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Today's Top News
The White House Truth Gap
The Bush administration never lets the facts get in the way of a good story.
When asked Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation" about the firing of eight federal prosecutors, Vice President Dick Cheney said: "I mean, this took place inside the Justice Department. The one who needs to answer to that and lay out on the record the specifics of what transpired is the attorney general, and he'll do so."
The same day, the Albuquerque Journal reported that one of the federal prosecutors, US attorney David Iglesias, was fired after Republican Senator Pete Domenici of New Mexico made a personal appeal to the White House. Domenici had complained to Gonzales about Iglesias, the newspaper reported, but Gonzales said he would fire Iglesias only on orders from the president. Domenici subsequently spoke to Karl Rove, senior political adviser to President Bush, and then to Bush himself. Iglesias's name was a last-minute addition to the list of prosecutors to be fired.
News accounts like that make it hard for the White House to keep its distance from the controversy. Gonzales makes it even harder. His credibility is now so undermined, it is difficult to believe anything he says. That is a sad statement to be able to make about the nation's top law enforcement official.
The embattled attorney general is scheduled to testify today to explain the circumstances around the firings. His appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee, originally scheduled for Tuesday, was postponed in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings.
So far, Gonzales admits to "missteps" that include conflicting statements about his personal involvement in the matter. At a March 13 news conference, Gonzales said that he "was not involved in any discussions about what was going on." However, in a statement prepared for delivery to the Senate committee and released over the weekend, Gonzales said that he "misspoke" on March 13. He acknowledged that he was "periodically updated" about a job performance review of the US attorneys conducted at his behest by his then chief of staff, D. Kyle Sampson. Of the conficting versions he offered about his role, Gonzales said: "I certainly understand why these statements generated confusion, and I regret that."
In the statement, Gonzales also apologized to the US attorneys "for allowing this matter to become an unfortunate and undignified spectacle" and said, "I am sorry for my missteps that have helped to fuel the controversy."
Being sorry was not enough to save Don Imus, and it shouldn't be enough to save Gonzales.
But more important than the issue of one man's employment is this bigger question: Can the public ever get a straight answer from anyone in the Bush administration? The answer appears to be no, whether the matter is foreign or domestic.
Bush ran for the White House pledging to bring a higher standard of honesty to the Oval Office. But, from war to hurricanes, that hasn't been the case. The firing of the federal prosecutors is just one more example of an administration committed to never owning up to the truth.
These federal prosecutors serve at the pleasure of the president. So the White House could have acknowledged that the president sought some of these resignations. The problem here is that prosecutors don't serve simply to carry out any president's political priorities. Partisan considerations are not supposed to affect a prosecutorial agenda, even though they sometimes do. The White House clearly didn't want to take the heat for any such appearance. In this case, news reports like the recent one in the Albuquerque Journal, along with various e-mail correspondence, reveal a strong White House interest in getting certain people appointed as prosecutors.
In a March 7 op-ed published in USA Today, Gonzales said the prosecutors were fired for "what have been referred to broadly as 'performance-related' reasons." But that has since been disputed in testimony from others in the Justice Department loop who said they were unaware of performance problems, up until the attorneys were fired.
To get back to Cheney's statement on "Face the Nation," the "specifics of what transpired" go beyond Gonzales and the Justice Department. They go straight to the White House, which explains why the White House is fighting efforts by some in Congress to force the sworn testimony of top aides like Rove and obtain more e-mail correspondence.
The truth is never an option for the Bush White House. Joan Vennochi's e-mail address is vennochi@globe.com
© Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company
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21 Comments so far
Show AllThe truth is never an option, and neither is accountability. Nothing is ever anyone's fault. Whatever happened to Bush being - in his words - "the decider?" Obviously, the buck DOESN'T stop there.
The "buck" has left the station. No longer in the house. Buried under so much deception that the truth has suffocated and is no longer heard from.
How did we end up with this administration? Even more importantly, how do we get the country back on track in the world?
Bush Administration = LYING WEASELS
Sure makes you want to FIRE Bush for "performance related problems." How does the Supreme Court sleep at night? Are they content with their choice, do they now see live and in bloody color what casting their vote for a "pro business" candidate has COST this nation in moral and real treasure? Or are those unitarians just watching their chessboard, as they steal piece after piece. The US basis for justice is predicated on the presumption of innocence, a very useful thing for con-men and habitual offenders. Our food, for instance, is so tainted that to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that any ONE source is responsible becomes nearly impossible. A climate of trespassers protect each other, as is the case with the Bush administration. They gamble those odds over and over again. TRY to PROVE me guilty, style... and there's always one juror who's enamored by the "prowess" of the next unapologetic absolute ruler/fuhrer/dictator/czar. HONOR is now on the US endangered species list when it comes to politics... the dark parts of human nature will always be with us, but I can't remember a time when they had top billing.
