Gonzales's long day
When you're the head of the legal department with knowledge that your organization is doing illegal things, one would think that you would be better prepared to answer a few questions.
The attorney general sounded grudging in his acceptance of the recent rulings against military commissions.
The other revelation today, "Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Tuesday that President Bush personally blocked Justice Department lawyers from pursuing an internal probe of the warrantless eavesdropping program...."
I'm not sure what to make of this latter revelation. I'm sure this decision will be couched as "National Security" (trademarked,) but, if the President was "personally" shielding an illegal program from oversight.......
The attorney general sounded grudging in his acceptance of the recent rulings against military commissions.
The other revelation today, "Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Tuesday that President Bush personally blocked Justice Department lawyers from pursuing an internal probe of the warrantless eavesdropping program...."
I'm not sure what to make of this latter revelation. I'm sure this decision will be couched as "National Security" (trademarked,) but, if the President was "personally" shielding an illegal program from oversight.......
posted by mikevotes at
2:16 PM
4 Comments:
You and I both agree that the program is illegal, but the President does not, and the Supreme Court has not weighed in.
The danger now is that with Specter's bill under consideration this program may get only a cursory constitutional review by a FISA court, and their decision will trump the Supremes. (If it's found to be constitutional by FISA, the bill strips the remainder of the judiciary from even reviewing the decision, but if it's found to be unconstitutional, Bu$hCo gets to appeal).
By
Anonymous, at 2:45 PM
Why do the Republicans hate American so much? They're obviously bent on it's destruction...
By
-epm, at 4:12 PM
Kvatch, thanks. I've been having some trouble with this story today. I ghave this sense that it's important, but I'm having trouble getting exactly why. It obviously shows far deeper fingerprints on the thing.
Yeah, and I believe Specter's bill also puts all review past and future into that FISA ruling meaning that the program is to be judged as a whole, not in it's specific implementations, and from that ruling, all past and future acts will become unreviewable.
So, it's also a means to hide any abuses past and future.
EPM, I keep going back to the fact that the presidential oath is very specifically and intentionally written to be an oath "to protect and defend the constitution of the United States," not the country itself.
Mike
By
mikevotes, at 4:43 PM
He is THE PRESIDENT remember. THat gives him the right to do what Presidents do, or others do in his name.
That is what Tricky Dicky once said.
By
Cartledge, at 5:24 PM
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