LHP!

Two zeds in a row this morn.

It’s important, when your flue is sick, that you have it promptly cleaned. Those things catch fire! ;-)

BTW: It’s Kelly O’Donnell.

I don’t understand how this affects a Gonzo impeachment. Republicans don’t like him either. There are clear cases to be made just on him misleading Congress. And during the investigation, if the evidence wasn’t clear, the impeachment wouldn’t happen.

As far as I can see, there is no negative for anyone except Gonzo (and Bush) in impeaching Gonzo.

Premature shooting can fill your hunting partner’s face with buckshot.

Or so I’ve heard.

Great post, LHP — but perhaps you’ve got one thing backwards. Might it be that instead of you reading Schumer’s mind, he’s been reading your posts?

Georgesimian @ 5

I don’t understand how this affects a Gonzo impeachment. Republicans don’t like him either. There are clear cases to be made just on him misleading Congress. And during the investigation, if the evidence wasn’t clear, the impeachment wouldn’t happen.

As far as I can see, there is no negative for anyone except Gonzo (and Bush) in impeaching Gonzo.

The “(and Bush)” is your comment is why — at this point — the GOP House members won’t vote to take down AGAG. Like the Iraq war, a growing number are upset with Bush and his choices, even to the point of saying so out loud, but they are not yet ready to say “Aye” when the Dems propose a change. The outrage over AGAG has to outweigh slapping their president in the face before they’ll vote to remove him by impeachment. If it even looks like that will happen, Bush will avoid the prospect of being slapped by exercising that well known “pleasure of the president” clause of which AGAG speaks so fondly.

lhp–

So good to see ya, and that priming pump.

Lots of media across the USA on this Gonzo/Goodling/Sampson/email/blackberry/Rove/OVP and the room with the sunking’s shining rays of optimism.

btw- the two from ME…one is wavering…the other declared for ‘no-confidence’…link in a sec..
http://pressherald.mainetoday……?id=106535

Lawmakers assail focus on prosecutor
After learning Maine’s U.S. attorney was targeted for ouster, Maine’s senators rebuke Alberto Gonzales.

E-mail this page Reader Comments (below)
By KEVIN WACK, Staff Writer May 18, 2007

Following the revelation that the Bush administration long considered firing Maine’s U.S. attorney, the state’s two Republican senators sharply criticized Attorney General Alberto Gonzales but stopped short of calling for his resignation.

“Although Mr. Gonzales serves at the pleasure of the President,” Sen. Olympia Snowe said Thursday in a written statement, “the President must recognize that the cumulative and troubling pattern of developments that have been disclosed over the past several months has undermined confidence in the Attorney General’s ability to serve as the chief law enforcement officer of the United States.”

“The President should give these facts serious consideration.”

Sen. Susan Collins stressed in a telephone interview that the decision is President Bush’s, but also said, “I think the attorney general’s credibility has been incredibly damaged.”

Gonzales is under growing pressure from Congress, largely over last year’s firings of eight U.S. attorneys and lingering questions about their motivation. Five Republican senators have joined Democrats in calling for his resignation.

Gonzales testified last week that the Justice Department’s effort was limited to the eight ousted U.S. attorneys, but The Washington Post reported Thursday that 26 federal prosecutors had been considered for firing. Among them was Maine U.S. Attorney Paula Silsby, who appeared on four different lists of candidates for removal between January 2005 and November 2006.

Silsby, a career prosecutor, remains in her post as the top federal law-enforcement official in Maine, where she has strong bipartisan support.

“She’s done an outstanding job,” Collins said. “I have no idea why she would be included on that list, but I am confident that her inclusion did not reflect an assessment of her performance.”

Democratic Rep. Tom Allen, who is challenging Collins in a 2008 Senate race, speculated that the Bush administration may have considered firing Silsby for political reasons.

“I can’t think of any performance reason why she might have been there,” Allen said. “But I would speculate that because she’s a professional and not necessarily a political loyalist that she was put on the list.”

So, count them votes.

My apologies if this is a duplicate, but there is a podcast online at Open Source, w/ Christopher Leyden, of a panel discussion featuring Glenn Greenwald, Laurence Tribe, and Bruce Fein discussing the import and impact of Comey’s testimony.

Raw Story headline (verbatim): Justice Department run in ‘third world’ style says Attorneys investigator in RAW interview …

Bush’s answer to O’Donnell’s question was so pathetically lame as to be laughable.

He dodged the question then jumpred right into the trite and overused ‘People want to kill us’ mantra that has been ineffective against 70% of Americans for going on about two years.

I again think that Rove really must have been quite the thing a few years back, but these days I wouldn’t hire him to strategize a high school class president election.

Too many quail wings and a few too many sycophants telling you how smart and brilliant you are can lead to a lot of soft and sloppy behavior.

Rover’s game is way off.

-GSD

Peterr @ 7

Georgesimian @ 5

I don’t understand how this affects a Gonzo impeachment. Republicans don’t like him either. There are clear cases to be made just on him misleading Congress. And during the investigation, if the evidence wasn’t clear, the impeachment wouldn’t happen.

As far as I can see, there is no negative for anyone except Gonzo (and Bush) in impeaching Gonzo.

The “(and Bush)” is your comment is why — at this point — the GOP House members won’t vote to take down AGAG. Like the Iraq war, a growing number are upset with Bush and his choices, even to the point of saying so out loud, but they are not yet ready to say “Aye” when the Dems propose a change. The outrage over AGAG has to outweigh slapping their president in the face before they’ll vote to remove him by impeachment. If it even looks like that will happen, Bush will avoid the prospect of being slapped by exercising that well known “pleasure of the president” clause of which AGAG speaks so fondly.

I agree Peterr. In remembering H2Ogate, there were still many many Rs who were claiming partisan witch hunt up until the total collapse of the trickster’s support when the so-called “smoking gun” tapes were released. And even after the release of the final tapes, there were STILL some nay-sayers who could not bring themselves to believe that their sitting preznit could have done such a thing.

The believers will pick and choose the evidence that least supports the criminality and will place the most benign spin on things ratehr than believieng the worst. Most of us here at FDL are already firmly convinced of the criminality of BushCo, from the Chimpenfuhrer down through Darth and Abu and many of the spear carriers. What is needed is enough direct, irrefutable evidence to convince the rest of the 70% such that the 30% MUST crawl back into their holes.

Stephen Parrish, CPA @ 10

Raw Story headline (verbatim): Justice Department run in ‘third world’ style says Attorneys investigator in RAW interview …

Let’s not forget our tried and true Projection Theory applied to Rove:

In a speech to the National Lawyers Association in 2006 Rove made the following comparison:

He also compared elections in “some parts of the country” to those that take place in third-world dictatorships where the “guys in charge are, you know, colonels in mirrored sunglasses.”

We of course know that “in some parts of the country” is right-wing racist code for “African-American districts”.

-GSD

If you haven’t listened to it, go visit Glenn Greenwald at Salon and click on the link to his Open Source interview, along with Bruce Fein and Laurence Tribe. Both Tribe and Fein are pushing for the SJC to enforce the subpoenas on Rove and others, claiming that it’s hogwash to assume the courts won’t act in a timely manner. Fein reminisces that, during Watergate, the courts came back with a decision regarding a Nixon subpoena within two weeks. He also mentioned that one of the articles of impeachment against Nixon was a refusal to honor a subpoena from the Congress. Both Fein and Tribe say that while they understand that the Democrats may feel in hock to the voters who elected them to deal with Iraq and with bread-and-butter issues, that doesn’t mean that the Dems still can’t aggressively pursue court action on subpoenas. The Open Source radio podcast is one hour in length, but well worth the listening.

I have followed this story as well as just about every other scandalous story of the last 7 years. I have concluded the biggest threat to our nation is the total absence of SHAME. There is no accountability, no reprecussions, no humiliation whatsoever to betraying your oath, failing, cheating, etc. Our country will self destruct unless the public rises up and starts demanding scum like Gonzales pay the consequences for his betrayal of oath. This goes for all of them, Bush, Cheney, corrupt Congressman, political appointees. They must be fired, stripped of their benefits and prosecuted when appropriate. As long as crime pays, the crimes will just get bigger.

Was the expression on Bush’s face simply shock that Kelly was the one asking. I think I also noticed Blair in the background looking off into the distance, smiling, like “oh, how embarrassing. I’ll just take a mental time out here.”

The one hope I have for the country is that there are enough citizens like Comey who will draw a line in the sand. The rule of law does matter if you care about Western civilization. How stupid that we have neighbors anywhere who take that for granted.

Anyone with a brain knows Karl wants to spy on his political enemies, not foreign terrorists. That’s why the program is necessary, if not legal.

Let’s see.

Bush, Gonzo, and Card knew Ashcroft was not AG at the time they went to the hospital to solicit his signature on a document to authorize a program he and the AG at the time (Comey) had deemed could not be certified as legal. Then, Bush and Gonzo proceeded to continue the uncertifiable program without the required certification to make it legal.

What do you call that or should I say these or those….????

Good one LHP!

I buried something deep in EPU-land this morning because we were leaving the house & I couldn’t wait for the new threads to start appearing.

Besides, your post seems tailor-made. THANKS!

So, to drag it on upstairs here, with your kind indulgence, & my apologies for messed-up formatting, here ’tis, fwiw:
———————————————-

I’ve spread the word to friends & other contacts before, & written MSM folk as well as Congress inumerable times.
But somehow I never broke thru to our local Dem. forces-that-be, who normally post stewings about local schools & sewers, & pass along the occasional stale article from the paper, but tend (at least to my eyes) to miss the national level shenanigans that may seem distant & inaccessible to them (I’m guessing wildly here; I just dunno the reason. It just has always seemed to me they could look at the “larger picture” more than they do.)

In the last 2 days, I tried to turn their lil’ e-newsletter inside-out, as it were, by ramming a teaser with links into their system, directly e-mailed to a local head-honcho & accompanied by a plea for coverage. Bingo! It was not only put on their little blog, but it spawned some MORE coverage (which, btw, was much more fiery than my little screed, heh!), concerning the obscene behavior of Gonzo in re Acroft & at least some of the evilagenda jr.’s crew have been foisting off on J.Q Citizen under the radar.

