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Anthony Romero, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, is “disgusted” with President Obama,” he told a conference of progressive activists on Wednesday. Politico‘s Josh Gerstein has a short piece on the quote, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise. The ACLU has been the central bulwark against the relentless weakening of civil liberties protections since 9/11. Civil liberties activists fervently hoped that Obama, a former constitutional law professor, would be different. I talk to people in this community often, and there is definitely a sense of despair now. Think about some of the things Obama has done (or not done) that affect civil liberties:

People can disagree on civil liberties. But given their positions on these issues, no one should expect Romero and the ACLU to be anything but disillusioned.