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TechnoratiPresident Bush, moving toward a constitutional showdown with Congress, asserted executive privilege Thursday and rejected lawmakers' demands for documents that could shed light on the firings of federal prosecutors.
Bush's attorney told Congress the White House would not turn over subpoenaed documents for former presidential counsel Harriet Miers and former political director Sara Taylor.
In reaction, Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy accused the administration of shifting "into Nixonian stonewalling" and revealing "disdain for our system of checks and balances."
"With respect, it is with much regret that we are forced down this unfortunate path which we sought to avoid by finding grounds for mutual accommodation," White House counsel Fred Fielding said in a letter to Leahy and the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. "We had hoped this matter could conclude with your committees receiving information in lieu of having to invoke executive privilege. Instead, we are at this conclusion."
Thursday was the deadline for surrendering the documents. The White House also made clear that Miers and Taylor would not testify next month, as directed by the subpoenas, which were issued June 13. The stalemate could end up with House and Senate contempt citations and a battle in federal court over separation of powers.
"Increasingly, the president and vice president feel they are above the law," said Leahy, D-Vt., after getting the news from Fielding in an early-morning phone call. "In America no one is above law."
In his letter, Fielding said Bush had "attempted to chart a course of cooperation" by releasing more than 8,500 pages of documents and sending Gonzales and other senior officials to testify before Congress. The White House also had offered a compromise in which Miers, Taylor, White House political strategist Karl Rove and their deputies would be interviewed by Judiciary Committee aides in closed-door sessions, without transcripts. Democrats Patrick Leahy of Vermont and John Conyers of Michigan, the chairs of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees, have rejected that offer.
On the other hand, Fielding said Bush "was not willing to provide your committees with documents revealing internal White House communications or to accede to your desire for senior advisors to testify at public hearings.
"The reason for these distinctions rests upon a bedrock presidential prerogative: for the President to perform his constitutional duties, it is imperative that he receive candid and unfettered advice and that free and open discussions and deliberations occur among his advisors and between those advisors and others within and outside the Executive Branch," Fielding said.
"The doctrine of executive privilege exists, at least in part, to protect such communications from compelled disclosure to Congress, especially where, as here, the president's interests in maintaining confidentiality far outweigh Congress's interests in obtaining deliberative White House communications," Fielding said.
"Further, it remains unclear precisely how and why your committees are unable to fulfill your legislative and oversight interests without the unfettered requests you have made in your subpoenas," Fielding said. "Put differently, there is no demonstration that the documents and information you seek by subpoena are critically important to any legislative initiatives that you may be pursuing or intending to pursue."
It was the second time in his administration that Bush has exerted executive privilege, said White House deputy press secretary Tony Fratto. The first instance was in December, 2001, to rebuff Congress' demands for Clinton administration documents.
Tensions between the administration and the Democratic-run Congress have been building for months as the House and Senate Judiciary panels have sought to probe the firings of eight federal prosecutors and the administration's program of warrantless eavesdropping. The investigations are part of the Democrats' efforts to hold the administration to account for the way it has conducted the war on terrorism since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Democrats say the firings of the prosecutors over the winter was an example of improper political influence. The White House says U.S. attorneys are political appointees who can be hired and fired for almost any reason.
Democrats and even some key Republicans have said that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should resign over the U.S. attorney dismissals, but he has steadfastly held his ground and Bush has backed him.
Just Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee subpoenaed the White House and Vice President Dick Cheney's office, demanding documents pertaining to terrorism-era warrant-free eavesdropping.
Separately, that panel also is summoning Gonzales to discuss the program and an array of other matters - including the prosecutor firings - that have cost a half-dozen top Justice Department officials their jobs.
The Judiciary panels also subpoenaed the National Security Council. Leahy added that, like House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., he would consider pursuing contempt citations against those who refuse.
Associated Press Writer Deb Riechmann contributed to this story.
Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press
80 Comments so far
Show AllTwo more Republican representatives have signed on as co-sponsors to HR 333 (Kucinich initiated bill to impeach Dick Cheney).
Pelosi and Reid now pushing for straight up and down vote on troop drawdown after Congress' summer recess.
Expect more Republicans to sign on after the summer recess when they get an earful from their constituients. Also, though not nearly enough, the move by Democrats to move on Iraq before General Petreus' report in September is clearly the result of public pressure.
Looks like the stagnation will start to break up in early August and begin to take off in September.
Siouxrose, thank you for the info, good tip on that Bush article, l'll read it.
Here is a note written by a good Republican.
At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected?
I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us; it cannot come from abroad.
If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher.
As a nation of free men, we must live through all time,___ or die by suicide.
Abraham Lincoln
Ronsimonson: __ Every president replaced US attorneys as soon a they were sworn in; that is standard procedure. Cheney and Bush fired the ones "Bush hired". They did that in very devious ways. They got rid of the ones who did not go along with Bush and Cheney's antics.
That my friend is a biggggg difference than what Clinton and all presidents before him did. It stunk and it stinks and it is just another example of how these two men are taking over the country. You and we have not seen the end of it. Look out when they really take over and create a dictatorship. They have carefully set up the means and ways to insure they have the power to do it.__ We'll see.