I suggest other FDL folk might want to try anew to tickle the noses of their local honchos with some of the national stuff. It surely did strike a chord here. Below is what I sent in, fwiw… [yes, painfully arm’s-length & dry - on purpose - ya just have to try to understand… this “worked” whereas previous ranting or simply suggesting links, or anything in tw’, hadn’t… ;->]

Tuesday, May 15, 2007, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held open
hearings to discuss Justice Department policy under the Bush/Cheney
administration. Their sole witness was James Comey, formerly Asst.
Atty. General under John Ashcroft.
Occurring on a busy news day, the hearings were not covered by C-Span,
unfortunately (although Jim Lehrer on PBS, Lou Dobbs on CNN and Keith Olbermann on
MSNBC have dealt with the subject on their programs, and video
of part of the hearings is available at a link below).

Mr. Comey’s testimony was not only riveting, but shocking in its content
and import for anyone concerned about the future of our country.
Comey’s revelations make it clear that Pres. Bush authorized warrantless
wiretapping, knowing it to be illegal, and over the objections of his
top two Justice Department officials. All signs point to this illegal
decision continuing to guide policy today.

Please see video and commentary at the following links:

http://www.salon.com/opinion/g…..index.html
http://www.commondreams.org/ar…..05/02/906/
http://www.firedoglake.com/200…..-it-again/

Peterr @ 7

Georgesimian @ 5

I don’t understand how this affects a Gonzo impeachment. Republicans don’t like him either. There are clear cases to be made just on him misleading Congress. And during the investigation, if the evidence wasn’t clear, the impeachment wouldn’t happen.

As far as I can see, there is no negative for anyone except Gonzo (and Bush) in impeaching Gonzo.

The “(and Bush)” is your comment is why — at this point — the GOP House members won’t vote to take down AGAG. Like the Iraq war, a growing number are upset with Bush and his choices, even to the point of saying so out loud, but they are not yet ready to say “Aye” when the Dems propose a change. The outrage over AGAG has to outweigh slapping their president in the face before they’ll vote to remove him by impeachment. If it even looks like that will happen, Bush will avoid the prospect of being slapped by exercising that well known “pleasure of the president” clause of which AGAG speaks so fondly.

I guess I disagree. Gonzo has no friends in Congress, from what I’ve read. And even after the Repugs softquestioned him in his last appearance, most of them said he should resign. I would assume that an investigation would take some time, so we have no idea where we will be by the time a hearing would occur. And there’s one more reason to impeach Gonzo…

Because he’s never going to turn over any documents. Someone else has to go in there and get them. How many times are the Democrats going to subpeona him only to get nothing? How many times are the Repugs going to be allowed to say that “congress has no evidence of wrongdoing” because Gonzo and the WH and the GOP is stonewalling? A “no confidence vote” is nice, but it still sounds soft.

GSD @ 11

Bush’s answer to O’Donnell’s question was so pathetically lame as to be laughable.

He dodged the question then jumpred right into the trite and overused ‘People want to kill us’ mantra that has been ineffective against 70% of Americans for going on about two years.

I again think that Rove really must have been quite the thing a few years back, but these days I wouldn’t hire him to strategize a high school class president election.

Too many quail wings and a few too many sycophants telling you how smart and brilliant you are can lead to a lot of soft and sloppy behavior.

Rover’s game is way off.

-GSD

His game is way off because he has to use regular math now, not “the math”.

I’m in the camp that says he was always more conniving and deceitful than brilliant.

Up to date list no-confidence from R’s:

Nonetheless, the disclosures brought a fresh wave of criticism of Gonzales. Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., said Thursday that Gonzales should resign.

In addition, Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., said Gonzales’ resignation should now be considered a possibility.

Earlier this week, Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., said Gonzales should leave. Other Republican senators who have called for his resignation are John McCain of Arizona, John Sununu of New Hampshire and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.

Arlen Scottish Rules and The I-Conn….
10-12- more . Nelson? I hear Kit BOnd, is in…

Kelley O’Donnell asked a great question, but she should have phrased it differently. She should have said “As Decider, did you decide to send Gonzales and Card to the hospital?”

xargaw @ 15

I have followed this story as well as just about every other scandalous story of the last 7 years. I have concluded the biggest threat to our nation is the total absence of SHAME. There is no accountability, no reprecussions, no humiliation whatsoever to betraying your oath, failing, cheating, etc. Our country will self destruct unless the public rises up and starts demanding scum like Gonzales pay the consequences for his betrayal of oath. This goes for all of them, Bush, Cheney, corrupt Congressman, political appointees. They must be fired, stripped of their benefits and prosecuted when appropriate. As long as crime pays, the crimes will just get bigger.

My favorite line of this administration is:
“No laws were broken.”
Of course, this is probably a lie, but besides that, is this the new standard for the White House?

Peterr @ 7

Georgesimian @ 5

I don’t understand how this affects a Gonzo impeachment. Republicans don’t like him either. There are clear cases to be made just on him misleading Congress. And during the investigation, if the evidence wasn’t clear, the impeachment wouldn’t happen.

As far as I can see, there is no negative for anyone except Gonzo (and Bush) in impeaching Gonzo.

The “(and Bush)” is your comment is why — at this point — the GOP House members won’t vote to take down AGAG. Like the Iraq war, a growing number are upset with Bush and his choices, even to the point of saying so out loud, but they are not yet ready to say “Aye” when the Dems propose a change. The outrage over AGAG has to outweigh slapping their president in the face before they’ll vote to remove him by impeachment. If it even looks like that will happen, Bush will avoid the prospect of being slapped by exercising that well known “pleasure of the president” clause of which AGAG speaks so fondly.

At some point Democrats are going to have to come to a decision whether they can win over Republicans or not. If they decide that the Republicans are sticking with the President, and so far that has been the case, they should label the Republicans war lovers and apologists of criminality everytime they open their mouths. A lot of Republicans are counting on the fact that Democrats are not going to hit them where they are weakest. If Republicans won’t vote no confidence in Gonzales, then I think Harry Reid needs to go out and buy himself a 2 by 4.

The Daily Show’s take on the latest Scumberto Bagzales antics.

Gonzales is a shameless man without a shred of self respect.

Not a shred.

-GSD

Is video available of Shrub’s answer to Kelly?

STTP in Ohio @ 20

His game is way off because he has to use regular math now, not “the math”.

I’m in the camp that says he was always more conniving and deceitful than brilliant.

That’s my view as well. I figure that, no matter how crafty a weasel may be about getting into the coop and eating the chickens, that just doesn’t make weasels geniuses.

LS @ 17

Let’s see.

Bush, Gonzo, and Card knew Ashcroft was not AG at the time they went to the hospital to solicit his signature on a document to authorize a program he and the AG at the time (Comey) had deemed could not be certified as legal. Then, Bush and Gonzo proceeded to continue the uncertifiable program without the required certification to make it legal.

What do you call that or should I say these or those….????

malfeasance? treason? I’m not picky.
I want them out of office, & take shooter while yer at it.

Did you see Chris Matthews’ interview with Chuck Schumer?
Matthews referred to Gonzales and Card, at Ashcroft’s bedside as a “pair of Rosenkrantz and Gildenstern characters.”
I love it.

Adie, at #18:

Your links are not working properly.

Someone, give me the scoop on Kelly O’Donnell. Is she always this probing or is she usually a lapdog? And, is she related to Nora?

Is that the long version of “Raising a Flag and waiting to see who salutes?” Doesn’t that expression seem timely for this cause?

Adie @ 28

LS @ 17

Let’s see.

Bush, Gonzo, and Card knew Ashcroft was not AG at the time they went to the hospital to solicit his signature on a document to authorize a program he and the AG at the time (Comey) had deemed could not be certified as legal. Then, Bush and Gonzo proceeded to continue the uncertifiable program without the required certification to make it legal.

What do you call that or should I say these or those….????

malfeasance? treason? I’m not picky.
I want them out of office, & take shooter while yer at it.

I think we need to start playing Name That Crime(s).

Rover’s game is way off.

Also, Rove’s success has always been dependent on the atmosphere of trust that we have in our institutions here in the US, as well as the lack of oversight by the Republican dominated congress. Now that the way he works has been revealed, and now that there is oversight, his methods don’t work so well.

Karen M @ 30

Adie, at #18:

Your links are not working properly.

Thanks. Probably because they’re re-copied. I should have known…. appreciate the tip ;->

lhp, I always find your posts immensely helpful. You’ve got a law practice to worry about as well as filling your 401(k) and little prop. I worry when commenters bring up spelling issues that you will post less and that would be our loss.

OT, Shrub’s response to Kelly’s question was complete bullsh*t. Since he couldn’t hide behind an “ongoing investigation,” he pretended that she had asked about national security matters. She didn’t. She asked a very simple question. Did you call AG Ashcroft to inform him that Card and Gonsalez were going to “visit” him in the hospital? It’s a very simple question, but shrub won’t respond. I hope MSM continues to hit Snow blower and Shrub at every opportunity with this question.

Oh man, this is gettin’ good. Great post [#oodles-plus-one] for FDL!

——————————
(check my .SIG above in a day or three) :)

Solai @ 31

Someone, give me the scoop on Kelly O’Donnell. Is she always this probing or is she usually a lapdog? And, is she related to Nora?

I’ll gladly defer to others on this, but imvho, she scores very high on the lapdog scale.

Here are links that I hope will work with my #18. Just tried them, & they seem o.k. ;->

http://www.salon.com/opinion/g…..index.html

http://www.commondreams.org/ar…..05/02/906/

http://www.firedoglake.com/200…..-it-again/

good read looseheadedness

we’ve been discussing something downstairs that we would have to be on guard against if we ever got close to a trial of impeachment;

the speculation that the adminsitration might not be planning on relinquishing power regardless impeachment nor election

don’t forget firedogs, the protection we have against a unitary or run amok central government is our national guard

this adminsitration has taken that from us

progressive politicians and even republicans should be raising the alarm, we need our state resources and we need them now

if the president wants his war he needs to begin his draft and stop using state resources

Biodun @ 4

BTW: It’s Kelly O’Donnell.

