This Democracy Is None Of Your Goddamned Business
Feb 7th, 2006 at 7:10 am by Susie
This pretty much sums up yesterday’s hearings:
Otherwise, Gonzales offered the legislative branch little deference yesterday, and certainly no apology for the administration’s decision not to seek congressional approval for its surveillance program. “The short answer is that we didn’t think we needed to, quite frankly,” he declared in a typical exchange.
When did the administration decide it had the authority? “I’m not going to give an exact date,” he said.
What does the administration do with the information it collects? “I can’t talk about specifics.”
Is the information used to obtain search warrants? “I am uncomfortable talking in great detail.”
More interesting than what the attorney general said was what he would not say. Has President Bush, invoking his “inherent powers” under the Constitution, also authorized warrantless eavesdropping on domestic calls, opening of Americans’ mail and e-mail, and searches of their homes and offices?
“I am not comfortable going down the road of saying yes or no as to what the president has or has not authorized,” Gonzales, shifting frequently in his chair, informed the senators.
That statement, “I am not comfortable going down the road of saying yes or no as to what the president has or has not authorized,â€? and the phrase Gonzales kept using all day, “the program we are discussing,” are legal CYA tactics.
Gonzales has one eye on possible future hearings, after the Bush impeachment, where he has to answer for his lies. At those future hearings, he can say, “At the time I said that, Congress was unaware of the other five spying programs. You didn’t specifically ask, so I didn’t specifically answer.”
Bush is up to a lot more than we know about. Gonzales is being careful not to reveal it, but sticking to “this program we are discussing, Senator.”
Rove counting heads on the Senate Judiciary Committee
The sources said the White House has offered to help loyalists with money and free publicity, such as appearances and photo-ops with the president.
The President is eavesdropping on domestic opponents, whether they be private citizens, advocacy groups, elected representatives, corporations, anyone in any category. It may take several years to come to light but you all can bet your house it’s happening. To think otherwise is naive if not deluded.
The way that Gonzales wouldn’t answer the question about whether there have been warrantless searches of citizens’ homes put the exclamation at the end of the sentence for me. The scumbags have a program of break-ins just like Nixon ran a la Daniel Ellsberg.
The discouraging thing is how little anyone seems to care: “My…pants…on…fire? Who…me? Smell…smoke… My…pants…on…fire…”
No, I think this pretty much sums it up.
http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/
Maybe they should get some middle European torturers to tie him to a board and shove his head under water at an undisclosed location until he talks, or whatever.
My own web log entry: Everybody’s got something to hide except for me and my monkey, and we two would just as soon you didn’t know what we don’t have to hide
I want Gonzales tried first, on conspiracy to torture resulting in death, with the torture memo as evidence. If he’s guilty, he gets the needle. If he’s innocent, the rest of the suspects get to be questioned with the gloves off.
I wonder how the right wing and all the TV pundits would react if Feingold had made a stand at the start of this mornings session. Either Abu Al is sworn in, or all the Dems are leaving. No compromise.