Ronsimonson - do us all a favor and look beyond the Fox News irrational-Clinton-hating sound bite before you shoot your mouth off. Clinton replaced all of the US attorneys at the beginning of his term, as did Bush and virtually every other president. That's the way it's done. They don't serve at the will of the President, they serve the American people, as does the President. Not just Republican people, as Bush's lackeys have said, and not just rich people, as Bush's administration has proven, but all the people. Bush and Cheney are the biggest crybabies of all, hiding behind executive privilege orders they invent, trying to scare us with phony doomsday scenarios, when the really scary stuff is their disdain for the Constitution and the will of the people. Partisan Bush apologists like you prop up these criminals. I would almost like to see Hillary in the White House just so you Republican dupes will get a taste of your own medicine.
Remember Bush's often repeated verse on how the terrorist hated us and wanted to kill us because of our beliefs, our freedoms and our Democratic way of life? That this was why we had to go stop them over there before they came here to destroy our way of life?
When I think of how things have changed here since we went to war, the accusations that have come, if we weren't with them (Bushies) we were against them which made us all kinds of mean, bad, ugly things. The loss of our freedoms, privacy, etc. The fear mongering, lies, deceptions, manipulations, the fear of saying the wrong combination of words on the phone, the fear of strangers so lets not let them into our country, HEY lets build lots of long tall ugly walls, that will make them go away! When and where does this stop? I don't think it can now, I'm afraid we will live with this for the rest of our lives. It's all about fear now, the willingness to give up the freedoms to have a false sense of security, lets not talk to them, lets just threaten them or bomb them, then we'll be safe.
I've never felt so afraid in my life, yes fear of the strangers, but more of the elected officials that feel they above the law, they are doing 'God's will', they scare me the most. Are we not fighting a war with a faction that thinks they are doing the same thing?
I'm afraid that "they" no longer have to do another thing, that our leaders are doing all the things Bush said "they" wanted to kill us for. I PRAY I'm wrong.
I don't know what amazes me more than the irrational hatred for Bush is the fact that they will take down anyone even remotley asscociated with him.
But a couple things about this
Slick Willy fired almost ALL of the US atty's - nary a peep
THERE IS NO CRIME HERE just a bunch of crybabies trying to get at Bush they serve at the will of the pres. period!
annabelle said:
"Our CIA has been involved in regime change all around the world. I am surprized that someone hasn’t attemped a regime change in America. It would have to come from outside as it isn’t going to happen at home, it’s off the table."
What about JFK, RFK and (probably) Paul Wellstone, just to name a few?
Soeharto,
And yet another mumbling from the unintelligent forms of life that just occupy space on this planet.
Some excellent and informed commentary on the covert moves that have taken place on the US political chessboard.
WCDevins: Thank you for laying out logistical improbabilities. I, too, have always felt 911 was an inside job because from a political perspective it was just too convenient. The senate and house in Republican hands, the court leaning to conservative views, all that was needed was "third base." The election might have fell to greater contention had there not been a trigger to throw the public into no mood to "question their appointed leader."
Kathydot: Thank you for pointing out the ominous character of the Supreme Court. Unitary executive devotees are a lot like those who dream up slogans like, "Leave no child behind," or "Healthy forest Initiative." These banners hide the insidious truth behind the planned agendas.
Duramater: Deep and sound strategy.
Carapella55: Exactly!
READERS: if you are so inclined, TRUTHOUT.ORG has a very important article posted today on Bush and the END TIMES belief system. It is a MUST read.
Part of their plan to control the planet is the North American Union between the United States, Canada and Mexico. People like to think of Canada as this wonderful, pacifistic retreat. Not. They are one of the biggest suppliers of uranium to various countries in the world against their own stated policies! That's number one. And going along with the N.A.U. will be a new currency similar to the Euro. This is all in the pipeline. The American people will not go for this without a fight. But just watch the "Democrats" cave. Just like they're doing now along with their Republican co-conspirators. They all disgust me. Every single one of them who is not screaming from the rooftops that there is TREASON in the air deserves the same fate as those we indict on these pages.
Secondly, since the corporate controlled dog and pony show of electoral politics is in full force, the power elite need not worry about our stupid "elections". First, they will decide who the final candidates are and no matter which one "wins" they win. The "go along to get along" Democrats, along with their Republican co-conspirators put the final nail in that coffin by legislating that all voting must be ELECTRONIC by the 2008 Presidential election. Newsflash!!!! WE WON'T BE COUNTING THESE "VOTES".
Which is why, even though we won't have a candidate (as usual) for whom to vote who we actually SUPPORT!, I have been the main cheerleader for ABSENTEE VOTING AND XEROXING OUR BALLOTS SO WE CAN FREAKIN' COUNT THEM!!! Neighborhood caucuses, coffee and cookies. Palm Beach County redux!!! We need to tell THEM who won, not the other way around.