OOPS, You’re right. Damn and I haven’t learn how to get back into a post that is already up.

Any kind hearted Mod who wants to chnage that will have my gratitude.

Badwater @ 22

Kelley O’Donnell asked a great question, but she should have phrased it differently. She should have said “As Decider, did you decide to send Gonzales and Card to the hospital?”

lmao.

Peterr @ 6

Premature shooting can fill your hunting partner’s face with buckshot.

Or so I’ve heard.

Great post, LHP — but perhaps you’ve got one thing backwards. Might it be that instead of you reading Schumer’s mind, he’s been reading your posts?

I doubt he has time for humble little me

Solai @ 31

Someone, give me the scoop on Kelly O’Donnell. Is she always this probing or is she usually a lapdog? And, is she related to Nora?

I don’t believe they are related. She used to be on air locally in Northeast Ohio, and I think her family, led by her father Neil, has or had a financial planning business here.

As for her reporting, she doesn’t come across as “in the bag” as most. Occasionally asks a good question here and there.

What is the process of getting a Special Prosecutor appointed? Couldn’t this be an important part of holding Gonzales accountable? Isn’t there some evidence of criminal wrongdoing yet? Wasn’t Libby convicted of “perjury” and not of “outing” Plame? Could someone cover this in their post?

Solai @ 31

Someone, give me the scoop on Kelly O’Donnell. Is she always this probing or is she usually a lapdog? And, is she related to Nora?

The entire Washington press corps has been asleep at the switch for years. There’s always Helen Thomas and maybe a few others. My impression is that most of the time a hard question has been asked it was an accident. They have been getting a little more feisty of late but they still don’t do their homework sufficiently to challenge an answer and ask a pertinent follow up.

Great post, LHP — but perhaps you’ve got one thing backwards. Might it be that instead of you reading Schumer’s mind, he’s been reading your posts?

Sorry lhp, I’m going with Peterr on this one. :)

Thanks for your post looseheadprop. It’s in line with what I’ve been posting and discussing at Glenn Greenwald’s, so I posted a link to your post.

Hugh @ 46

Solai @ 31

Someone, give me the scoop on Kelly O’Donnell. Is she always this probing or is she usually a lapdog? And, is she related to Nora?

The entire Washington press corps has been asleep at the switch for years. There’s always Helen Thomas and maybe a few others. My impression is that most of the time a hard question has been asked it was an accident. They have been getting a little more feisty of late but they still don’t do their homework sufficiently to challenge an answer and ask a pertinent follow up.

I completely agree with this assessment.

RickinSF @ 29

Did you see Chris Matthews’ interview with Chuck Schumer?
Matthews referred to Gonzales and Card, at Ashcroft’s bedside as a “pair of Rosenkrantz and Gildenstern characters.”
I love it.

That’s priceless. Hopefully they’ll end the same way.

Solai @ 31

Someone, give me the scoop on Kelly O’Donnell. Is she always this probing or is she usually a lapdog? And, is she related to Nora?

No relation to Norah.

LHP, great post, great thoughts

“…doublespeak … But what really got me was the expression on his face.”

Because THE SMIRK was gone!

GSD @ 25

The Daily Show’s take on the latest Scumberto Bagzales antics.

Gonzales is a shameless man without a shred of self respect.

Not a shred.

Hilarious stuff.

Thank you LHP. I hope Schumer and friends are as smart and calculating as you give them credit for. (couldn’t figure a way out of the dangling prep. sorry)

Agree that reporter O’Donnell phrased her question very, very well. It was ‘targeted’, if you will, so clearly that Bush’s weaseling was vivid.

As for the late-night visit to the Critical Care hospital bed, Mrs Ashcroft is to be commended for her courage and decency in seeking to protect her ill husband.

IMHO, this goes waaaayyyyy beyond partisan politics. I don’t care whether a person is evangelical, Catholic, Presbybterian, wiccan, Baptist, or believes in holograms. Our personal responsibilities require that most of us, at one time or another, protect, care for, and assist those in our lives we care about.

Fortunately, we do not have to summon the Deputy DoJ and the FBI simply to protect our loved ones.

I shudder to think what could have happened if Mrs Ashcroft had not been decent enough, and tough enough, to look out for her husband during his serious illness.

Personally, I tip my hat to that woman. Politics has no role whatsoever in those emotions. She showed a lot of courage, and no matter what our political beliefs, we should all respect the way in which she clearly sought to protect her husband at a time when he was very ill and vulnerable. I’ll add a kind thought to the unsung, unnamed FBI agents who also assisted in that dreadful circumstance.

What it says about Bush, Gonzales, and Card is beyond despicable.

grayslady @ 14

If you haven’t listened to it, go visit Glenn Greenwald at Salon and click on the link to his Open Source interview, along with Bruce Fein and Laurence Tribe. Both Tribe and Fein are pushing for the SJC to enforce the subpoenas on Rove and others, claiming that it’s hogwash to assume the courts won’t act in a timely manner. Fein reminisces that, during Watergate, the courts came back with a decision regarding a Nixon subpoena within two weeks. He also mentioned that one of the articles of impeachment against Nixon was a refusal to honor a subpoena from the Congress. Both Fein and Tribe say that while they understand that the Democrats may feel in hock to the voters who elected them to deal with Iraq and with bread-and-butter issues, that doesn’t mean that the Dems still can’t aggressively pursue court action on subpoenas. The Open Source radio podcast is one hour in length, but well worth the listening.

OMG, EW and I have been having email debates about the whole subpoena , no subpoena thing for the last couple days!

BTW I agree with Fein and Tribe. It’s nice to be on the same page with the big dogs.

T-bird @ 45

What is the process of getting a Special Prosecutor appointed? Couldn’t this be an important part of holding Gonzales accountable? Isn’t there some evidence of criminal wrongdoing yet? Wasn’t Libby convicted of “perjury” and not of “outing” Plame? Could someone cover this in their post?

Can’t be done, the Special Prosecutor provision was allowed to die early in the Idiot-in-Chief’s first administration. So you’d have to get Congress to pass a new one. Not bloody likely…

Should impeachment of Gonzales arrive, the investigation into his actions might lead to action against the rest of the regime…we can but hope.

(But I’m still calling my Congresswoman Monday morning to press for impeachment of Gonzo.)

Yep, I’m with you. They are doing everything they can to look moderate and reasonable while at the same time exposing all of the disgusting stuff the Bushies are up to.
The morsels are coming fast and furiously now. I think it is unstoppable at this point but we have to make sure everyone is on board and knows exactly what’s going on before we pull the impeachment trigger.

T-bird @ 45

What is the process of getting a Special Prosecutor appointed? Couldn’t this be an important part of holding Gonzales accountable? Isn’t there some evidence of criminal wrongdoing yet? Wasn’t Libby convicted of “perjury” and not of “outing” Plame? Could someone cover this in their post?

Doesn’t the AG decide to appoint a special prosecutor?

this is why Alberto will never resign, nor Bush will fire Alberto. (The closest they’ll come to it is that Gonzo will “step down for personal reasons, but will remain in the job until a successor is confirmed” and Bush will take his sweet ole time appointing people who won’t pass confirmation by a D controlled Senate. They’ll ride out the clock until the term is up.) As Thom Hartmann said yesterday, Alberto Gonzales knows where all Bush’s bodies are buried going decades back to Texas. Bush will keep him on the job because he cannot afford to get rid of Gonzo, nor afford the risk of having a new AG confirmed that will actually do his/her job and investigate corruption.

Georgesimian @ 5

I don’t understand how this affects a Gonzo impeachment. Republicans don’t like him either. There are clear cases to be made just on him misleading Congress. And during the investigation, if the evidence wasn’t clear, the impeachment wouldn’t happen.

As far as I can see, there is no negative for anyone except Gonzo (and Bush) in impeaching Gonzo.

They won’t vote for impeachment for the same reason we want it: it would start an avalanche. They’re all Party men now and as such can’t exist outside it. Who is going to provide them sinecures after they’ve left office if they’ve voted to impeach? As loosehead says, more has to come out.

I’d like to know exactly HOW to keep the pressure on . When I write the networks I get no response. Calling senators they dont take down names. Administration doesn’t care about protests. How do we, the people, communicate our views and make an impact? The news media only responds to its bottom line. Even Air America has inserted a conservative host in what was sam seder’s show. I’ve also written to them and no response. It gets dispiriting!

doublespeak … But what really got me was the expression on his face.”

Because THE SMIRK was gone!

Yeah, he was pissed. How dare anyone ask him that kind of question? Lil’ preznit hissyfit chimpsta doesn’t like to have questions like that, and my guess is, he won’t call on Kelly again soon. That’ll show her.

And BTW, somebody asked about the video? I’m pretty sure I saw it at Crooks and Liars.

Oh ick. While typing your name – loose head prop – I flashed on that article that someone, Kathleen maybe, linked to yesterday about the woman whose skull was severed from her spinal chord and survived. This isn’t how you got your name is it?

lhp! you go grrrl (hope you dont mind that expression). you are so right about keeping these issues in front of everyone – like the US Attorney scandal. that pissed off just about every senator. Schumer and Leahy are doing some preliminary vote counting with this no confidence idea. will be very interesting to see who they get with this one. then they open the can of worms on Monica Goodling next week, then Miers and Rove. could be more than 67 by the time June rolls around. btw, we have 6 confirmed, 10 very likely, and maybe 16 likely to cross the aisle in the senate on this. not going to name names here. wonder if they will schedule to vote before or after Wed. morning.

do-si-do, you said it all at 16

Gnome de Plume @ 63

Oh ick. While typing your name – loose head prop – I flashed on that article that someone, Kathleen maybe, linked to yesterday about the woman whose skull was severed from her spinal chord and survived. This isn’t how you got your name is it?

It’s a rugby position, she’s a player.

Solai @ 31

Someone, give me the scoop on Kelly O’Donnell. Is she always this probing or is she usually a lapdog? And, is she related to Nora?