Why does this article stick to the "AttorneyGate" issue? This administration NEVER tells the truth about ANYTHING! It is now a fact (undisputed by anyone) that there were never any WMD in Iraq, nor (minus Cheney, who is unhinged) does anyone tout the "Al-Qaiada" connection. But the kool-aid drinkers insist it was a result of "Intelligence failures". But look at the Jessica Lynch story, a preplanned lie from the word "Go". Or Pat Tillman's phonied-up funeral. Carl Bernstein said it best; calling this administration a pack of liars isn't an opinion anymore, it's a fact.
This site has now eaten THREE of my posts!
What's going on?
The word is "lie" Ms. Vennochi. Or liar. Isn't this piece about the "truth?" Then say, damn it - loud and repeatedly.
Side note: stop saying "serves at the pleasure of the President." Sure, in theory, we all "serve at the pleasure" of our Employer, who may chose to fire us for any reason at any time, or promote us in spite of poor job performance. The AG has a boss - the President - but HE/SHE WORKS FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. We pay him to insure all laws are followed. WE PAY HIM, the President does not. Even the term "serves at the pleasure" suggests a King who hires and fires on pure whim, not on merit, experience and integrity.
Which government official hires which government official is irrelevant. All of them WORK FOR WE THE PEOPLE. Period.
My biggest laugh over the weekend came when Bob Schieffer, in an interview with Dick Cheney about the fired US prosecutors, asked if the V.P. thought the entire administration had lost its credibility.
Cheney's reply, "Oh, I don't think so, Bob."
For the administration and the Republican Party at large, it is not a matter of honesty, integrity, nor an issue of prosecutors "serving at the pleasure of the president". This has more to do with getting partisan prosecutors in place who will conduct investigations focusing on corruption among Democrats over the next two years. Under this exposure and heat, I believe their reasoning goes, the Democrats will have a hard time sustaining a majority in Congress, and likely will not be able to take back the White House in 2008.
The idea of a truth gap can be widely applied across the US, encompassing all kinds of enterprises. And therein are the roots of the government's truth gap.
There is not one grain of truth any anything they say. If thier mouth moves, lies are created. Of corse they don't like to take oaths in court, of course they fear incriminating testamony, of course they lose emails,records, meeting minutes, etc etc The truth hurts them!
It's amazing the number of people in this country who've "gotten alzheimers" since this administration has been so full of "misplaced" "lost" "accidently deleted" "don't recall" and "that simply never happened" lines.
In Clinton's time they said he was a role model for our youth, and that he'd corrupted them - with the blow job in the closet that they themselves exposed to the whole world's youth. Guess we all know now what they really want the youth of the world to be, don't we?
GAP????? How about CHASM.
I am just despondent every time I think of the huge to-do over the Clinton "scandal" while these Marx brothers Machiavellians get away with lies, lies, and more lies, and nothing happens, not one goddam thing. What is everyone so afraid of?
jp...we are just a sick society
Yes, we are just a sick society. Bush is just the latest manisfestation of the sickness in this country. Some presidents have been great, others OK, and yet others, bad. What's new about this administration is that they don't care one bit about anything. The truth? We'll never hear it and they will tell you lies with their sweaty palms on a stack of Bibles.
At least other administrations were a little more subtle and diplomatic about making sure the USA got its way. The Bush administration has no time for niceties.
On Lehrer News Hour last night Sen Pat Leahy alleged that Abu Gonzales was a liar. But Arlen Spector said Abu deserved the benefit of doubt; that he was merely grossly incompetent.
By either analysis, it's time for Abu to go. The House should start impeachment proceedings against the AG immediately.
Has anyone considered that this whole atty firing thing might be a decoy to distract us while they prepare to bomb Iran and steal Iraq's oil?
You might expect lies from cowards. Of greater importance are the few truths that have escaped their filters.
Bush lie? You must be joking.
"Gap"
Never thought of the distance between the earth and the stars as a "gap"
The "buck" can't possible stop with Bush, or anywhere else in America, because it is now owned by China.