But, none of this dialogue between any of us means jack squat because the masses of the American people will "go along to get along", will remain ignorant of any truth regarding the bogus "9-11 Commission Report" (Google "The Jersey Girls") etc. etc. etc. Dr. Helen Caldicott coined a phrase for this type of reaction to things that are too ugly to see (like the horror of nuclear weapons). It's called "psychic numbing". The only way to break through that is for all of us "leaders" to get off these discussion groups and go out into the public and start meeting with people, sharing videos and information and organizing. We need to take our concerns, information and activism to the next level. Sadly, I don't see that happening.
The same people reading all these articles, and doing all the research will still be reading articles, doing research and sharing information a year from now...never going to the next level. Remember foks: "THE ONLY THING TO FEAR IS FEAR ITSELF."
Like I said the other day with the famous quote by Eldridge Cleaver: "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem". The problem, as I see it, is that "WE" ARE THE SOLUTION.
claudius said... "Politically, the remainder of this summer should be interesting."
Mmmm. Claudius. You sound like a typical American armchair activist, well out of harm's way. "This summer", as you put it, could see another 100,000 non-Americans slaughtered. "Interesting"? Oh yeah?
You people revel in your Despicable (Bush) v Disappointing (Democrats), USA-centric soap-opera-esque preoccupations. Take you're C-Span fascination, and hide it where the sun don't shine.
And please. Spare us your analysis!
DuraMater - You hit it right on the head. You can't play nice or fair with these guys. You have to constantly hit them hard below the belt. I was looking at some of the responses on CBS and people are starting to soften now that Bush took another shot in the groin with the failure of passing the Immigration Bill. I chimed in and said now is NOT the time to get soft, but now is time to push for the IMPEACHMENT and CONVICTION of Cheney and Bush!! Whatever you do, play rough and outside the rules. That is how Bush and Cheney like it.
Doesn't the local law arrest someone who thumbs there nose at a supoena??? Why isn't Bush and Cheney in jail????
Well maybe our seven years of tribulation will end before Bush/Cheney will get their desired state of emergency.
This is no surprise! You know damn well the last thing King George is apt to do is to allow the commoner, information on what his ruling aleit are doing. It is his notion that we simply would not understand that what he is doing is for our own good. Besides this information would be damning to his ruling class in the elections.
All things from this administration have been FOR the wealthy and AGAINST the poor and what little middle class we have left. From the supreme court nominees the part "D" medicare, to the tax cuts for the rich, etc, etc. In the next few months, things will get either substantially worse or somewhat better. Hold on for the ride!
Since our quaint little laws don't apply to these two does that mean we can shoot em?
if ever there was a time for Mass protests, it is now. it is now!
If you want to take Cheney down, I suspect you're going to have to learn to play dirty. Cheney doesn't think he's in the same sandpit; Halliburton's now headquartered in Dubai, safe as he thinks, from vengeance from the American people.
Halliburton's also taken how many billions of dollars from the US that were ear-marked for the reconstruction of Iraq - and hasn't accounted for them.
The breakdown of basic facilities in Iraq and the lack of American interest in repairing them, was one of the root causes of the insurgency, after all. And apparently it has led to the possibility of cholera and typhoid outbreaks in Iraq, with the possibility of such diseases being transmitted via troops and refugees, to surrounding nations. Including Dubai. Including, of course, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Find out how happy the Dubai authorities are at the thought that Halliburton's happy to use their facilities, while threatening them with what is in effect biological terrorism.
Halliburton's Cheney's power base. Cut Cheney out of the pack. Then, step-by-step, cut Dubya's and Cheney's power base to shreds. Plausibile deniability's the entryway here - later, you upgrade it to undeniable culpability - ie, you entrap them with finding excuses, then while they are digging up the evidence to disprove, you find the missing links in the inexplicable lapses in their "evidence".
The stock market loses confidence in their power base; they lose confidence in their defense; you win.
It worked on Suharto's Ordo Baru - it should work on Bushcheney.
purvis - I knew WTC 6 and 8 both collapsed, but haven't researched them extensively. My recollection is they were both heavily damaged by the collapse of the towers and came down under the weight of debris.
The new owner of the struggling (many floors vacant) WTC had only purchased the property a few months prior to 9/11. He seemed to have bought a pig-in-a-poke, a huge money-losing white elephant rooted on super-prime NYC real estate, too expensive to refurbish and impossible to tear down. With the insurance payout doubled from two terrorist attacks, he increased his investment on the buildings many times over, and still owns the invaluable piece of land itself. Pretty good for a three-month investment. Coincidence or conspiracy? - you make the call!
wcdevins June 29th, 2007 1:45 am
Not to fuel any conspiracy theories, but you're forgetting or haven't been informed of WTC 8, also known as the Customs Building, which also collapsed for no apparent reason whatsoever. No steel frame building had ever collapsed due to fire prior to 9/11. Now you get four within two hours. Draw your own conclusions.
Here's how the whole scenario is going to play out. After a "confrontation" between the President and Congress about a completely minor political fix, the Chimp will give in for a back room negociated free ride on the really serious crimes his administration has committed. The greaseball Gonzales will be be thrown to the dogs as a sacrifice to the real hierarchy.
