By MARY GILBERT
While President-elect Barack Obama has been wildly successful in using the Web to build a vast network of supporters, interest groups on both sides of the aisle are also finding ways to rally their faithful. And left-leaning organizations may prove to be as much of an irritant as a boon to the new Democratic president as they push for sweeping and immediate changes to Bush administration policies.
The American Civil Liberties Union is holding a national telephone town-hall meeting with progressive activists tonight as part of its effort to push the Obama administration to "bring about much-needed change to this country." The call, moderated by executive director Anthony Romero and legislative director Caroline Fredrickson, will be dedicated to discussing what the group's supporters can do during the transition period to "hold the Bush administration accountable" and to force the incoming Obama team to "restore civil liberties."
The ACLU launched a campaign Wednesday pressuring Obama to close the detention centers at Guantanamo Bay on day one of his presidency. The group is also calling for the president-elect to sign executive orders Jan. 20 ending the use of torture and the practice of extraordinary rendition. "There is no room for patience or delay in these areas. We have to hold President-elect Obama's feet to the fire if we're going to turn hope into reality," said Romero in a press release.
The group took out a full-page ad in Wednesday's New York Times to promote its message, and it has launched a new Web site, www.closegitmo.com, where it will feature a series of videos about the detention camps. Produced in association with Brave New Foundation, the mini-documentaries will feature interviews with prison guards, lawyers for some of the detainees and former prisoners who have been released.
Such actions signal that the ACLU is serious about gathering its forces and pressuring Obama to get to work quickly on some of the issues he talked about during the campaign.
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