Wed
Mar 21 2007
11:48 am
Roadblocking a Congressional Investigation: Executive Privilege is a Dodge, according to Tony Snow Himself
By: rocketsquirrel

It's sad that President Bush is attempting to roadblock a congressional investigation by trying to prevent open testimony. If he has nothing to hide, why not let his staff testify under oath? Seems like he's afraid of the truth. I think Bush is realizing that with two years to go, his "popular and effective" presidency, according to CBT, may be over. It's starting to sound more and more Nixonian in its desperation.

How sad.

via Salon

Tony Snow - Op-Ed - St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 29, 1998 :

(HEADLINE: "Executive Privilege is a Dodge")

Evidently, Mr. Clinton wants to shield virtually any communications that take place within the White House compound on the theory that all such talk contributes in some way, shape or form to the continuing success and harmony of an administration. Taken to its logical extreme, that position would make it impossible for citizens to hold a chief executive accountable for anything. He would have a constitutional right to cover up.

Chances are that the courts will hurl such a claim out, but it will take time.

One gets the impression that Team Clinton values its survival more than most people want justice and thus will delay without qualm. But as the clock ticks, the public's faith in Mr. Clinton will ebb away for a simple reason: Most of us want no part of a president who is cynical enough to use the majesty of his office to evade the one thing he is sworn to uphold -- the rule of law.
MartyD's picture

Comments from a grammaw

Submitted by MartyD on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 2:13pm.

Good Grief! now Tony's a prophet!
I want to tell you good people that as a silly old granny woman I have a deep longing 'way down in my heart! I don't want to be rich, or famous. I don't want to be young and beauthiful again. I want to see georgeboy and his cohorts led away in cuffs and leg irons and I want to see them raise their sleazy paws skyward and promise to tell the truth.....

knxnicole's picture

It is all on the record it

Submitted by knxnicole on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 4:31pm.

It is all on the record it seems. Is there a principle anyone can find anywhere that these folks follow.

Terry Troll's picture

Quote from 1973

Submitted by Terry Troll on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 2:21pm.

To quote Gary Trudeau writing about another lying decietful President: "GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY!

Andy Axel's picture

Updating Hunter

Submitted by Andy Axel on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 2:32pm.

There was nothing more helpless and irresponsible than a man in the depths of an ether binge ... until the 2nd Bush Administration.

____________________________

People getting rich. Some people saying "Markets!" More death. Neil Young. Death.

calloway's picture

Political firings are a fact

Submitted by calloway on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 4:33pm.

Political firings are a fact of life. Hell, after Tenet, total and complete purges should be S.O.P. whenever a Republican administration takes over from you guys. How many of these guys did Clinton fire ? Carter ? I've been out of the loop for a bit but this entire thing seems like a bunch of bullshit posturing and, in the end, much ado about very little.

But, at least we didn't learn that Bush ordered the firing of Don Williams. I don't think I could bear it.

Rachel's picture

Political firings are a fact

Submitted by Rachel on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 11:17pm.

Political firings are a fact of life.

Here's the pure political angle: I've said before if the administration had been content just to fire the USAs and issue a "we did it because we thought it best" kind of non-statement, this would all be over. (Of course Nixon could have nipped Watergate in the bud, too, but instead we had to have the coverup.)

Instead they had to claim the USAs were fired for poor performance, which pissed off what otherwise seemed to be loyal Republicans. Then when the guys who were having their reputations damaged decided to go public, the administration fell (almost literally) all over themselves trying to prove a record of poor performance where in most cases it didn't exist.

Along the way Justice Dept officials lied to Congress. VERY bad move. And I just don't understand why you aren't more upset about the lying under oath - isn't that why you guys wanted to impeach Clinton?

Even now Bush could probably pretty much kill the story by firing Gonzales (who, I gather from looking at conservative blogs, the right doesn't seem to like much anyway). Nope, Dubya's once again standing by his incompetent man.

And insisting that WH aides be interviewed in private and w/o an oath or a transcript is patently ridiculous and helps keep the story alive. And don't give me the b.s. that aides never testify. They have in almost every administration in my lifetime.

Of course all this sprang in the first place from the too cute provision inserted into the Patriot Act that allowed the new USAs to be appointed without Senate confirmation.

You can't blame this one on the Democrats, Calloway & CBT. The Bushies brought all this down on their own heads.

From a more serious angle, IF it turns out that the USAs were fired because they were investigating Republicans or not investigating Democrats, that's misusing the power of the Justice Department. Not very American, that.

And oh yeah, back to the lying under oath thing....

R. Neal's picture

Along the way Justice Dept

Submitted by R. Neal on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 11:21pm.

Along the way Justice Dept officials lied to Congress

Yet curiously, Tony Snow said repeatedly today in his news conference that White House officials didn't need to be under oath when they talked to Congress because it's already against the law to lie to Congress.

Is that (along with the article that is the subject of this post that also appears to contradict Tony Snow's more recent remarks) the perfect example of double-think?

And they're making 1984-themed commercials about Hillary Clinton?

I'm very confused.

Sven's picture

I've been out of the loop

Submitted by Sven on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 5:04pm.

I've been out of the loop for a bit

I'd say six years is more than a "bit."

MartyD's picture

Don

Submitted by MartyD on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 5:43pm.

Are we absolutely positively sure that georgeboy didn't order Don's firing?
I would have , had I been in his position.

Daniel DiRito's picture

In Search Of The Holy Grail?

Submitted by Daniel DiRito on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 5:45pm.

An 18 day document gap? A Nixon redux? People of this ilk never learn.

Defining George Bush: Head...meet board.

See a tongue-in-cheek visual of George Bush once again beating his head with a board...as he searches for the Holy Grail...here:

www.thoughttheater.com

CBT's picture

metulj, you like to call

Submitted by CBT on Wed, 2007/03/21 - 10:23pm.

metulj, you like to call lots of things 'talking points'. Could these so-called talking points not also be true statements?

Factchecker's picture

Of course all this sprang in

Submitted by Factchecker on Thu, 2007/03/22 - 9:08am.

Of course all this sprang in the first place from the too cute provision inserted into the Patriot Act that allowed the new USAs to be appointed without Senate confirmation.

They could still have fired 'em, of course. But they saw this part in the P.A. as a way to try to sneak in replacements under the wire. Even had the hubris to claim that if they didn't use the provision, then why was it even there? (Answer: not for their petty politicizing)

As usual, the White House insisted that no part of the P.A. was negotiable. This clause, as all others, was imperative to the war on terror.

Later as details came out, they back-pedaled and said sure it could be removed and, well--how did that silly clause ever even appear? Some low level aide must have snuck it into the Act without any higher ups knowing. No controlling authority, stuff happens, don't blame us, mistakes were made, etc. But they can't testify under oath, because others might politicize it. Right...

Smell test: Fail.

Mello's picture

Snow Job

Submitted by Mello on Thu, 2007/03/22 - 9:23am.

job description: to grease the wheels on the axel of evil....

cafkia's picture

It might not be congress

Submitted by cafkia on Thu, 2007/03/22 - 11:13am.

If they were to get to speak with congress without being sworn and without a transcript being produced, they could tell congress the absolute truth and just lie to the rest of the nation about what they told congress. It would be sorta legal and given the level of distrust of the congress amongst the citizenry, if there is a dispute about what was said, they would just wink and say "that's what congress heard and you know how reliable they are".

Oh wait, that would be like playing politics, wouldn't it? Never mind, the republicans would NEVER do that.[/sarcasm]

CAFKIA

----------------------------------------------------------- 

It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.
  - William G. McAdoo

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