SkyWriter: WTC 7 seems to be the key, because it fell, jetliner-less, in exactly the manner the two stricken towers collapsed. It had much less fire damage, and no such steel-cored building had ever collapsed as a result of fire. Yet on 9/11 we have three. And if WTC 7 imploded without the trauma of a jetliner strike, why would such strikes be assumed to be the cause of the loss of WTC 1 & 2? In other words, watching the identical collapses of the three buildings leads one to speculate that the underlying cause of the destruction of all three was the same. Following this logic, since no fuel-laden aircraft struck WTC 7, jetliner strike cannot be the cause of ANY of the building failures. So what did bring them all down so neatly?
Kelmer said: "Tower 7 was weird-but Cheney is no genius. He’s just a paranoid cowardly old man who saw an opportunity and took it."
Perhaps that's a litle too simple, and is what they'd like us to think. While no one will ever convince me that the evolutionary dead-end in the Oval Office has any brains, Cheney cannot be dismissed so easily. He is very bright, devious, calculating, confident, determined, and well-staffed - witness the ingenious, if ingenuous ploy of claiming he is not part of the Executive Branch.
What he isn't is quick. He does not seem to be able to improvise or think well on his feet. Witness his constant repetition of rehearsed talking points every time he deigns to be interviewed. Take for example his outburst ("go f*ck yourself!") on the Senate floor to Pat Leahy - the response of one who can't come up with a legitimate argument on the fly. And the whole Plame thing, an improvisation in which he seemed to shoot from the lip rather than meticulously plan, may be the one that is his Achilles heel.
He needed the ideals of the PNAC to move him to action. While it is easier to accept he just let 9/11 happen, seizing the opportunity suddenly presented there, it just doesn't appear to be his style. It sounds wackier, but the conspiracy theory - that he was the insider on a 9/11 inside job - seems more in keeping with his penchant for meticulous, long-range and secret planning.
You would have thought he might have planted (or alleged) some Iraqis as hijackers, but as his co-conspirator Rumsfeld said "you go to war with the army you've got", and the CIA had a lot of Saudis hanging around. It also explains why no terrorist operation before or since has been so successful, and why no terror attacks have occurred on US soil since - Big Dick hasn't given the order yet.
I'm convinced the State of Emergency martial law takeover of the USA is a probability more than a possibility - Cheney has had the plans in the works for a long time now.
I guess I have read the Comments section with a few mixed emotions: sad that in spite of all the vitriolic feelings against the entrenched criminals in power in this country/White House/ corporatocracy, there has been so little action - - inspite of not only the individuals who have written (myself included) but most of all, so little attention that has been paid by the media to all of the feelings that have been expressed here. Surely, we are not alone - - how can these expressed feelings not be given the media coverage they deserve? Part of it certainly is due to the fact that our national media outlets are part of the conspiracy of privatization that the corporatocracy is spreading, but there are other outspoken voices that should be helping voice the concerns expressed here. Perhaps it really is the case that there needs to be a nationwide sit-down strike that will shut the whole system down! The present morass cannot go on, or we will lose our liberty and freedom. We are headed for a dictatorship - - just check the record of the past 6 1/2 years plus. Better look at the candidates for President that are running so far - - by next summer, if we continue on the course the Admin has us on (with the complicity of Congress), there will be no Democratic or Republican conventions - - Chney and his puppets will have declared a "state of emergency" so that the regular national elections wll be indefinitely postponed.
Go back over the various conspiracies and illegal acts that have been mentioned in most all of the comments written on this matter up to now. The prospects are grim unless there is concerted action on the part of the people! We need not only a new Administration, but we also need 635 new national legislators - - may be even people who are neither democrat or republican.
How many time's do we have to hear the same old kind of stuff before somthing is done,it just goes on and on with no end in sight.I would like to hear impeach and see it too.Does anyone think it will happen,is there anyway to take his no their power away?How much more can America take, the world hates us like never before,if I were a beleaver I would say Lord help us all.
Something very bad is going to happen. And very soon...........
OK, I'll state it again. These guys are gangsters. Gangsters do whatever they feel like doing, unencumbered by conscience or fear of consequences (particularly as they are in charge of the Executive Branch). I am sure most of you have heard the persistent rumor that Bushco will refuse to leave office in January 2009. The refusal will purportedly be based on a "conveniently timed" terrorist event immediately prior to Inauguration Day. There are many in the U.S. military that would love to see this country complete the all-too-obvious transition into quasi-Democratic Fascism. For military officers & senior enlisted personnel - perpetual war is "good for business". Thus, we all may be witnessing the final days of the Constitutionally governed United States of America.
Bush and Cheney take orders from their puppetmasters and can't get the OK to release records from them.
See who controls who below.
The list is continualy changing but the replacments are hand picked by Israel.
http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/bushlist.htm
We do indeed know that part of the energy task force was divying up Iraq's oil fields. But is that all there was? I think there is more to hide than we are aware of. How much did Cheney know? Remember, Bush put him in charge of the Anti-Terrorism Task Force. He held no (or one?) meetings until after 9/11, and he ignored Tenet and Clarke who constantly told the Bushies that al Qaeda would be their biggest problem. Yet the official line from National SECURITY Advisor Condi was that she never heard of al Qaeda until after 9/11. One thing Cheney did do was transfer authorization of NORAD response to airborne threats from the Air Force to himself. Condi also said "no one could have suspected terrorists would use airliners as missiles" against the WTC, yet Cheney's NORAD was running that EXACT simulation on 9/11.
