Contemptible Conduct at Justice
When a senator of the president’s party tells his attorney general that his “credibility has been breached to the point of being actionable,” it is time for the president to stop letting loyalty blind him to that Cabinet member’s incompetence and untrustworthiness. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has long since forfeited Congress’s and the public’s faith in his leadership of the Justice Department.
Gonzales was back before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday for questions about the White House’s purge last year of nine of its own appointees as US attorneys, and about his role, as White House counsel, in a 2004 effort to get a hospitalized Attorney General John Ashcroft to approve an intelligence-gathering program that Ashcroft thought was illegal. Gonzales denied pressing Ashcroft to approve the program, which committee members believe was the administration’s warrantless wiretapping of telephone calls. This is what prompted Republican Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania to warn Gonzales that he might be perjuring himself.
The committee had heard a quite different account of the hospital episode from Ashcroft’s deputy, James Comey. He told Congress in May that Gonzales and President Bush’s chief of staff, Andrew Card, had put pressure on Ashcroft while he was in intensive care after surgery to OK the intelligence-gathering program, which Comey declined to describe in detail. Comey said that he, Ashcroft, and FBI head Robert Mueller had threatened to resign over the program until the administration modified it.
Concerning the firing of the US attorneys, Gonzales refused to answer questions yesterday, on the curious grounds that his involvement in the decisions disqualified him from doing so. Both the Senate and House judiciary committees are trying to determine if the purge was motivated by politics. Several of the fired attorneys had either prosecuted Republican officeholders or decided not to bring charges in cases of alleged voting fraud by Democrats.
The congressional inquiries have been stymied by the refusal of Bush aides to testify on the grounds of executive privilege. Congress has threatened to cite them for contempt, but this week the White House said it would order the Justice Department not to prosecute any of the aides for contempt of Congress.
The brazenness of that interference in the function of Congress and the courts caused Specter yesterday to ask Gonzales, “Do you think constitutional government in the United States can survive if the president has the unilateral authority to reject congressional inquiries?” Gonzales, predictably, refused to answer. But the question will not go away, as Congress tries to determine the depths to which Bush’s unfit attorney general has brought the nation’s once-respected Department of Justice.
© 2007 The Boston Globe
To me it is obvious that even though we should proceed with the contempt proceedings it will do no good.
Bush has stacked the federal judiciary all the way up to the Supreme Court.
Our ONLY recourse is impeachment.
all the best
Since when does anyone besides the President have executive privilege? Can we use executive privilege at anytime, anyplace to prove we do not have to be held accountable for any of our wrong doings? If these totally corrupt politicians in the White House are not held accountable, and soon, the pattern has been set for the next administration to abuse the Constitution to their hearts content. No checks, no balances, just pure unmitigated Power.
“But the question will not go away, as Congress tries to determine the depths to which Bush’s unfit attorney general has brought the nation’s once-respected Department of Justice.”
Wrong. It’ll go away. Our wimpy Congress will back off from its inquiries. Specter is just going through the motions. Modern day committee hearings are just spectacles. Arlen Specter, you’re no Howard Baker.
The White House is whore house
“Agitate, agitate, agitate”
Arlen Specter and Henry Waxmen are building a case against Gonzo. Either for contempt of Congress, perjury, impeachment, or all of the above. I believe that the hearing yesterday was well done. The evidence is mounting and Repugs are going to have a very diffecult time supporting Gonzo.
Specter and Waxman are not wimps! But guliper is right. “The White House is a whore house”, and I would add that the corporatocracy are their pimps.
“Concerning the firing of the US attorneys, Gonzales refused to answer questions yesterday, on the curious grounds that his involvement in the decisions disqualified him from doing so”
EXCUSE ME…..is anyone minding the store under this constitution anymore? Where is Archibald Cox when we need him? I can’t believe this Congress. What a bunch of…..
When the Justice Department is staffed by Criminals, and refuses to investigate its own crimes, why should any typical American obey ANY laws?
The People have ONE UNALIENABLE RIGHT
They are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
It is their right, IT IS THEIR DUTY, to throw off such Government, and to provide new guards for their future security —
The history of the present “King George” is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice,
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone,
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our People,
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies (Blackwater) without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offences:
Declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
I wonder if Cheney walked into Congress and shot both Ried and Pelosi in the face live on C-Span, would he then delare “Executive Privilege” and refuse to submit to justice?
Probably
canuckchuck: Good question. Let’s get a legal opinion from Gonzo on that….. Oh, I forgot, we’d already have the evidence from C-Span. I guess “Executive Priviledge” wouldn’t be needed. Not to mention the fact that Darth isn’t in the Exective Branch anymore.
Oh well…..
The bad news is that the Loonitary Executive will surely replace one lying, traitorous POS for another. And Gonzo II will pick up right where the present criminal left off and no one will pay attention because we’ll be told that the reform mission has been accomplished.
Then Gonzo gets the Medal of Whatever and a super tasty lobbyscum job, proving the God-bless-the-Homeland system continues to work perfectly.
canuckchuck,
I absolutely agree that this what he has done and abolishing it is what is NEEDED, but “the decider” would just decide to make us disappear. The way our “government” is now it is impossible to abolish it. The founding fathers wrote a great document but had no idea were technology would take us(read: dumbing us down through the MSM and amrican idol and crap like that)
At least just about all the senators insulted that creepy gonzales to the point where a man with a concious would have been crawling under a chair.
The last paragraph says:
The brazenness of that interference in the function of Congress and the courts caused Specter yesterday to ask Gonzales, “Do you think constitutional government in the United States can survive if the president has the unilateral authority to reject congressional inquiries?” Gonzales, predictably, refused to answer. But the question will not go away.”