Hi Solai, IIRC a new person delurked to share his experience in commenting on Kelly et al’s newsite. He related that his comment that criticised her limp noodle questions of late had not been posted, but he felt that the message was rec’d since she stood up for journalism at that press conference. His f/u comment thanking her was posted. IIRC…
buried in yesterday’s comments.
So perhaps she is at least a temporarily reformed lapdog?

Maybe it’s time to toss some Milkbones at the press for encouragement

New post & juicy email between Harriet and Karl up at the Muck.

The list of targeted AUSAs is up to 30.

This isn’t how you got your name is it?

Truly, until LHP explained the rugby (I believe) origins of her name, I couldn’t help picturing someone who’s head was sagging a bit.

Hugh @ 46

Solai @ 31

Someone, give me the scoop on Kelly O’Donnell. Is she always this probing or is she usually a lapdog? And, is she related to Nora?

The entire Washington press corps has been asleep at the switch for years. There’s always Helen Thomas and maybe a few others. My impression is that most of the time a hard question has been asked it was an accident. They have been getting a little more feisty of late but they still don’t do their homework sufficiently to challenge an answer and ask a pertinent follow up.

After all this time this is a naive way of viewing the press corps. They would get fired if they were “feisty” and “did their homework”. It’s a matter for their bosses to decide whether things have gone too far and whether they will start asking questions.

Peterr @ 7

Georgesimian @ 5

I don’t understand how this affects a Gonzo impeachment. Republicans don’t like him either. There are clear cases to be made just on him misleading Congress. And during the investigation, if the evidence wasn’t clear, the impeachment wouldn’t happen.

As far as I can see, there is no negative for anyone except Gonzo (and Bush) in impeaching Gonzo.

The “(and Bush)” is your comment is why — at this point — the GOP House members won’t vote to take down AGAG. Like the Iraq war, a growing number are upset with Bush and his choices, even to the point of saying so out loud, but they are not yet ready to say “Aye” when the Dems propose a change. The outrage over AGAG has to outweigh slapping their president in the face before they’ll vote to remove him by impeachment. If it even looks like that will happen, Bush will avoid the prospect of being slapped by exercising that well known “pleasure of the president” clause of which AGAG speaks so fondly.

??? we dont need the House Republicans to vote against Gonzales, only 16-17 Senate Republicans. or is that what you meant?

“if you are going to shoot at the king, you damn well better kill the king”

Uh oh, I think Sean InsHannity is going to have a field day quoting this out of context!

milla @ 61

I’d like to know exactly HOW to keep yje pressure on . When I write the networks I get no response. Calling senators they dont take down names. Administration doesn’t care about protests. How do we, the people, communicate our views and make an impact?

Instead of calling your senators and congressional rep, make an appointment to see them when they are in their local offices. This is part of their job and as their constituent you are entitled to see and speak with them.

Often, Senators will hold office hours in various sections of their state so all their constituents have an opportunity to meet with them. If you’re shy, get someone to go with you, I’ll bet most of your local Firepups would volunteer to accompany you.

(I’m lucky, my Senators and Rep are about 10 minutes walk from my workplace.)

Appoint Special Prosecutor or Counsel to investigate NOW (there is enough (testimony-prob cause) with the “midnight attempted massacre”) before Bush, Co. runs the clock out. Once campaigns get into full gear not news will come out except elections.

egregious @ 66

Gnome de Plume @ 63

Oh ick. While typing your name – loose head prop – I flashed on that article that someone, Kathleen maybe, linked to yesterday about the woman whose skull was severed from her spinal chord and survived. This isn’t how you got your name is it?

It’s a rugby position, she’s a player.

Me. I am a hooker

Assuming, and I do, that the AG was carrying out the wishes, desires and directives of GWB, why then is impeachment on the table for Gonzales, but for his boss, not?

What has me curious about the whole hospital episode is the nature of the documents Fredo and Card brought with them for Ashcroft to sign in his purportedly sedated condition. As a lawyer, I had my share of requests by “caring relatives” to go to the hospital room to make sure “dad’s wishes are in writing before its too late” – never did it, too risky to ensure competence even when initiated by the dying person, let alone at the behest of the relatives who would gain from the change of the will. No surprise to anyone, but that alone would be a glaring lack of ethics by Fredo. If the document was a reauthorization of the program, who’s to say what the date on the document was – or would they fill it in later, to get around Comey’s temporary appointment? If people will back-date stock options, they will certainly back-date something like this on a secret visit to the hospital – clearly Comey and Goldsmith didn’t put anything by these guys.

carolyn urban @ 69

This isn’t how you got your name is it?

Truly, until LHP explained the rugby (I believe) origins of her name, I couldn’t help picturing someone who’s head was sagging a bit.

Don’t feel bad, I thought it might have something to do with airplanes!

milla @ 61

I’d like to know exactly HOW to keep the pressure on . When I write the networks I get no response. Calling senators they dont take down names. Administration doesn’t care about protests. How do we, the people, communicate our views and make an impact? The news media only responds to its bottom line. Even Air America has inserted a conservative host in what was sam seder’s show. I’ve also written to them and no response. It gets dispiriting!

It’s not the bottom line; banish that myth. You think the public interest wouldn’t be piqued by television coverage of Comey’s testimony? It’s the party line.

Winning this is in the hands of our elected officials. The media are at this point trying to catch up, for posterity’s sake and the matter of their reputations. Which came first: Schumer’s invite to Comey or Hiatt’s editorials?

carolyn urban @ 69

This isn’t how you got your name is it?

Truly, until LHP explained the rugby (I believe) origins of her name, I couldn’t help picturing someone who’s head was sagging a bit.

I thought it was some dark, goth thing…until I read more posts ;)

Hugh @ 46

Solai @ 31

Someone, give me the scoop on Kelly O’Donnell. Is she always this probing or is she usually a lapdog? And, is she related to Nora?

The entire Washington press corps has been asleep at the switch for years. There’s always Helen Thomas and maybe a few others. My impression is that most of the time a hard question has been asked it was an accident. They have been getting a little more feisty of late but they still don’t do their homework sufficiently to challenge an answer and ask a pertinent follow up.

Very true!

I wonder how many hundreds of “investigative journalism” departments abound across this country in newspapers and tv stations.

One locally did a fine expose uncovering city trucks that idle unnecessarily and waste fuel. A problem? Yes. But I don’t know, maybe the high crimes taking place daily in Washington D.C. might be a bigger story.

And what’s more, it’s all out there in plain view! We’re doing all the heavy lifting in the blogs. Woodward (the good one from the 70’s) and Bernstein never had it so easy.

landofthefree @ 59

Doesn’t the AG decide to appoint a special prosecutor?

this is why Alberto will never resign, nor Bush will fire Alberto. (The closest they’ll come to it is that Gonzo will “step down for personal reasons, but will remain in the job until a successor is confirmed” and Bush will take his sweet ole time appointing people who won’t pass confirmation by a D controlled Senate. They’ll ride out the clock until the term is up.) As Thom Hartmann said yesterday, Alberto Gonzales knows where all Bush’s bodies are buried going decades back to Texas. Bush will keep him on the job because he cannot afford to get rid of Gonzo, nor afford the risk of having a new AG confirmed that will actually do his/her job and investigate corruption.

Did you read Greenwald this morning? *g*

EPU’d from two threads downstairs:

Biodun @ 103

Glenn Greenwald reaches a conclusion in Salon today:

(snip)

It has seemed highly unlikely all along, and still does, that Bush is going to ever force Gonzales to leave, or that Gonzales will leave on his own. Independent of all the cultural and psychological dynamics that govern Bush’s “loyalty” fetishses, the single most important asset Bush has right now is that the prosecutorial machinery is in the clutches of his most craven, obedient and loyal follower.

If Gonzales leaves, then his replacement will have to be confirmed by the Senate, which is highly unlikely to confirm anyone who is too politically loyal to the Bush circle. That means that the only alternative to Gonzales’ staying is an independent Justice Department that acts in the interests of justice, rather than Bush’s political and personal interests. That is what Bush fears most, and that is why Gonzales will almost certainly stay, unless he is forced out.

Good on you LHP to keep up the pressure.

Otherwise, if you shoot before you can convict, history will record both the Clinton blow job impeachment and the Bush shredding the Constitution impeachment as equivalent, tit for tat, partisan acts.

Yet if no impeachment is brought against Bush, won’t history record Clinton’s “crimes” as worse? No tit just tat? That would stink!

Oklahoma kiddo @ 76

Assuming, and I do, that the AG was carrying out the wishes, desires and directives of GWB, why then is impeachment on the table for Gonzales, but for his boss, not?

I think perhaps the first priority is to restore the rule of law to the land.

egregious @ 66

Gnome de Plume @ 63

Oh ick. While typing your name – loose head prop – I flashed on that article that someone, Kathleen maybe, linked to yesterday about the woman whose skull was severed from her spinal chord and survived. This isn’t how you got your name is it?

It’s a rugby position, she’s a player.

Thanks egreg. Gosh, with both EW and LHP being rugby players, I wish it was around when I was a kid. I know I coulda been a contender! Instead, we had an anarchical version of dodgeball that we played at recess called slaughterhouse crackabout.

David Gergen on CNN hinting at possible obstruction of justice charges for gonzo.

“it’s not a question on if we’re gonna have an end game, it’s about how the end game plays out”

carolyn urban @ 69

This isn’t how you got your name is it?

Truly, until LHP explained the rugby (I believe) origins of her name, I couldn’t help picturing someone who’s head was sagging a bit.

Before I heard the rugby explanation, I always guessed it was a self-description of LHP, posting while working at so many different tasks, trying to avoid nodding off at the laptop, because LHP seems to work a LOT!

And a big high five to do-si-do, who has been posting great comments like this one:

Anyone with a brain knows Karl wants to spy on his political enemies, not foreign terrorists. That’s why the program is necessary, if not legal.