Five things have always bothered me about the events of 9/11:
1) Where was NORAD? Once those airliner transponders were turned off (20 minutes before the first strike) Air force fighters should have been scrambling, with itchy trigger fingers.
2) Why was Bush, the President, left alone in an unprotected public school classroom while VP Cheney was immediately rushed into a DC bunker? Why wasn't Bush surrounded by Secret Service agents and whisked into hiding? Why was Bush put on Air Force One when there was supposedly suspicious activity near the plane the day before, and it was supposedly a target that day?
3) Why did the two stricken towers fall in identical fashion, vertically into their own footprints, without leaving any of their steel spines sticking up from the rubble? The burning jet fuel may have weakened the steel structure in the vicinity of the crash, but the central core would certainly have held its integrity at lower levels, especially since the vertical collapse of the buildings would have imparted little horizontal displacement to shear off the core. And, if burning jet fuel did cause the collapse of the towers's structure, what caused WTC 7, an ~40-story building, to fold up in exactly the same way over six hours later, despite not being hit by an airliner?
4) How was a minimally-trained pilot able to manuever a complex jetliner over Washington DC for fifteen minutes, eventually lining up the Pentagon as a target. While the WTC towers were relatively easy targets, the low-lying Pentagon was much more difficult to hit with a kamikaze attack. How did a man who had never been in the cockpit of a real jetliner manage to score a direct hit?
5) How was a disjointed internal intelligence system, hampered by "stovepiping", lack of information-sharing, mistrust between agencies, etc, able to almost immediately pinpoint bin Laden and al Qaeda (an entity heretofore unknown to the NSA, according to testimony) as the culprit (long before they took credit), and to identify and provide dossiers on virtually all of the highjackers before the last Saudi citizen was secretly flown out of the US days after the attack, when US citizens were forbidden to fly?
Call me a nut if you want, but the official 911 story leaves me with a lot of questions, and a lot of suspicion directed at Cheney, who was looking for a way into Iraq for his PNAC ideas.
forget impeachment.
These guys NEED to be brought up on CRIMINAL charges! IMMEDIATLEY!
OK, I changed my mind. We should support Dennis Kucinich's bill to Impeach Cheney first.
Sure Bush would have to appoint a new VP. The Democrats are afraid of that fresh face as the New Presidential candidate for 08.
Remember Nixon resigned just before the Impeachment process passed from Committee to the full house vote.
The Constitution says the President has the power of pardon except in cases of Impeachment. So they argued that Fords pardon of Nixon was legal because he resigned just in time.
So the House begins the process and if Cheney is not suicidal he will Resign early enough so that Bush can pardon him. By then the House will have the courage to Impeach Bush and He will resign in time for his new appointed VP can pardon him or else he loses his pension.
So now we see that this scene is not as cool as we think.
It is obvious that this trap was the reason Cheney was picked in the first place.
The only thing that would foil this trap is to Impeach them together Just as they hold hands in their testimony so far as coconspirators in High crimes of the highest order.
Some think that the Senate can only try one at a time which has to be the only reason to fall for the trap of impeaching them one at a time...
If there ever was a conspiracy that can be proven by recorded history this is it.
OK I'll be called a conspiracy nut.
That is what they called me when I was talking about the CIA Family Jewels since the 60's but now it is History not conspiracy theory.
So I changed my mind again....If the House starts to Impeach Cheney first, it will get the Republicans off the hook with the fresh start they are dying to find...but they will satisfy all of us....Republicans even more in the end...so I say to Kucinich and our gang "Can''t we be Conspiracy Nuts so we can get it right for once?
Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy accused the administration of shifting “into Nixonian stonewalling†and revealing “disdain for our system of checks and balances.â€
I don't think the president is "shifting into" stonewalling; he's been in that holding pattern since he took office. No surprise there!
When we have a president and a Congress that defines happiness in terms of economics and not in terms of freedom and values, what else can we expect? The ruling class has always wanted to own and control everything.....and they seem to be winning, given that we've been living in an accelerated "trickle-up" economy since Ronald Reagan and deregulation of corporations along with the deregulation of the executive branch.
Congressional exercise of "checks & balances" has been out of vogue for decades. One has to wonder if our current representatives are familiar with "The doctrine of the separation of powers". Remember?......the one adopted by the Convention of 1787 to preclude the exercise of arbitrary power?
Where is it written in the Constitution that an Executive Order, or in this case, "abuse" of Executive Privilege overrides the fundamental laws of our founding documents?
Rule by Democracy or rule by Decree?
Time for the impeachment of Bush, Cheney & Gonzales...A long drawn out trial in the house would bring a lot of dirty laundry to the light of day...wars based on lies, torture, illegal wiretapping, politization of the Justice Department to name a few
What is it they say about them spying on us? If you have nothing to hide then it shouldn't matter. Doesn't that work for them too? If they have nothing to hide then they shouldn't have a problem with the people who hired them looking at their "stuff." Do you think they might have something to hide? Is this why they don't want us knowing what they have been and are doing?
