The Woman Who Could Nail Bush: Are the Worst of the Torture Memos Still to Come?

Scott Horton, The Daily Beast wrote an article in AlterNet talking about the women who could nail Bush. The GOP is threatening an ugly fight over an Obama Justice Department appointee who wants to disclose more Bush-era torture memos.
The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, often considered the "brains" of the department, has been known mostly to legal experts, until recently. But for the past eight years, it was the epicenter of allegations of political manipulation. In tapping Eric Holder as attorney general, President Obama has promised to restore standards of professionalism to the department. On March 19, the nomination of Indiana University law professor Dawn Johnsen to head the OLC was endorsed by the Judiciary Committee with every Republican voting against her and Sen. Arlen Spector (R-PA) abstaining. The nomination was to have been brought to the Senate floor for a vote on Monday and then again on Wednesday, but it has been held back. Republican leaders, it appears, are playing with the notion of making Johnsen the target of their first filibuster. Johnsen is committed to overturning the Bush administration’s policies on torture and warrantless surveillance, which would clip the wings of the imperial presidency. The controversy surrounding Johnsen provides a flashpoint for President Obama’s nominees for administration legal posts. Unsurprisingly, they look an awful lot like Barack Obama—strong legal credentials, an academic bent, and liberal attitudes balanced by a strong commitment to political pragmatism.
Obama’s top picks start with a couple of well-known Washington names. Eric Holder, the nation’s first black attorney general, was a career Justice Department attorney who spent his formative years as a prosecutor in the department’s Public Integrity Section. Obabma's picks are mostly people that have a law degree and are "smart." A scan of the names involved makes clear that Obama is not looking for any particular ideological line—the candidates tapped range from centrist conservatives to traditional liberals. But he clearly is seeking individuals highly regarded by their peers who are on top of the issues for which they will have responsibility. Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe, one of the nation’s leading constitutional scholars and Supreme Court advocates, and Obama’s former teacher, is often mentioned as an adviser in the background, a gray eminence, counseling Obama on appointments and policy choices. Another legal academic said to figure in Obama’s inner circle is Harvard law professor Cass Sunstein, who until recently was a colleague of Obama’s at the University of Chicago Law School. Sunstein has been appointed to head the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, while his wife Samantha Power, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, serves as chief on the National Security Council as head of international organizations.
Unlike Obama, a professor of law, George W. Bush was noted for a sharp disdain for lawyers. The Bush administration’s overriding concern was for political loyalty. It demanded individuals who would unquestioningly implement the White House’s directives. The Obama nominees, presenting the sharpest possible contrast, have drawn sputtering fire from Republicans in Congress and have come under broad attack from religious-right leaders who previously had strong influence in Justice Department picks. Dawn Johnsen is an interesting test case. If the Republicans opt for a filibuster or move to line up a unanimous GOP vote in opposition, it will be a shot across the bow of the Obama Justice Department.

This article should have gave more detail about the Dawn Johnsen and about other women who could nail Bush. I think there are a lot of men in the government that are sexist. They don't have enough faith in women and they should. Women could do great things to help the government but some people won't even give them a chance.

Obama Reversing Stem Cell Limits Imposed by Bush

David Stout and Gardiner Harris posted an article in The New York Times titled "Obama Reversing Stem Cell Limits Imposed by Bush." President Obama will announce Monday that he is reversing Bush administration limits on federal financing for embryonic stem cell research as part of a pledge to separate science and politics. Obama has spoke out in favor of stem cell research while he was running for president so his intention to to undo what Bush had placed was not surprising.
Mr. Obama’s announcement is not likely to lead to any immediate change in government policy, since it may take many months for the National Institutes on Health to develop new guidelines for research. Many scientists believe that they may one day be able to provide tissues to replace worn-out organs or nonfunctioning cells and offer powerful new treatments for diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease and other diseases. Some researchers say the stem cells may even be used someday to treat catastrophic injuries like damage to the spinal cord.
Many people have a moral problem with embryonic stem cell research because creation of the cells means destruction of human embryos. A lot of people are wondering whether Obama would seek to undo the Bush-era restrictions through legislation or by executive order. Many of the people that are opposed to the research say the embryos are nothing less than tiny human beings, with souls, and that destroying them is just like murder.

I think there are both good and bad things about stem cell research. If it helps find cures for diebetes, heart disease, and other diseases then I think it is a very good thing to do. Diebetes and heart disease run in my family so this is very personal to me. I do understand why people are opposed to it though. They think it killing embyos, potential life forms. If I had to pick a side, I would want more stem cell research done because it really hits home for me.