I also love this comment by xargaw:

I have followed this story as well as just about every other scandalous story of the last 7 years. I have concluded the biggest threat to our nation is the total absence of SHAME. There is no accountability, no reprecussions, no humiliation whatsoever to betraying your oath, failing, cheating, etc. Our country will self destruct unless the public rises up and starts demanding scum like Gonzales pay the consequences for his betrayal of oath. This goes for all of them, Bush, Cheney, corrupt Congressman, political appointees. They must be fired, stripped of their benefits and prosecuted when appropriate. As long as crime pays, the crimes will just get bigger.

Tithonia @ 34

Rover’s game is way off.

Also, Rove’s success has always been dependent on the atmosphere of trust that we have in our institutions here in the US, as well as the lack of oversight by the Republican dominated congress. Now that the way he works has been revealed, and now that there is oversight, his methods don’t work so well.

And THAT my darlings was the most important result of the Libby Trial. Rove and Cheney’s MOs have been revealed for al the world to see and in a way that makes the information beyond dispute.

And people were disappointed that Fitzgerald didn’t indict Rove and Cheney at the time!

Silly. Like I said, a good sniper doesn’t rush to take the first clear shot. Especailly if he knows there will only be one shot at all.

it would start an avalanche.

heh. actually, i’ve always thot of the administration as a poorly constructed pile of compost that just HAD to tip over eventually.

HYAR IT GOES! YEEHAW! OMG LOOK AT THE STEAM POURING OUTTA THAT FESTERING PILE-A…. [ahem]! *g*

OT

The national average for regular gasoline today May 18, 2007 is $3.129.

The break down is as follows (50 states plus DC):

$2.80 plus 1 state
$2.90 plus 13 states
$3.00 plus 9 states
$3.10 plus 8 states
$3.20 plus 11 states
$3.30 plus 6 states
$3.40 plus 3 states

South Carolina is cheapest at $2.896.
California is most expensive at $3.461.

The other states in the $3.40 range are also West Coast: Oregon and Washington.

The robbery continues.

nomolos @ 75

egregious @ 66

It’s a rugby position, she’s a player.

Me. I am a hooker

Clever. Since in rugby loosehead props support hookers.

(Mods: Don’t worry. No more nesting–zig alert.)

“I expect there will be a number of dry runs like this “no confidence” vote and other trial balloons before both houses of Congress are sure they have both a case that will win in the court of public opinion and the votes they need for conviction in the Senate. You know even if they have the votes to convict, if the case doesn’t resonate with and convince the American people, it will be a phyrric victory that could backlash against the rule of law contingent.”

Hi looseheadprop, As a member of the public I think the public’s opinion is easily found in the polls. We’ve been convinced (and resonating) for quite some time. I also believe we’ve convicted, this crime and the many others of this most criminal, grotesque administration. The clueless congress and the complicit media are the ones needing convincing. I believe this rule of law contingent you speak of will do the convincing. Really, rule of law, what’s not to love? Rule of law, impeach, potato, potatoe.
I don’t think we can take too many more dry runs when the blood is nearing our chins.
Take care, Jan

Ishmael @ 77

What has me curious about the whole hospital episode is the nature of the documents Fredo and Card brought with them for Ashcroft to sign in his purportedly sedated condition. As a lawyer, I had my share of requests by “caring relatives” to go to the hospital room to make sure “dad’s wishes are in writing before its too late” – never did it, too risky to ensure competence even when initiated by the dying person, let alone at the behest of the relatives who would gain from the change of the will. No surprise to anyone, but that alone would be a glaring lack of ethics by Fredo. If the document was a reauthorization of the program, who’s to say what the date on the document was – or would they fill it in later, to get around Comey’s temporary appointment? If people will back-date stock options, they will certainly back-date something like this on a secret visit to the hospital – clearly Comey and Goldsmith didn’t put anything by these guys.

It also would have had no legal weight. As Ashcroft said, “And anyway, I’m not the Attorney General”. It showed attention neither to form nor substance.

twolf1 @ 86

David Gergen on CNN hinting at possible obstruction of justice charges for gonzo.

“it’s not a question on if we’re gonna have an end game, it’s about how the end game plays out”

Gergen’s not going to be welcome in Republic circles anymore if he keeps talking sense. He’s definately off all of the Bush family xmas card lists after saying this.

Oh gosh, gang! (blush)

I feel redeemed for my really bad jokes of late!

This stuff just makes me hopping mad. I hate having my moderate intelligence insulted on a daily basis by Dubya’s gang. And as a Watergate teen, I’m friggin’ appalled at today’s “journalism”.

readerOfTeaLeaves @ 55

Agree that reporter O’Donnell phrased her question very, very well. It was ‘targeted’, if you will, so clearly that Bush’s weaseling was vivid.

As for the late-night visit to the Critical Care hospital bed, Mrs Ashcroft is to be commended for her courage and decency in seeking to protect her ill husband.

IMHO, this goes waaaayyyyy beyond partisan politics. I don’t care whether a person is evangelical, Catholic, Presbybterian, wiccan, Baptist, or believes in holograms. Our personal responsibilities require that most of us, at one time or another, protect, care for, and assist those in our lives we care about.

Fortunately, we do not have to summon the Deputy DoJ and the FBI simply to protect our loved ones.

I shudder to think what could have happened if Mrs Ashcroft had not been decent enough, and tough enough, to look out for her husband during his serious illness.

Personally, I tip my hat to that woman. Politics has no role whatsoever in those emotions. She showed a lot of courage, and no matter what our political beliefs, we should all respect the way in which she clearly sought to protect her husband at a time when he was very ill and vulnerable. I’ll add a kind thought to the unsung, unnamed FBI agents who also assisted in that dreadful circumstance.

What it says about Bush, Gonzales, and Card is beyond despicable.

maybe we should back up a little further – why would Mrs. Ashcroft think it was necessary to call in the Acting AG and the Director of the FBI? What was it about a call from the President himself that touched off this reaction in her? This speaks of incredible mistrust of the President and “his” men (a group that she did not include Comey and Mueller in). Where did that come from?

Biodun @ 82: yes, I did read Glenn this morning and yesterday… and I thought he must have been listening to Thom Hartmann’s show yesterday (broadcasting from Boulder, CO). I’m happy to see that more people in the media are picking up on this.

Funniest comment from the part of Hartmann’s show yesterday regarding Comey’s vivid description of the “Wednesday Night Ambush” came from a listener in the audience who said, “Who would have thought that Aschroft would have been the good guy?” It does have to make you wonder how awful the earlier program (in place for two years) was. And, you gotta know that it allowed them to spy on political opponents. We already know a lot of journalists were being tapped, including the home phone of Christiane Amanpour, whose husband was a top advisor to the Kerry campaign.

Oklahoma kiddo @ 76

Assuming, and I do, that the AG was carrying out the wishes, desires and directives of GWB, why then is impeachment on the table for Gonzales, but for his boss, not?

Think about Fitz’s strategy, i.e. start with the small fish and work your way up to the big fish.

Same principle here — you’ll learn more about Bush/Cheney by investigating Gonzo, Rove, Miers and crew. — IF — you can reveal enough “dirt,” the public outcry will push the Congress to impeach the big fish. But first you’ve got to do the spadework.

landofthefree @ 59

T-bird @ 45

What is the process of getting a Special Prosecutor appointed? Couldn’t this be an important part of holding Gonzales accountable? Isn’t there some evidence of criminal wrongdoing yet? Wasn’t Libby convicted of “perjury” and not of “outing” Plame? Could someone cover this in their post?

Doesn’t the AG decide to appoint a special prosecutor?

this is why Alberto will never resign, nor Bush will fire Alberto. (The closest they’ll come to it is that Gonzo will “step down for personal reasons, but will remain in the job until a successor is confirmed” and Bush will take his sweet ole time appointing people who won’t pass confirmation by a D controlled Senate. They’ll ride out the clock until the term is up.) As Thom Hartmann said yesterday, Alberto Gonzales knows where all Bush’s bodies are buried going decades back to Texas. Bush will keep him on the job because he cannot afford to get rid of Gonzo, nor afford the risk of having a new AG confirmed that will actually do his/her job and investigate corruption.

and he can always recess appoint someone to run out the clock.

LHP, I like the sniper analogy. It takes a lot of restraint and self-control. It’s masterful esp. when compared to the quail-hunting on the other side.

LHP, from your electrons to the ear of the Almighty. I have repeatedly argued here for gradualism on issues like impeachment of the president, and a host of other issues: the chess match is to the methodical, the lawyer who asks the key question too early can blow the case.

In this situation, I only hope our people are actually playing the game, and not just posturing for the cameras.

Hugh @ 90

OT

The national average for regular gasoline today May 18, 2007 is $3.129.

The break down is as follows (50 states plus DC):

$2.80 plus 1 state
$2.90 plus 13 states
$3.00 plus 9 states
$3.10 plus 8 states
$3.20 plus 11 states
$3.30 plus 6 states
$3.40 plus 3 states

South Carolina is cheapest at $2.896.
California is most expensive at $3.461.

The other states in the $3.40 range are also West Coast: Oregon and Washington.

The robbery continues.

The Republic position is that the oil company profits are the same percentage as they have always been. They have nothing to do with the high price of oil and are just along for the ride like consumers are.

Of course, when gas went up during Clinton’s second term, Republics were demanding something be done, including eliminating gas taxes. Strange how they are silent now.

Brisingamen @ 73

milla @ 61

I’d like to know exactly HOW to keep yje pressure on . When I write the networks I get no response. Calling senators they dont take down names. Administration doesn’t care about protests. How do we, the people, communicate our views and make an impact?

Instead of calling your senators and congressional rep, make an appointment to see them when they are in their local offices. This is part of their job and as their constituent you are entitled to see and speak with them.

Often, Senators will hold office hours in various sections of their state so all their constituents have an opportunity to meet with them. If you’re shy, get someone to go with you, I’ll bet most of your local Firepups would volunteer to accompany you.

(I’m lucky, my Senators and Rep are about 10 minutes walk from my workplace.)

The point is, keep pestering. Be respectful, but do.not.give.up. I found it paid off to write right back to a congresscritter who tried to “shove me away” with a form letter. Told him I didn’t appreciate it one bit, thought the points I raised needed real answers, and I [expected to receive them promptly].