BTW, lets be clear. The Democrats in the US Senate have loaded the SCOTUS with unitary executive idealoges. Yes, Bush nominated them. But they serve on the SCOTUS with the 'advise and consent' of the US Senate. "Consent" being the operative word.
None of this was secret during the confirmation process. Many people tried to point out the dangers of putting a bunch of unitary executive idealoges on the SCOTUS at the same time we had a President that doesn't recognize any limits on his power.
41 Senators could have formed a filibuster to block any of these nominations. Thus the combination of the US Constitution and the rules of the Senate gave the Senate Dems the power to block any of these justices from sitting on the court. This means that their current presence on the SCOTUS is with the consent and approval of the Senate Democrats.
So, its incorrect to say that 'Bush' has stacked the court. He could not have done it on his own. He needed the active approval and consent of the Senate Dems to accomplish this. All I'm asking is that we be open and honest in our discussions and not try to pretend this is all Bush's fault. That logic leads to the illogic of the belief that voting Democrat can change this. It hasn't, and it won't.
Sang Ze hits the nail on the head in the second comment. Especially when he refers to the "Gonzales noise".
The key is that this is all the Democrats want. They want some 'noise'. They'd probably prefer it if there was more 'noise' next year. So, they'll have some hearings, they'll makes some noise.
But the key is that the Dems WILL NOT DO ANYTHING! The 'Gonzales noise' points that out. The Attorney General of the US can also be impeached. If Congress wanted to remove him from office, they could do so. They could do it via impeachment, or they could also do it by the power of the purse by making it clear that money to the Justice Dept would be seriously limited since they do not approve of the leader of the Dept. Either move would quickly force Gonzales out.
But, instead you see the Dems try that one silly 'no-confidence' vote. What, do they thing they are the British Parliment? That was basically the same BS we saw in the phony Iraq war debate when they had the 'non-binding resolution.' The Dems continue to ignore the tools and the power that they do have. And instead they deliberately divert energy into stupid, meaningless votes that can't possibly force any change. That is no accident. Its deliberate.
The clear message from the Democratic Party today is that what is good for the nation is not their top priority. The clear message from the Democratic Party today that fulfilling their role in our system of checks and balances and that fulfilling the oath that each took to "protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic" is not their top priority.
The Dems instead are clearly saying that their selfish needs to do well in the next election is what's most important. To hell with what's good for the country. To hell with honoring what should be a sacred oath to the American people. The only thing that counts is what's good for the political hacks in the Democratic Party.
There is no Constitutional crisis because the Dems won't force one. The Dems will continue to play submissive roles to Cheney's alpha dog role because they think that's what's best for them on very narrow and selfish grounds.
This should be disgusting and unacceptable to American citizens. In a representative government, we must have at least some ability to believe that our representatives are actually representing us. This is why I'm openly promising today that I will not possibly vote for any Democrat that can appear on my ballot in 2008.
When reading the Declaration of Independence, make sure you read down to the end. After all the examples of the tyranny of King George III, there lies the most important sentence.
Its the one where the signers below pledge "their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor' to the cause laid out before. It took the leaders of the movement and a significant fraction of the people of that day to pledge everything they had including their lives to the cause of freedom to make it so.
There is no reason to believe it would take any less today.
Much has been said that "the truth" will be found in the Energy Task Force documents. I think this demonstrates profound naivety. These people are smart and would NEVER commit any information that could be found and used to indict them on the grounds of conspiracy. Nothing will be found in the Energy Task Force documents; any sweet deals made would have been done over a handshake.
Again, entirely predictable.
Since Reid and Pelosi have already assured Bush and Cheney that there is no possibility of impeachment, Cheney and Bush have no incentive whatsoever to cooperate with Congress and to turn over documents that might either expose criminal wrongdoing or political embarrassment. So, they are going to stonewall and drag this out and make there be lengthy hearings before judges before they concede anything.
All of this is happening because of the deliberate policy by the leaders of the Democratic party to BLOCK any impeachment proceedings.
The question I don't see being asked in the American body politic is "why is it Reid and Pelosi are keeping Bush in office?" Clearly these two should both be impeached. Or at least it is certainly clear that the evidence exists to begin hearings investigating impeachment. The American people have rejected Bush and his approval ratings are down in the 20's. The American people largely support impeachment in polls. The American people feel that if Bush has committed impeachable offenses, then he should be impeached.
The only thing standing in the way are Reid and Pelosi. They are the ones blocking impeachment at this point, and are thus the only force keeping Bush and Cheney in office today.
Given that, Bush and Cheney at best regard these documents requests as an attempt to embarrass them politically, and being good politicians they refuse to participate. Or the other interpretation is that without impeachment on the table, they just don't take this seriously.
So, as typical, the Democrats are basically just supporting the Republicans and the Republican agenda. Like they do on taxes. Like they do on healthcare and meds. Like they do on bankruptcy. Like they do on war.
"They who can treat secretly of the affairs of a nation have it absolutely under their authority; and as they plot against the enemy in time of war, so do they against the citizens in time of peace." Spinoza
Again...................
Read up on The Declaration of Independence...........
what are we waiting for and how is it these scumbags are getting away w/ all this SH*T???????
