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This Is What Democracy Looks Like
Today's Note From a Madman
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Top Cop - Top Criminal?
Join the orange-clad gang, Mr. Rove. It's time to answer some questions or, like
they say in Monopoly, "Go Directly to Jail" (like that's really going to
happen). Rove is the next presidential aide asked to appear before the Senate
Judiciary Committee to answer questions regarding the fairy tales told by
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
Rove, you will remember, is the one known as "Bush's Brain". I believe it's past
time for a brain transplant.
To add insult to injury, FBI Director Robert Mueller, while testifying in front
of the other House (the House of Representatives), told a different story than
the one the Attorney General told just a day before to the Patrick Leahy's
(DEMOCRAT-VT) Senate Judiciary Committee.
(Noting the Vice President's approval rating, I wonder if Senator Leahy could
use Dick Cheney's "Go F--- Yourself" comment in re-election ads.)
"an NSA (National Security Agency) program that has been much discussed, yes."
-Mueller regarding his meeting with then Attorney General John Ashcroft in
Ashcroft's hospital room
It should be noted that Ashcroft had a gall bladder operation performed just the
day prior to the "visit" from Gonzales and then White House Chief of Staff (and
former Chairman of PNAC - the Project for a New American Century - when they
wrote, "we need a New Pearl Harbor") Andrew Card. Ashcroft, who relieved himself
of his DoJ duties and left them to his deputy James Comey, like Comey, refused
to allow endorse the administration's demand to run around the FISA law legally.
Gonzales said he visited the former AG (Gonzales was the President's Counsel at
the time) regarding "other intelligence activities".
Mueller confirmed Comey's earlier testimony which contradicted gonzales
previously.
"The attorney general took an oath to tell the truth, the whole truth and
nothing but the truth. Instead he tells the half truth, the partial truth and
everything but the truth -- and he does it not once, not twice, but over and
over and over again,"
-Senator Chuck Schumer (DEMOCRAT-NY)
Sounds more like "no-truths" to me. What do the Bushies call it? MIS-TRUTHS!
Along with the firings of eight federal prosecutors, and the ever-changing
reasons for their firings, things aren't looking well for "Judge" Gonzales (as
he likes to be called). In fact, it was White House front man Tony Snow who
repeatedly said that the prosecutors weren't fired for political reasons, and
that they were fired for "cause".; and then had to rescind that statement and
admit that their firings were, indeed, for political reasons (see Jon Stewart's"
The daily Show" for the clips).
The White House has a different take on the Gonzales matter, of course.
"Every day congressional Democrats prove that they're more interested in
headlines than doing the business Americans want them to do. And Americans are
now taking notice that this Congress, under Democratic leadership, is failing to
tackle important issues."
-Tony Fratto, another White House Press guy
Isn't lying to Congress an important issue, Mr. Fratto? Just because it feels
like "Business as Usual" for your bosses doesn't make it right.
Unfortunately, this administration is so corrupt and so anti-American (as they
hide behind the Flag, 911 and an abortion issue )which they never even attempted
to change, as they promised their religious right "fake-base") that there is
little left to do by the Congress because THEY - this administration - are the
ones muddying up the waters.
Just what could we be accomplishing now? How about national health care (REAL
national health care, not the Bushies kind which will force the average American
to save money they don't have today for health care coverage "in the future)?
One might think that this would be a good subject for the Congress to tackle,
but it can't because of this administration.
The majority Democrats in the senate are mulling over asking for a special
prosecutor to investigate the AG. Their GOP counterparts are in no rush to do
so. after all, it might not look good at re-election time. They'd rather scold
the Attorney General for the cameras then offer him support when the time comes
to make him pay. Isn't that right, Senator Specter?
According to CNN.com, Gonzales lies include:
-Testifying on February 6, 2006, that "there has not been any serious
disagreement about the [no-warrant surveillance program]." However, he testified
Tuesday that the purpose of a March 10, 2004, meeting between White House
officials and congressional leaders -- referred to as the "Gang of Eight" -- was
to inform lawmakers that Comey would not approve "a very important intelligence
activity." That was when Comey was filling in for the hospitalized Ashcroft.
Another official testified that the 2004 meeting was about the TSA. The senators
called the contradiction in Gonzales' statements "deeply troubling."
-John Negroponte, then director of national intelligence, describing the "Gang
of Eight" meeting as being about the surveillance program.
-And then on April 19, 2007, when discussing his role in the firings of the
attorneys, Gonzales testified, "I haven't talked to witnesses because of the
fact that I haven't wanted to interfere with this investigation." However,
Monica Goodling, former counsel to Gonzales, testified that while she worked for
him, she had an "uncomfortable" conversation with the attorney general "where he
outlined his recollection of what happened" and asked her for her reaction.
In other words, lying to Congress and witness tampering. Mr. Gonzales must have
missed that day in law school.
What amazes even the most casual observer of the Bush administration and its
cabal of insiders is the way that so many will lie to protect the Bush White
House. Make no mistake about it, these men and women are nothing less than
traitors and deserve to be punished to the full extent of the law.
But maybe we ought to wait until January 20, 2009, when President Bush won't be
able to pardon them anymore.
-Noah Greenberg
Meet the New Iraq - Same as the Old Iraq
Does anyone else see the irony? The Sunnis have, again, withdrawn from the
governing coalition in Iraq. Among their grievances: the administration is
holding people in jail without a trial. The Sunnis want a trial or a release.
Seems rather basic to me, our own constitution says that people are entitled to
a trial, and federal statute says 60 days for most of the accused. But, that’s
not the way things are done in the United States under the current
administration.
We are finally putting some people on trial who have been held incommunicado for
several years. We have others who are accused, at least in the media, but
against whom charges are never brought. And, then there are the hundreds held at
Guantanamo and subjected to a proceeding that even participants representing the
military describe as, “kangaroo.”
Our president says that we invaded Iraq, in part, to bring democracy to that
country. But, who knew that it would be his form of democracy and not what is
described by the constitution or by the various conventions on human rights.
Sounds like part of the reason why we invaded may be working – some of the
Iraqis understand that what their government is doing, in the guise of democracy
is bringing just another form of the old Saddam ways of doing things. Isn’t it
ironic that the folks in Iraq have a better sense of justice than does our
leadership and its more than two centuries of life under the Bill of Rights.
-J. Green
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-Noah Greenberg