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Barack Obama is less than half way through his term, but already his presidency has proven to be the most destructive in U.S. history. That is the charge made by author and political commentator David Limbaugh in Crimes Against Liberty. Attorney Limbaugh organizes his allegations into three primary themes: offenses against Americans, offenses against American institutions, and offenses against America's general welfare and security. Part I of the book paints a very disturbing portrait of a prevaricating, narcissistic bully who regularly runs roughshod over anyone who disagrees with him. Part II cites numerous examples of Obama acting as a "dictator" by making end runs around legislative rules and constitutional checks on presidential power. This section also details the President's unprecedented assault on the financial, healthcare, banking, insurance and auto industries. Limbaugh devotes an entire chapter to an incident the media should have covered as a major scandal but didn't: Obama's firing of AmeriCorps Inspector General Gerald Walpin for investigating misuse of taxpayer money by Obama friend and supporter Kevin Johnson. Part III outlines Obama's reckless spending policies and his pattern of insulting and betraying American allies while kowtowing to our enemies. The chapter "See No Evil" recounts the president's naïve approach to national security. His feckless treaties obliging America to unilaterally reduce our defense capabilities and his refusal to acknowledge the connection between Islam and terrorism are of particular concern. While each reader will no doubt discover new details, the book's greatest contribution is collecting and organizing the episodes that constitute Obama's record thus far. The sheer volume of disingenuous statements and acts of bad faith assembled here prove these are not isolated "mistakes," but an intentional pattern of behavior. The most frightening realization may be that Limbaugh's scathing indictment is based solely on what he could find through research of public records and media accounts (as documented in almost 100 pages of footnotes). What more is going on behind the shield of executive privilege? (Regnery, 2010, 503 pp., $29.95) |
In a chapter titled "The Liar," Limbaugh recounts more than two dozen broken promises and outright lies. In light of this evidence, it is almost comical to note Obama's attack on Sarah Palin when she portrayed herself as an earmark watchdog during the presidential campaign. "Come on!" said candidate Obama. "I mean, words mean something, you can't just make stuff up."