Because we the People are to Fng busy watching "dancing w/ the stars " crap!
It is written in the declaration that it is not only our Right BUT OUR DUTY,as citizens of this country to abolish any government who is not consenting to the will of the people!!!!! are we really that lazy??????
I guess we are, since these bastards are still getting away w/ MURDER here and abroad.
Our Forefathers knew this could happen, thats why they wrote it! and here it is happening infront of our eyes.
Ansewer me this, what are you willing to do? what are you willing to give up???? your freedom????????
do you think you are free right now????
Think again.
wcdevins, in Armed Madhouse, Greg Palast documents what the energy task force was doing. It was oil execs carving up Iraq. That's why Cheney is witholding it.
And ike, Congress tried that and the Supreme Court said Cheney didn't have to share.
We are definitely in a Constitutional confrontation and it will be interesting to see where it goes because it will end up in the Supreme Court to decide about the separation of powers. And Bush has loaded the Supreme Court with unitary executive ideologues. With the Democrats going along with it! There's no way they didn't know what to expect from Roberts and Alito. Their track records showed they were lying at their confirmation hearings. And it was the Democrats' job to prevent these confirmations. After all, the Republicans forced Clinton to choose "moderates". Our only hope is Anthony Kennedy. He's a corporatist, but hopefully not a unitary executive. We'll find out. Sandra Day O'Conner helped put George in, which she now regrets. And then she quit, which created mayhem.
I don't understand why no one is saying anything about George giving himself the right to declare martial law anytime he wants. That's got me worried too. A cornered rat is dangerous and George is getting cornered.
And May God Bless Corporate Amerika/Saudi Arabia, One Nation ABOVE The Law!
This is not surprising, and was to be expected.... good shot calling it 'Nixonian Stonewalling'. It's only an ongoing coverup of the real-live Shadow Government that the CIA has always been part and parcel of, and which will always serve as a coverup machine until it is destroyed. AND Don't Forget Rumsfled and all his old European fascist/nazi connections and his hometown Chicago Mafia friends with the gov contracts providing the technology to do the dirty work. If you look at the overall picture, Bush and Cheney are both nut cases, and it takes someone more level-headed to keep this going, and fingers point to Rumsfled (typo on purpose... fled to Germany to get asylum).
Iran-Contra was an intermediate step between Watergate and the Current Junta (in more ways than one), but somehow it got covered up and we need to study how that happened and who was involved.
Three months from now we may be either celebrating victory, or shut down under orders of Der Führer's Gestapo.
Act Now or you may have to Forever Hold Your Peace. Another Coup in Washington is in the making, but it could go either way, depending on how effective genuine Democratic forces are.
Sunshine is the best disinfectant for corruption.
wcdevins--you aren't alone with your conclusions; many share them. Being scared however is something no one can afford now. Polling figures for Cheney are rarely given because he's as reviled as Bush, 25% as of April 2007 http://www.pollingreport.com/C.htm and likely lower now with his recent assertions and stonewalling defiance. These people learned nothing from Watergate. Nixon was fine until he started stonewalling, and he didn't have all the baggage of Bush/Cheney being already rendered as felons by the Supreme Court. Sang Ze's cynicism is understandable, but history provides a better basis for making predictions of future behavior by the main actors in the drama.
The current situation makes it even easier to promote action by saying to congresscritters that we have been correct about Bush/Cheney's deserving impeachment by pointing our fingers to their current behavior and many past crimes.
Those sharing wcdevins' fear need to turn that fear into action, which is just what the poor people of Venezuela did to rescue their government. Direct Democracy--the very type elites' fear--must be used this July 4 across the land in response to this great opportunity provided by Ronve/Cheney/Bush as the Declaration itself lists the majority of their crimes and provides the rationale for their removal from power.
Join the George W. Bush Movin' Out Campaign!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB6PNTKM2xg
YouTube instructional video for action in YOUR AREA!
B.ring
U.S.
S.oldiers
H.ome!
Sang Ze's post tells it all. Even it there were no damning evidence in the papers supoenaed Bush would declare executive privilege in order that that door not be opened.
Yang Jing & George S. Semsel:
I am afraid you are right: now we have the US Texan style - all talk about democracy and no people power.
After 2008 we'll have old fashioned direct rule by junta, puppeteered by ghostly oligarchs, Federalist style without nobless obliged.
Sic transit gloria mundi. Bue-bue American Project.
Welcome age of discontent and revolutionary anxiety.
The "unfettered opinion" argument is an insult. If what presidential advisors have to say cannot be revealed to the light of day then it should not have been said. I think all this stalling is a slight-of-hand ploy by Cheney to focus our attention away from his real game.
I am very scared for the future. Right now I have a sneaking suspicion that Cheney was in on 9/11, and that's why he can't let those energy task force documents out. But it's difficult to admit my suspicions for fear of being branded a quack, and having all my opinions ignored. There is a lot that is very convenient for Cheney about 9/11. The proof will be, as I fear, that a terrorist attack in the US occurs before the 2008 election, allowing Cheney to declare martial law, cancel elections, and take over as dictator.
