2009 will be over in a few days, and with it the first decade of this century (which had no name until recently, with media writers auditioning various nicknames for it; personally, I like "The Noughties").
As far as I'm concerned, the "Person of the Decade"--the single individual whose life had the greatest impact on U.S. civil liberties this decade--would have to have been George W. Bush. He was president for 8 of the 10 years, and presided over the bulk of what would become known as the War on Terror.
His policy agenda still defines U.S. civil liberties in both parties; where policymakers stand, they tend to stand in relation to the Bush legacy. This will change over the next few years, as Obama gets his sea legs and the Bush years sink into history. But for now, right now, the civil liberties policy debate still orbits the Bush administration.
That said, there are a lot of people who aren't George W. Bush who have influenced civil liberties over the past decade. I'm preparing features on some of these people now, but I'm asking you, dear readers: Who do you consider to be the most important civil liberties figures of the Noughties, and why? You can share your thoughts in the Comments field below.
As far as I'm concerned, the "Person of the Decade"--the single individual whose life had the greatest impact on U.S. civil liberties this decade--would have to have been George W. Bush. He was president for 8 of the 10 years, and presided over the bulk of what would become known as the War on Terror.
His policy agenda still defines U.S. civil liberties in both parties; where policymakers stand, they tend to stand in relation to the Bush legacy. This will change over the next few years, as Obama gets his sea legs and the Bush years sink into history. But for now, right now, the civil liberties policy debate still orbits the Bush administration.
That said, there are a lot of people who aren't George W. Bush who have influenced civil liberties over the past decade. I'm preparing features on some of these people now, but I'm asking you, dear readers: Who do you consider to be the most important civil liberties figures of the Noughties, and why? You can share your thoughts in the Comments field below.
Comments