Maybe if Patrick Leahy, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, visualized everything coming from the White House as coming from Dick Cheney, he wouldn’t be as conciliatory. Cheney after all is the same guy who invited Leahy to have sexual relations with himself back in those heady days when the Republican Party controlled both houses of Congress.
Those days are gone, and bygones are not always meant to be bygones. If a Senate Committee Chairman had balls, he would subpoena those White House officials in connection with any one of the multitudes of alleged crimes committed. Or, if no crimes are suspected, they should all just shut up and go fuck themselves.
The fact is, the Democratic party leaders are calculating. If too much is made of the investigatory mayhem and the election year is filled with endless hearings and squabbles over executive privilege to the point of a Constitutional crisis, then the public may lose patience with the Democratic party and the sure Democratic win for president next November will be lost. The calculation is that by sitting tight and making no waves the Democrats will have both houses of Congress and the White House, and then real change can occur. To inflict the nation with divisive investigations would be counter-productive.
As Uncle Harry and Aunt Nancy calculate, the rule of law burns. Only the latest alleged travesty is the destruction of evidence in the CIA torture escapade. We know that tapes of terror suspects’ interrogations have been destroyed, and we know that the executive branch was implored by a US District judge to maintain said tapes in safekeeping as evidence for future use. The only question that remains is who destroyed the tapes and under whose order. A crime has clearly been committed, now who is to blame?
In an unbelievable request, the president has asked the Senate to stay away from the ongoing investigation by the US Attorney General Michael Mukasey (shown at left with his boss) and the CIA. This is the same president who said that anyone who had divulged the name of Valerie Plame would not be working in his White House, and then proceeded to stonewall the investigation and commute the sentence of a convicted perjurer for political reasons. This is the same White House whose officials are currently in contempt of Congress for failing to show for subpoenas in the US Attorneys firing imbroglio. The executive branch is not to be trusted with any investigation of itself, as stipulated in our Constitution.
Who gave the order to destroy the CIA interrogation tapes? If Leahy will not investigate, and the Democratic leadership does not insist on hearings, then it’s hard to support this charade called government. At some point the rule of law should take precedence over the rule of politics.
Grow some ‘nads and issue more subpoenas. It’s my government and I want to know. Now.
1 comment:
People should read this.
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