CIA ‘black sites’ and torture have been halted under Obama, it would be naive to think that’s so. The CIA continues to kidnap people and send them to countries where they are tortured. We have simply ‘cleaned it up a little’ so that it’s deniable. The confirmation of the Brennan appointment, hell, the appointment itself is eloquent evidence that torture is still going on and Obama’s still doing it regardless of what he claims.

  • MBrecker

    Obama says he has the right to monitor all of my communications. If he says I’m a “terrorist”, he can kill me anywhere in the world. As for torture, he outsources it for deniability. As for potentially prosecuting him for making real terrorism worse, nobody will dare to do it. Why? Those with money and power will never allow it.

  • Anonymous

    You point out a major flaw in the above chart and I hope Moyers and editors of this page correct this. Also, it should be mentioned that Obama’s DoJ has basically whitewashed the entire chapter on the torture team’s operations.

  • http://twitter.com/PeaceLibLady Peace&JusticeLady

    People being tortured by Drone flights in other countries, would argue it is torturous. So maybe where Enhanced interrogation was banned, a new category should be added called indirect torture, or mental torture