- turn up the heat on your burner just a tad, and see if that’ll start things simmering ;->

His game is way off because he has to use regular math now, not “the math”.

I’m in the camp that says he was always more conniving and deceitful than brilliant.

This is demonstrably true if you look at his past history. The stunt he pulled with the fake bugging back in Texas is pure farce and, if anyone had seriously been paying attention, he’d be a laughingstock.

Rove is just like our own Stockwell Day up here in the Great White North. Day is demonstrably an idiot but he was able to get elected to lead a national party because until then he’d coasted in his career. Alberta didn’t (and largely still doesn’t) have any kind of competent opposition and with the likes of Ralph Klein being an attention-gathering black hole, Day could fly under the radar. When he gained national attention, away from the umbrella of King Ralph, and faced real opposing and largely competent political parties (and nationally-known and respected comedians) that could, and did, proceed to go after him he blew apart like a cheap trailer in a tornado.

Rove managed to get his rep in Texas. I mean, really, how hard is it to be a winning Republican in Texas?

Oklahoma kiddo @ 76

Assuming, and I do, that the AG was carrying out the wishes, desires and directives of GWB, why then is impeachment on the table for Gonzales, but for his boss, not?

methinks Ms. P is waiting for the other party to set the table.

Is anyone on the Senate Judicial Committee talking to Ashcroft or Mrs. A, I wonder. He (they) used to be members of the club. That is why they confirmed him so readily.

milla @ 61

I’d like to know exactly HOW to keep the pressure on . When I write the networks I get no response. Calling senators they dont take down names. Administration doesn’t care about protests. How do we, the people, communicate our views and make an impact? The news media only responds to its bottom line. Even Air America has inserted a conservative host in what was sam seder’s show. I’ve also written to them and no response. It gets dispiriting!

Even if you don’t get a response. they keep track of this stuff. ABCs 20-20 did a story on one of my cases once and the producer called up aweek later and knew hour by hour exactly how many calls had come into the switchboard. Same thing with your elected reps. They don’t need a name (unless you are a donor, then you name matters a lot so you should tell the staffer if you have previouly donated), but the number yeah and nay matter alot.

Also, paper letters matter more than email to most electeds.

Gnome de Plume @ 63

Oh ick. While typing your name – loose head prop – I flashed on that article that someone, Kathleen maybe, linked to yesterday about the woman whose skull was severed from her spinal chord and survived. This isn’t how you got your name is it?

no. It’s the position I played back when I was a rugby player

looseheadprop @ 88

Tithonia @ 34

Also, Rove’s success has always been dependent on the atmosphere of trust that we have in our institutions here in the US, as well as the lack of oversight by the Republican dominated congress. Now that the way he works has been revealed, and now that there is oversight, his methods don’t work so well.

And THAT my darlings was the most important result of the Libby Trial. Rove and Cheney’s MOs have been revealed for al the world to see and in a way that makes the information beyond dispute.

And people were disappointed that Fitzgerald didn’t indict Rove and Cheney at the time!

Silly. Like I said, a good sniper doesn’t rush to take the first clear shot. Especailly if he knows there will only be one shot at all.

lhp – you have some really fascinating dinner conversation, doncha? sounds like you have a wonderful family. just wanted to say keep up the good work.

Hugh at 90,
Living here on the border between Washington and Oregon, it REALLY pisses me off that gas prices are so high here because the freaking pipeline runs right by here, with out a supply stop off. It goes straight to California.

xargaw @ 15

I have followed this story as well as just about every other scandalous story of the last 7 years. I have concluded the biggest threat to our nation is the total absence of SHAME. There is no accountability, no reprecussions, no humiliation whatsoever to betraying your oath, failing, cheating, etc. Our country will self destruct unless the public rises up and starts demanding scum like Gonzales pay the consequences for his betrayal of oath. This goes for all of them, Bush, Cheney, corrupt Congressman, political appointees. They must be fired, stripped of their benefits and prosecuted when appropriate. As long as crime pays, the crimes will just get bigger.

No Shame.

No Blame.

Amen

Woodhall Hollow @ 68

New post & juicy email between Harriet and Karl up at the Muck.

The list of targeted AUSAs is up to 30.

omg!

I’ve been thinking the past few days about the decission of the top DOJ wanting to resign if Bush’s team pushed this secret program. It reminded me of February when some top people in the military were saying they would resign if Bush decided to attack Iran.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/t…..434540.ece
Do you think there was a similar show down? Or what about the State Dept. any similar thing in the news about them?
Some in the goverment must be under enormous stress.

I’d like to know exactly HOW to keep the pressure on . When I write the networks I get no response. Calling senators they dont take down names. Administration doesn’t care about protests. How do we, the people, communicate our views and make an impact? The news media only responds to its bottom line. Even Air America has inserted a conservative host in what was sam seder’s show. I’ve also written to them and no response. It gets dispiriting!

In addition to suggestions you got above, I would say, just keep trying. Contact your local media, TV and print, imply you are a viewer and you are concerned about a lack of coverage. Write letters to the editor, and encourage others to make calls.

As for your congresscritters, don’t wait for them to take your name. Give them your name, address and telephone, make them write it down, and make it clear you would like a written response from your CC on this matter. Better yet, write to them, hand delivered is best; snail mail good, email third. Hand written letters pack a lot of whallop because they clearly took time and effort. Stop in at your closest CC’s office, drop off a letter, have a concerned and friendly chat with the staff.

Don’t be discouraged. One call, one letter, doesn’t seem like much. But added to all the calls and letters and actions made everyday, then you have a river of discontent – and even those who only worry about the bottom line have to begin to pay attention.

Looseheadprop@106 -

My Rep’s staffer in Washington now recognizes me when I call. She’ll as for my name, then say, “Oh your zip is —– and your on Blank Drive, right?”

My Senators must have more staff, I haven’t gotten the same one twice running.

lhp-great post, thanks.

OTish -

But more “No Confidence”

Remember that yummy imported “wheat gluten” in ou pets’ food?

And remember how some on the Lake choose “organic” because of greater food safety?

After five years of discussions with industry, the industry appointees at Shrub’s FDA decided that for food additives – like gluten – “organic” means “whatever”.

The FDA knows this is so safe, instead of the usual 30 to 45 days of public comment, we have only seven.

Until May 22 – next Tuesday.

The food meagcorps get five years to write the policy.

The FDA gives us seven days to pester them with comments about our food.

Sounds about right – for Bushie’s USDA.

Bon appetit.

After all, what harm could a bit of protein concentrate do?

What chemical contaminants could possibly be in…

fish oil (from whole fish and fish guts!)

It is a liquid that is extracted and refined from fish by-product sourced from high fat containing fish species such as salmon, tuna, anchovy and sardines.

“casings” (from cow, sheep, and pig colons!)

Casings from processed intestines are used as sheaths in the manufacture of sausage and a variety of other meat products. Its use in the manufacture of meat products is regulated by the USDA (9 CFR parts 317 and 38). Casings are derived from processed intestines
primarily from the bovine, ovine or porcine animal species.

gelatin (from bones and hooves!)

It can be manufactured from several different types of naturally derived
collagen that is subjected to partial hydrolysis and extraction
procedures.

Hops

Malt and hops being the two ingredients for beer, why can’t the organic kill-joys compromise a little? What’s wrong with “give and take”? Why should organic mean “every ingredient?

Rice starch (from rice!)

So who cares if a magic label change converts chemically-grown rice into organic “rice starch?”
Hey – it’s not like starch is a big part of rice, right?

Whey protein concentrate (from chemically-raised cows’ milk)

Whey is a liquid by-product of cheese manufacture. Removing the water from whey provides powdered whey protein concentrate.

Wow – chemical cows make chemical milk that’s made into chemical cheese. The left-over proteins are magically organic! (see rice starch, above)

[h/t oca for link]

njr @ 112

Woodhall Hollow @ 68

New post & juicy email between Harriet and Karl up at the Muck.

The list of targeted AUSAs is up to 30.

omg!

Anyone wanna bet it stops there?

I didn’t think so.

Hugh @ 90

OT

The national average for regular gasoline today May 18, 2007 is $3.129.

The break down is as follows (50 states plus DC):

$2.80 plus 1 state
$2.90 plus 13 states
$3.00 plus 9 states
$3.10 plus 8 states
$3.20 plus 11 states
$3.30 plus 6 states
$3.40 plus 3 states

South Carolina is cheapest at $2.896.
California is most expensive at $3.461.

The other states in the $3.40 range are also West Coast: Oregon and Washington.

The robbery continues.

there’s an upside to this: Price of Gas and Bush Popularity
when gas hits $4 a gallon, we impeach!

Perhaps it’s like nailing Capone for tax evasion, but I’d like to see Gonzales up before the Texas Bar Association for grossly unethical behavior. If he had his license stripped from him, it might be a problem for him to remain Attorney General. Small potatoes in the scheme of things, I know, but it’s important to attack wherever a weakness presents itself.

Bear with me. Gonzales was acting in his capacity as a lawyer when he tried to obtain Ashcroft’s signature in the hospital. He knew Ashcroft had been in ICU nearly a week, that he was recovering from major surgery, that he was on narcotic pain medication, and that Ashcroft was so weak the President himself had to cajole Mrs. Ashcroft into allowing Gonzales to see him.

Gonzales knew Ashcroft no longer had the powers of the AG, and that his signature as AG would be invalid. Gonzales also knew that before delegating his powers to Comey, he had expressly refused to give the requested signature, as had Comey after assuming authority as Acting AG. Comey was readily available to deal with any legitimate issues requiring the AG’s attention, and Gonzales refused to deal with him because he wouldn’t give Gonzales what he wanted.

Put that into the context of obtaining a legally necessary signature on a will, a house title document, a corporate merger agreement, a financial disclosure filed with the SEC, a certification to the EPA or FDA, hell, even certification of a pleading or receipt for service of process. If a notary public had acted that way, s/he would lose their license; a lawyer would certainly be subject to censure, suspension or loss of license.

Gonzo gets a pass? How about loss of license and adding it to his list of high crimes and misdemeanors.

DOMESTIC SPYING: A CHENEY/RUMSFELD CONNECTION????

