Many of those who currently support president Obama voted as a protest against Bush and the policies of the past 8 years, an administration that was about as transparent as a bottle of mud. The prevailing thought amongst the “Change We Can Believe In” crowd was that America would see an entirely different approach under our new president and consequently an end to the days of Blackwater, torture and the dark ways of his predecessor.

In a recent article in The Nation, Jeremy Scahill, who gained noteriety for noted for his expose on the Blackwater era, informs us that there has been little change in many of the inhuman policies that showered innocent lives with death and destruction during the Bush years.

The article begins thusly:

At a covert forward operating base run by the US Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) in the Pakistani port city of Karachi, members of an elite division of Blackwater are at the center of a secret program in which they plan targeted assassinations of suspected Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives, “snatch and grabs” of high-value targets and other sensitive action inside and outside Pakistan, an investigation by The Nation has found. The Blackwater operatives also assist in gathering intelligence and help direct a secret US military drone bombing campaign that runs parallel to the well-documented CIA predator strikes, according to a well-placed source within the US military intelligence apparatus.”

Scahill writes for a magazine that would be easy to peg as an Obama cheerleader were it not for such an example of journalism in the truest sense of the word.

I for one was under the impression that voters overwhelmingly supported Mr Obama because of his perceived ‘anti-war’ positions, though I knew this not to be the case back in October ’08.

This story represents a major crack in the PR armor for the Obama camp- one that has the power to leave a significant number of his supporters disillusioned. Blackwater, intentional attacks on civilians and shadowy operations outside the range of congressional oversight were supposed to be relegated to the past after the election of Obama, at least in the minds of his supporters. Well here you go Barack fans- strong evidence that at least in terms of mangling bodies around the globe, our current president has continued and possibly even raised the bar.

It makes me wonder what else that was supposed to “change” has actually become far worse…