Aziz Huq, writing in The Nation, urges Barack Obama to immediately begin the process of reversing the centralization of power that characterized the Bush administration. The administration manipulated the judiciary by creating an atmosphere of fear, and justified its power grab by stressing the importance of national security and the inviolability of “national secrets.” However, Obama will find it difficult to deprive himself of the enhanced executive powers his predecessor has bequeathed him, especially considering the edge they will give him in tackling healthcare and the economy. Nor will a friendly Congress or a supportive public apply great pressure on him to reestablish the proper boundaries of executive power. Huq advises the incoming president to take three necessary steps to reestablish the proper boundaries of executive power and reclaim our moral authority: 1) sign new legislation outlawing torture and provide restitution to victims of “enhanced interrogation techniques”; 2) make public the Office of Legal Counsel’s still classified interpretation of the law, which currently allows the president to override constitutional rights and habeas corpus; 3) establish a bipartisan investigative commission to expose how the Bush administration violated the constitution. As Huq writes, “Our fears are never an excuse for anyone’s suffering.”

 

Dismantling the Imperial Presidency (by Aziz Huq, The Nation)