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During 2008 ACLU membership conference, executive director Anthony Romero criticized President Bush and said that his administration was focused on keeping gays in the closet and abortions in the back alleys. He said that since 9/11 America has been opposed by the White House and abandoned by a feeble congress. This is the time, he said, to lead America back to the core principles it was founded on.

Romero said that the ACLU is the worlds largest organized law firm, and since 2001 membership has nearly doubled growing from 300,000 to 550,000 members. He also said that the ACLU’s docket has grown to 2,000 cases and that they have doubled their sponsors since 2000. He spoke on recent ACLU victories, most notably gay marriage.

He also said that he expected Guantanamo Bay to be closed and evacuated the day the new president is sworn into office. He said that along with Guantanamo Bay, the most important issues of this point in history are gay marriage, separation of church and state, and immigration. He said that the ACLU has a long history of standing on principles and they believe that the Bill of Rights applies to every person in every circumstance. He also said that the protection of religious liberty was on the forefront of the group’s agenda.