Can We Become Americans Again? | Nat Hentoff | Cato Institute: Commentary

Can We Become Americans Again? | Nat Hentoff | Cato Institute: Commentary: "On Sept. 12, 2001, President George W. Bush assured us: "We will not allow this enemy to win the war by changing our way of life or restricting our freedoms."

The enemy has certainly tried, but it was President Bush, following the advice of Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, who began the extensive attack on our individual liberties through the Patriot Act, which passed on Oct. 26, 2001.

Then, President Barack Obama went far beyond his predecessor's administration to become the most destructive uprooter of our Constitution in our nation's history."

"But never did I even imagine that an American president, without insuring due process in a court of law, would — as Obama does — use a kill list to target suspected terrorists for assassination. So far this list has also included three American citizens."

"throughout the long, fiercely divisive presidential and Congressional campaigns, there were hardly any references to Obama's persistent contempt for the Constitution. This was the case among loyal Obama Democrats, of course, but also among Republicans and independents."