Isn’t there a reoccurring theme in the NSA spy story… a weak Article II argument to support a shockingly absurd secretive executive power grab that tramples the Constitution?

Which two guys do we know love them some Article II and are down for expanding executive power?

Which 2 guys deplored intelligence gathering by CIA & State on Iraq etc so much so that they created their own foreign intell gathering operation at the Pentagon?

Would/could they equally deplore intell gathering by the FBI and NSA so much so they also created their own Domestic intell gathering operation?

Could Cheney/Rumsfeld have created it’s own domestic spy operation to report to them directly…effectively cutting the NSA etc out of the domestic terror spying loop?

Brisingamen @ 98

Oklahoma kiddo @ 76

Assuming, and I do, that the AG was carrying out the wishes, desires and directives of GWB, why then is impeachment on the table for Gonzales, but for his boss, not?

Think about Fitz’s strategy, i.e. start with the small fish and work your way up to the big fish.

Same principle here — you’ll learn more about Bush/Cheney by investigating Gonzo, Rove, Miers and crew. — IF — you can reveal enough “dirt,” the public outcry will push the Congress to impeach the big fish. But first you’ve got to do the spadework.

Which makes the upcoming testimony of Monica and Susan R. sooooooo important. It’s my belief there is so much illegality going on, no way can either of them (let alone both) testify honestly and not bring Gonzo & Karl down.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we may have our tipping point next week!

Love her or not, that was my Senator DiFi leading the charge on announcing the request for a “no confidence” vote. Wow! I think it’s going to be another historical moment for her, like when she became mayor of SF.

I love the fact that she listed all the egregious “legal” opinions of this hack Gonzo.. You might be able to argue away the firings (or not) but the whole catalog is just damning.

Brendan,

Nice point about the media coverage. Must be difficult to catch up if you can’t figure out which way to run on the track and Josh Marshall is already on his victory lap.

do-si-do @ 100

LHP, I like the sniper analogy. It takes a lot of restraint and self-control. It’s masterful esp. when compared to the quail-hunting on the other side.

And to have maximum effect on morale, a really good sniper holds fire until the target believes he/she is safe and puts down their guard.
Kra-ack!

I’m not seeing it. I put the probability of a Gonzales impeachment at near-zero. Bush will stand behind him, until he doesn’t stand behind him, and at that point it will be case-closed. Just as it was with Wolfowitz, Rummy, Scooter etc..

As for this no-confidence vote, if it’s only symbolic (as I understand it to be), it will have no effect on Bush *or* Gonzo.

Now this latest Comey testimony…that’s an entirely different bird…should the media pick that up & run with it, Gonzo would be gone in a matter of hours.

do-si-do @ 100

LHP, I like the sniper analogy. It takes a lot of restraint and self-control. It’s masterful esp. when compared to the quail-hunting on the other side.

Don’t know much about being a sniper, but all my brothers & uncles hunt. What Cheney & his pals mostly do is canned hunting. It has almost no relationship to real quail/duck hunting and more relationship to poleaxing cattle in a slaughterhouse. Guess it’s all these guys can handle:

(warning animal lovers, graphic description alert)
Canned Hunting

Polibus @ 121

DOMESTIC SPYING: A CHENEY/RUMSFELD CONNECTION????

Isn’t there a reoccurring theme in the NSA spy story… a weak Article II argument to support a shockingly absurd secretive executive power grab that tramples the Constitution?

Which two guys do we know love them some Article II and are down for expanding executive power?

Which 2 guys deplored intelligence gathering by CIA & State on Iraq etc so much so that they created their own foreign intell gathering operation at the Pentagon?

Would/could they equally deplore intell gathering by the FBI and NSA so much so they also created their own Domestic intell gathering operation?

Could Cheney/Rumsfeld have created it’s own domestic spy operation to report to them directly…effectively cutting the NSA etc out of the domestic terror spying loop?

Yes.

thanks for this round of “simple answers”

John Dean has a new article up at FindLaw.
Its painful to watch this implosion…

I said this a couple posts below, but I feel pretty certain that Schumer,Leahy, Conyers and Waxman are holding their cards very close. Comey’s testimony is not all they have…they are playing this very carefully, letting things come out in dribs and drabs at just the right time for maximum effect. Gonzo is not the point–forcing him to resign w/out impeachment would be a good thing because it would allow them to continue to go after other players in order to get to Big Time and the Pretender Princeling.

Leahy’s anger at the Comey hearing was not feigned. The guy means business. He is not going to back down until the DOJ is cleansed of Bush’s sulphurous stench.

TiredFed @ 64

lhp! you go grrrl (hope you dont mind that expression). you are so right about keeping these issues in front of everyone – like the US Attorney scandal. that pissed off just about every senator. Schumer and Leahy are doing some preliminary vote counting with this no confidence idea. will be very interesting to see who they get with this one. then they open the can of worms on Monica Goodling next week, then Miers and Rove. could be more than 67 by the time June rolls around. btw, we have 6 confirmed, 10 very likely, and maybe 16 likely to cross the aisle in the senate on this. not going to name names here. wonder if they will schedule to vote before or after Wed. morning.

It’s more than just head counting. It’s like a new clothing trend (like from baggy jeans to skinny jeans) it takes time for the eye to adjust and the new silloette to semm “normal”.

By doing these dry runs, the mindset of the Congresscritters adjusts to the idea. It’s another form of pump priming

“Which makes the upcoming testimony of Monica and Susan R. sooooooo important. It’s my belief there is so much illegality going on, no way can either of them (let alone both) testify honestly and not bring Gonzo & Karl down.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we may have our tipping point next week!”

Yep, either they get their stories perfectly in synch.

Or they just tell the truth.

Great post, LHP. I’ve been saying this for a couple of days.

It seems to me that Gonzo is a dead man walking. He’s not worth the time and energy for impeachment. That is much better spent on the yeggs in the WH. The “no confidence” motion will be humiliating carnage that leaves the SJC free to pursue the WH proponents of the largest RICO conspiracy in history.

I expect there will be a number of dry runs like this “no confidence” vote and other trial balloons before both houses of Congress are sure they have both a case that will win in the court of public opinion and the votes they need for conviction in the Senate. You know even if they have the votes to convict, if the case doesn’t resonate with and convince the American people, it will be a phyrric victory that could backlash against the rule of law contingent.

It is interesting that the Republicans chose not to do this during the Clinton impeachment. They knew they didn’t have the votes for conviction and proceeded anyway.

It’s hard to push aside the idea that the Clinton impeachment was intended as inoculation for the incoming Bush regime, although that requires a level of conspiracy and forward planning that would normally seem plausible.

Also, Gonzalez is himself a dry run. If the no confidence vote does indeed hit the 67 senator mark, I doubt that he would force the proceeding to take place, but Nixon-like, resign with an implicit agreement not to prosecute. Prosectution, of course, would be better, as with Mitchell, Haldeman, Ehrlichmann, Colsson and the rest. But, in any case, you start with the underlings.

It may, of course, simply be too late. Nixon’s troubles started in 1972, not 1974. Bush is certainly doing everything he can in order to make it too late.

here’s what i don’t like about the way the dems are handling this: the slow, excruciating pace of incrementalism. it seems unnecessary –there is a hunger for this NOW in the population — and my sense is it runs the risk of running out of steam.

but here’s what i like: schumer, reid, pelosi, leahy et al. are breaking the necessary political and legislative ground, and making themselves and other congressfolk more familiar and less afraid with investigating more and bigger scandals of the bush era.

moreover, i like the fact that the dems are playing offense now, moving the chains, forcing the white house back on its heels and requiring them to respond. at a minimum, this tactic keeps the bushites from doing even more damage. and of course there’s so much greater a chance of ousting these thugs.

It’s like a new clothing trend (like from baggy jeans to skinny jeans)…

looseheadprop, does this mean impeached is the new black?

“The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers”. – (Henry VI, Part II, Act IV, Scene II).

“Small things make base men proud”. – (Act IV, Scene I).

The BushCo unravelling is becoming Shakespearean, as Tweety noted yesterday in his comparison of Fredo and Card to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Interesting to note that R & G were the tools of another usurper, Hamlet’s uncle, as are Card and Fredo to Bush 43. Like Dick the Butcher advocating mass legicide to the pretender Jack Cade, the answer to Bushco’s problems are to keep away the lawyers, from DOJ, from Guantanamo, anywhere the rule of law will expose their crimes.

blue e @ 112

I’ve been thinking the past few days about the decission of the top DOJ wanting to resign if Bush’s team pushed this secret program. It reminded me of February when some top people in the military were saying they would resign if Bush decided to attack Iran.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/t…..434540.ece
Do you think there was a similar show down? Or what about the State Dept. any similar thing in the news about them?
Some in the goverment must be under enormous stress.

There was a really astonishing link at boomantribune yesterday about Gates and Admiral Fallon: http://www.boomantribune.com/s…..23433/0625

perris @ 40

good read looseheadedness

we’ve been discussing something downstairs that we would have to be on guard against if we ever got close to a trial of impeachment;

the speculation that the adminsitration might not be planning on relinquishing power regardless impeachment nor election

don’t forget firedogs, the protection we have against a unitary or run amok central government is our national guard

this adminsitration has taken that from us

progressive politicians and even republicans should be raising the alarm, we need our state resources and we need them now

if the president wants his war he needs to begin his draft and stop using state resources

Not to mention that we need our resources here in case of an emergency. Why are the governors allowing this?

TiredFed @ 71

Peterr @ 7

The “(and Bush)” is your comment is why — at this point — the GOP House members won’t vote to take down AGAG. Like the Iraq war, a growing number are upset with Bush and his choices, even to the point of saying so out loud, but they are not yet ready to say “Aye” when the Dems propose a change. The outrage over AGAG has to outweigh slapping their president in the face before they’ll vote to remove him by impeachment. If it even looks like that will happen, Bush will avoid the prospect of being slapped by exercising that well known “pleasure of the president” clause of which AGAG speaks so fondly.

??? we dont need the House Republicans to vote against Gonzales, only 16-17 Senate Republicans. or is that what you meant?