Logic says: Gonzales can’t say “yes,” because it is obviously false. He can’t say “no,” because if he does he is admitting to the death of constitutional government.
Specter should ask him the question again and then say out loud the consequences of a yes or no answer for the record, and for the people to hear.
DEJA VU all over again. We saw this from the moment Gonzales sat before the panel and either could not or would not answer any question to make his appointment viable or legitimate. Remember how they gave him a free pass anyway? Kind of like Clarence Thomas, or the delightful new Supreme Court Justices. These hearings are like bad comedy. I suppose they fulfill the role of political theater, the equivalent of “give them cake,” but the QUALITY of these people wreaks before they ever step into office. Sure, there is supposed to be a PRESUMPTION of innocence, but when persons are placed into high office, they are supposed to serve the Constitution and the whole of America, not just their puppet masters. The weight of corruption is so dense that it’s gonna have to take the whole damn ship down. And our economy, like the band playing on the Titanic…
Cheney/Bush are extreme renditions of ‘traitors in our midst’ and need to be treated accordingly.
One day we will wake up and stop hating President Bush and start hating Dictator Bush. Then we can have a real revolution and throw every last one of them out.
One of the best reasons for impeachment of Cheney-then-Bush is to prevent the nomination of further Gonzaleses, John Boltons, Alito, Roberts, Wolfowitzes, et cetera et cetera et cetera.
One more supreme court nomination would indeed pack the court with right-wing ideologues who honor corporate profits before the constitution or human rights.
Brilliant conversation, though those of you out there who continue to believe in Senator Spector’s integrity, should have learned by know that he talks “yes” and votes “no”, always.
For impressive hours, Attorney General Gonzales embodied the core principles that he is not beholden to Congress, that the Senate has no authority over him, and that he was only there as a favor to them in their fact-finding mission.
Gonzales’ failure to even mount a defense; his posture of barely tolerating congressional inquiries; his refusal to concede that he owed the Senate any explanation or any evidence; his refusal to even accept that he bore some burden of proof—all of it tots up to a masterful display of the perfect contempt felt by the Bush executive branch for this Congress and its pretensions of oversight. In the plainest sense, Gonzales elevated the Bush legal doctrine of the unitary executive who has final say over everything that happens within the executive branch and who is not beholden to Congress.
The barbarians have penetrated the gate and are now occupying the halls of power.
So, IMPEACH the little bastard already…. NOW!!! While they still can.
You people think THIS is bad. Wait until Bush and Cheney declare a national emergency early next year and declare a moritorium on replacing the President and Vice-President for another eight years.
It could happen, and there is not a chance of stopping them.
This just in:
http://movies.crooksandliars.com/Countdown-Bush-Fein.mov
Dear editorial writer, get a clue! You really believe that the President is “letting loyalty blind him to . . . [the Attorney General’s] incompetence and untrustworthiness”? No, the Capo is quite conscious of what his Consigliore is doing for the greater good of the Familia, and particularly for the Capo. Perhaps when gullible commentators like you begin to grasp the basic idea that political lackeys like Gonzalez do nothing without the nod from a political tyrant like Bush, we patient readers will not have to bear any more of this “if only the President knew about . . . [outrage N], he would put a stop to it!” Until that unlikely day, let’s all turn to some more worthy concern such as, “Who will be the next American Idol?”
ACTION SPEAKS LOUDER THAN WORDS!
In the most criminal, unconstitutional, and war-crazed administration in U.S. history, each lie they tell is bolder and more assuring to them that nothing will happen no matter what. Congressional hearings are a scam to show the tiny minority of people who even care that “justice is served”, and your politicos are doing their darnest in D.C.
Flash! This mornings’ news said California led the nation in home foreclosures which increased by 800%. Yes. 800%, not 8 or 80, but 800%. As Dylan sang, “the times, they are a changin’”…back to the 1930’s.
roothogg; You are right about Specter.
canuckchuck; Thanks for the outline on a few of the deeds commited by the Bush Republican Crime Family.
annabelle; There are no checks and balances anymore, especially when a republican commits a crime. This is the result of the “two-party” system feeding at the same corporate trough. Do we, the people want to give them indigestion? Nah…we’ll just turn on the tv and watch the ballgame or an un-reality show. Our reps are watching out for us.
fbelcast; You said it like it really is. No excuses. Use the Constitution and the Bill of Rights for toilet paper. The “ruling class” ( Republicans and their Democratic collaborators ) have made a fortune and would rather see this country destroyed than to do the right thing. And the “troops”. For “thirty pieces of silver”, the troops are willing to die and be maimed for this criminal government. They took an oath to us, the citizens of American and to the Constitution, not to Bush and his band of thugs, and they have a moral obligation to refuse to fight for the war-criminal-in-chief. But first, they need a little education.
Neither Gonzales nor his patron GW Bush (Jorjito Matojo to those of us South of the Rio Grande) have any conscience nor shame.
Both with their actions have trampled on what is left of the US Bill of Rights.
An interesting turn of events. The US can no longer condemn governments for violating the human rights of its citizens. It is now the rest of the world who should start condeming the US.
An interesting analysis of the exchange between Chuck Schumer and Gonzo is available here:
http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/8944
Schumer was pushing Little ‘Berto to say who had sent him to deal with Ashcroft in the hospital, and of course got nothing.
Richard Young: Excellent insight!
IF!!! bushie should drop Gonzales and
IF!!! Gonzo should be less accepting of his new role, what stories could be told. Gonzo has a long and close relationship with the bushies. Of course, we always have pardons.