It’s been widely reported that President Obama is having a bipartisan Super Bowl party tonight at the White House. Less known was the emergency rescue plan to respond to the chicken wing shortage that was on the verge of causing riots in western New York and other areas around the nation in the lead-up to tonight’s game. Stephen Colbert reported on this potential disaster the other night in his interview of Richard Lobb of the National Chicken Council.
In his first major crisis of his presidency, President Obama met earlier this week with his National Security Advisor, James Jones, Mr. Lobb, and several cabinet members to devise a plan to locate chicken farms in the United States and prevent mass protests that authorities feared may have turned violent. The President then signed an executive order to tap the requisite chickens in the Strategic Chicken Reserve mentioned by Colbert. Happily, the chicken wing depression of 2009 seems to have been averted and millions of Americans will be able to eat wings, celery, and ranch dressing tonight without any disruption.
Today President Obama wasted no time in tearing down the detainee policy of George W. Bush in order to make room for new procedures. You can read summaries of the orders, but if you’re really ambitious and have some free time, you can also read the full texts of the orders at the White House website, here.
In between the inaugural ceremonies, the parade, and the balls, when did President Obama have time to issue this order???
As the inaugural weekend begins, I’m reflecting on what this event means for our history and our future. Sometimes I begin to take for granted how many significant changes are potentially just around the corner. An AP article I saw today reminded me how much is going to change simply by virtue of executive orders.
Maher Arar’s case is a troubling example of how far the US strayed from its core values during the Bush years. Fortunately, there will not be another Arar case under President Barack Obama. The AP reports that one of President-elect Obama’s executive orders to the CIA will be to end the practice of sending terrorist suspects to foreign countries to be tortured:
The plans would also have the effect of shutting down secret “black site” prisons around the world where the CIA has questioned terror suspects — with all future interrogations taking place inside American military facilities.
It is one thing to outlaw torture conducted by Americans, as Obama promised to do and seems certain to follow through on. It is another thing to go further and make sure we are not outsourcing torture to others. The fact that our decision on November 4, 2008 will end the American practice of extraordinary rendition and torture is one of the changes that I am most proud of at this time.
What are some of the changes to America that you’re thinking about this inaugural weekend?