Will Obama Fix the Executive Branch?

^{Related: Top 10 Civil Liberties Stories of 2008}

When it comes to politics, should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?

Not if we want to undo the damage the Bush administration has done to separation of powers--but it could happen if civil libertarians don't keep their focus on the dangers posed by an unchecked executive branch. As Salon.com's Glenn Greenwald argues in a New Year's Day column:

For the last seven years, Democrats have repeatedly cited GOP political dominance to excuse their wholesale failures to limit, let alone reverse, the devastating war waged by the Bush administration on America's core liberties and form of government. With a new Democratic president and large majorities in both Congressional houses, those excuses will no longer be so expedient. As dark and depressing as these last seven years have been for civil libertarians, culminating in an almost entirely grim 2008, there is no question that the Obama administration and the Democrats generally now possess the power to reverse these abuses and restore our national political values. But as the events of the last 12 months conclusively demonstrate, there are substantial questions as to whether they have the will to do so.

Check out the ACLU's Actions for Restoring America page to find out how the Obama administration can begin to fix what the Bush administration has broken, and how you can help put pressure on the new administration to do just that.