Meanwhile, congress dicks around with a stupid, time-consuming, unneccessary immigration bill because some right-wing hack cooked up the idea that 12 million illegals are overrunning our country.
Arrogant, Bible-thumping assholes.
What's next? Will there be a King George the First coronation? Feudalism, here we come!
The Extreme Right Wing Police State that is AmeriKKKa..
No wonder nobody wants Bush Inc's democracy
johndec, love the humor! Politically, the remainder of this summer should be interesting.
Congress should also subpoena the Cheney Energy Task Force documents. Obviously, the Bush Administration fears that these subpoenas will provide more evidence that will support impeachment proceedings - as was the case for Nixon.
They don't know "DICK".
Rejecting the subpoenas is equivalent to invoking the Fifth Amendment. It's no big deal. The Democrats wouldn't know what to do with the documents even if they could get hold of them. I don't see that much happened after all the Gonzales noise. The guy's still in his position, laughing alongside Bush and Cheney, at the ineptness of the congress. Unlike Beekeeper, though, I don't think these guy's days are numbered. They'll still be around long after 2008, and they'll probably have an even more favorable congress on their side. The Supreme Court will see to that. It's already taken a major step in that direction. The worst is yet to come, my friends - that's Bush's message.
If they had nothing to hide, wouldn't they simply turn over the documents? Can we assume their awareness of their own guilt? It certainly looks like they know that their days are numbered.
Well, that's that! The Administration has refused to honor the subpoenas so the Dems can run away and hide under their respective rocks. If you want to stop these criminals and their (democratic) enablers repeat after me: GENERAL SRIKE!
BLOCK THE HIGHWAYS AND BRING THE COUNTRY TO A HALT. Believe me they will pay attention.
Our CIA has been involved in regime change all around the world. I am surprized that someone hasn't attemped a regime change in America. It would have to come from outside as it isn't going to happen at home, it's off the table.
“With respect, it is with much regret that we are forced down this unfortunate path which we sought to avoid by finding grounds for mutual accommodation,â€
Good start for the impeachment letter
wcdevins: Wag the Dog!!! I've been wondering about those building collapses also, especially #7.
And, whomever thinks Cheney is not the brains behind the idiot figurehead oft referred to as 'W' (because he can't remember the rest of his middle name??!!), you can't be serious!
And how do you people get C.D. so early in the day when mine is never delivered until after 4PM, RMT?
The President has today given written instructions to former Executive Branch employees, now private citizens, not to provide documents properly subpoenaed by appropriate Senate and House committees investigating apparently improper and possibly illegal conduct by the President and subordinate officials. That is plainly an impeachable offense (obstruction of justice and/or obstruction of Congress's constitutionally granted investigative powers). Impeachment is available now, whereas litigation would take years to complete (and likely would be derailed on procedural grounds). What will Congress do? I wouldn't bet against "nothing."
What I find ridiculous in the notion of a "showdown". When a subpoena is issued you comply. If you do not comply you go to jail until you decide it is time to comply. I know that this may be just political wrangling until a larger amount of Americans start asking for impeachment hearings, but how much more evidence do we need?
What do we want? IMPEACHMENT!
When do we want it? NOW!
Tower 7 was weird-but Cheney is no genius. He's just a paranoid cowardly old man who saw an opportunity and took it.
They are just playing with the Dems. We will talk-but only without an official transcript.
They know the Dems cant or wont do anything.
Noise is right.
While the Pres. can dismiss federal attorneys for any or no reason, he and his appointed agents can't then lie about why they were let go and not be challenged.
Culturally, men don't "kiss" and tell. It's ingrained. B. Clinton was asked a "telling" question such as "Have you stopped beating your wife yet?" He hedged and then denied having "sex with that woman."
Shame for impeaching him while ignoring Bush's and Cheney's lies concerning our invasion of Iraq, running our country into debt, secrecy, disrespecting our Constitution and the separation but equal powers it provides, and other high crimes and misdemeanors.
The word is in... "Bush is no longer a lame-duck President, he now is a 'dead-duck' President" - Historian Douglas Brinkley. Let the impeachment of Bush and Cheney begin!!
Now, maybe Congress will put impeachment back on the table. It's about time . . .
When the executive branch breaks the law, there is no law.
Imagine that! Bush has been consistently lying, stealing, and murdering for 7 years and ALREADY tension is building...
Now that the Immigration Bill has backfired in Bush's face, it is pretty safe to declare his Presidency a complete failure! There is absolutely nothing good this President has done for the country. I think historians can begin writing.
Look at the picture of George. He is afraid. He is not the monster everyone dreads, only a scared little man in an expensive suit.
How different is Dick. That smirk is worthy of Mussolini. They can't win unless they find some way to shut all of us up.
looking like the next 9.11 is getting close
It is as if George W. Bush Jr. and Dick Cheney should wear t-shits that say "IMPEACH US!
"Bush won't supply subpoenaed documents"- ok....
I don't get it!
Impeach
Indict
Execute
What do you expect?
Those fascist fuckers have been giving the finger to the US voters for almost 7 years.
What are YOU going to do about it?
If I were Geroge W. Bush, I would be afraid to turn my back to Dick Cheney.