Obama extended and codified Bush’s counterterrorism powers over US citizens

Evidence

Domestically, Obama has attacked Muslims and Arabs by continuing Bush’s policies of torture, extraordinary rendition, and preemptive prosecution. American Muslims continue to be harassed and persecuted by the state. The drama of “homegrown terrorism” was only heightened under Obama in 2009, paving the way for the far-right-wing Islamophobic warriors. Obama has even gone further than Bush in several ways. He has secured for the president the power to execute US citizens suspected of ties to terrorism without so much as a trial or the apparently unnecessary burden of proof; the cleric and US citizen Anwar al-Awlaki was summarily executed in 2011. He also signed the National Defense Authorization Act, which, among other things, allows the military to detain “terror suspects” who are US citizens indefinitely without charge. Although this is both unconstitutional and illegal, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, and even though this process has torn Muslim families apart, Obama adopted Bush’s policies and codified them into law. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 581

Categorization

• SEED: This is the concrete ‘line from domestic fear to state power’ the reader is chasing — the NDAA provision and al-Awlaki execution are strong, specific factual hooks for an article on how Democratic administrations expanded the security state.
• XREF: connects to: Obama’s presidency mutated and advanced rather than ended the war on terror — Khaled A. Beydoun, American Islamophobia_ Understanding…, 329; Obama continued the War on Terror through rhetorical seduction.; Homegrown terrorism panic let Obama continue Bush-era war policies — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 499 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Failed counterinsurgency forced Obama back to counterterrorism and drone warfare #corroborates (0.60) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 432