WE need House republicans to vote articles of impeachment aginst AGAG

OT but interesting: Bush says he’ll veto the revised bill that has a symbolic withdrawal date, even though the bill states the withdrawal date can be ignored by the President.
via ThinkProgress

Just more proof that he’s going to keep obstructing progress, and then he’ll try to say the Democrats aren’t funding the troops.

I hope more Republicans will vote for this revised bill so the Unitary Decider will start to get the message that he is losing support. I can’t see any good way Rove can successfully spin this veto – the bill practically gives the President everything he wants.

Marie Roget @ 127

do-si-do @ 100

LHP, I like the sniper analogy. It takes a lot of restraint and self-control. It’s masterful esp. when compared to the quail-hunting on the other side.

Don’t know much about being a sniper, but all my brothers & uncles hunt & what Cheney & his pals mostly do is canned hunting. It has almost no relationship to real quail/duck hunting and more relationship to poleaxing cattle in a slaughterhouse. Guess it’s all these guys can handle:

(warning animal lovers, graphic description alert)
Canned Hunting

Hi Marie, my point exactly (i’ll pass on the link. yuck!) efficient removal vs. messy collateral damage of whatever moves.

May I invoke everyone’s favorite lawyer? Atticus Finch takes down the rabid dog?

my hero

I often have to remind myself that even with such blatant lawbreaking and coverup as we saw in the Nixon White House, it took a couple years before he was forced to resign. The current drop of boot-licking Republicans will do everything possible to just run out the clock and avoid an impeachment.

Leahy’s anger at the Comey hearing was not feigned. The guy means business. He is not going to back down until the DOJ is cleansed of Bush’s sulphurous stench.

Totally agree with this. Leahy is my Senator (picture great pride) and from what I have gleaned of him over the years, he is an old style gentleman, a model of integrity, someone who believes in the rule of law and who takes seriously his duty to uphold the Constitution. I think he is a Man with a Mission, at this point.

Oklahoma kiddo @ 76

Assuming, and I do, that the AG was carrying out the wishes, desires and directives of GWB, why then is impeachment on the table for Gonzales, but for his boss, not?

This is a way of priming th pump for that.

I don’t buy this crap about having the votes to convict. The danger is clear and present. The administration has committed innumerable high & treasonous crimes. Where does the “one shot” idea come from? The House should vote on impeachment again and again and again. WHAT ELSE IS MORE IMPORTANT?

Maybe you know something I don’t. My approach is strictly emotional, but I wish I were hearing a lot more outrage. These goofballs aren’t nearly upset enough about being stonewalled by lying, lawless thugs.

looseheadprop @ 107

milla @ 61

I’d like to know exactly HOW to keep the pressure on . When I write the networks I get no response. Calling senators they dont take down names. Administration doesn’t care about protests. How do we, the people, communicate our views and make an impact? The news media only responds to its bottom line. Even Air America has inserted a conservative host in what was sam seder’s show. I’ve also written to them and no response. It gets dispiriting!

Even if you don’t get a response. they keep track of this stuff. ABCs 20-20 did a story on one of my cases once and the producer called up aweek later and knew hour by hour exactly how many calls had come into the switchboard. Same thing with your elected reps. They don’t need a name (unless you are a donor, then you name matters a lot so you should tell the staffer if you have previouly donated), but the number yeah and nay matter alot.

Also, paper letters matter more than email to most electeds.

forgive me. i don’t mean this in a snide way, but probably all of us here have had experiences similar to yours, milla.
maybe it would help to think of this whole effort in slightly different terms.

Is your democracy worth enough to you for you to endure some “dispiriting” experiences on a regular basis for awhile?

I’m convinced your letters make a difference.
I’m convinced mine do too, as well as other folks’ letters, calls, demonstrations, door-to-door campaign efforts – whatever.

A certain amount of what feels like wasted effort to those who want instantaneous results, is simply what’s required generate enough power to heave HARD enough on the up-to-now inert mass of lazy press/timid politicians, to tip the balance & trigger that avalanche a-slidin’.
(or, unbalance that compost pile, if you prefer)

I mean, you rock a car in the muddy road to get it going… why not Congress???
fwd a little – back a little – fwd a bit more – back a little – till…. yesyesYESSS! eh? ;->

dmg @ 134

here’s what i don’t like about the way the dems are handling this: the slow, excruciating pace of incrementalism. it seems unnecessary –there is a hunger for this NOW in the population — and my sense is it runs the risk of running out of steam.

but here’s what i like: schumer, reid, pelosi, leahy et al. are breaking the necessary political and legislative ground, and making themselves and other congressfolk more familiar and less afraid with investigating more and bigger scandals of the bush era.

moreover, i like the fact that the dems are playing offense now, moving the chains, forcing the white house back on its heels and requiring them to respond. at a minimum, this tactic keeps the bushites from doing even more damage. and of course there’s so much greater a chance of ousting these thugs.

I highly recomend this John Dean article. He clearly spells out why the Dem strategy is the right one.

If Congress Operated Like Gonzales

Recently, Gonzales’s refused to fully comply with the subpoena for Karl Rove’s emails regarding his involvement in the firing of the U.S. Attorneys. His refusal caused me to mull what it would be like if Congress were to proceed as Gonzales has -without a shred of respect for the other branches of government.

Congress could hold Gonzales in contempt by a simple majority vote (and that would not be difficult to obtain, given the feelings in both chambers about this Attorney General). It could hold him in contempt for his failure to respond to the subpoena he virtually ignored, or for his lies to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which I will explain shortly.

Congress has two routes to travel, once it holds any person in contempt. It can proceed by the statutory route, which requires the Department of Justice to handle the prosecution. But since the Attorney General could block that route, the Congress would have good reason to use its inherent powers and procedures, instead.

Thus, Congress could –taking a page from Gonzales’s playbook — send fifteen plainclothes Capitol Hill police officers to arrest the Attorney General and take him into custody. Either the House or Senate, alone, would have the power to hold him until the end of the 110th Congress. In truth, a majority of either chamber of Congress has more power than a president, the Department of Justice, and federal courts to take summary actions against those who refuse to honor its processes.

Of course, this is not likely to happen. Congress has the power to do so if it so chooses. But because most of those in Washington with experience do not think like Gonzales, they will exhibit respect for interbranch customs instead of simply jailing the Attorney General.

Brisingamen @ 98

Oklahoma kiddo @ 76

Assuming, and I do, that the AG was carrying out the wishes, desires and directives of GWB, why then is impeachment on the table for Gonzales, but for his boss, not?

Think about Fitz’s strategy, i.e. start with the small fish and work your way up to the big fish.

Same principle here — you’ll learn more about Bush/Cheney by investigating Gonzo, Rove, Miers and crew. — IF — you can reveal enough “dirt,” the public outcry will push the Congress to impeach the big fish. But first you’ve got to do the spadework.

this is it exactly — taking a lesson from fitz.
don’t forget he took hold of an extremely difficult case to make and made it, based in no small part on methocially covering every angle six different ways.
congress isn’t built that way — not for the meticulousness nor the slow-down time that the court system encourages, but it’s reassuring to see that grownups are on the case. i just hope they have time to make it.

TiredFed @ 96

readerOfTeaLeaves @ 55

– why would Mrs. Ashcroft think it was necessary to call in the Acting AG and the Director of the FBI? What was it about a call from the President himself that touched off this reaction in her? This speaks of incredible mistrust of the President and “his” men (a group that she did not include Comey and Mueller in). Where did that come from?

Ashcroft and a host of other DOJ officials had threatened to resign. I’ll assume Ashcroft had discussed the likelyhood with his wife, whether he could explain the WHY or not…
She knew old friendships had been strained… and was on guard.

Good on Mrs. Ashcroft. She knew an emergency when she saw it and she knew what to do. Then she DID it.

carolyn urban @ 143

Leahy’s anger at the Comey hearing was not feigned. The guy means business. He is not going to back down until the DOJ is cleansed of Bush’s sulphurous stench.

Totally agree with this. Leahy is my Senator (picture great pride) and from what I have gleaned of him over the years, he is an old style gentleman, a model of integrity, someone who believes in the rule of law and who takes seriously his duty to uphold the Constitution. I think he is a Man with a Mission, at this point.

He was my Senator for almost 20 years, and the first US Senator I ever voted for back in the 70s! I have had the great pleasure of meeting him at a couple of social events–really a great guy all around, and as honest as the Summer Solstice Day is long.

Marcy had this linked at TNH. It is obvious these fools aren’t deterred

Fools and then some

Commentary Dinner
Posted by Ira Stoll

Thu, 17 May 2007 at 11:37 AM

Highlights from last night’s annual Commentary dinner/Norman Podhoretz lecture included, first, a standing ovation from the crowd of 300 persons for Vice President Cheney’s former chief of staff, I Lewis “Scooter” Libby, who was in attendance while awaiting sentencing on his felony convictions. Second, the release of the June issue of Commentary, featuring Norman Podhoretz’s article, “The Case for Bombing Iran.” And finally, Ambassador John Bolton’s speech on why regime change, notwithstanding the problems in Iraq, “has to be something that’s in our toolbox as we go forward.” Mr. Bolton started with historical examples of when regime change would have been desirable. He quoted Churchill as saying, “We should have strangled Bolshevism in its cradle.” Mr. Bolton asked, “Is there any doubt that the right moral and political move would have been to assassinate Hitler?” He also supported regime change in Iraq in the immediate aftermath of the first Persian Gulf War, and in Afghanistan in the late 1990s.

…

carolyn urban @ 144

Leahy’s anger at the Comey hearing was not feigned. The guy means business. He is not going to back down until the DOJ is cleansed of Bush’s sulphurous stench.

Totally agree with this. Leahy is my Senator (picture great pride) and from what I have gleaned of him over the years, he is an old style gentleman, a model of integrity, someone who believes in the rule of law and who takes seriously his duty to uphold the Constitution. I think he is a Man with a Mission, at this point.

As a Californian, I hadn’t really taken the measure of Leahy until the last few years. I just luuuurve him!

Pardon another Mockingbird reference: I can’t help but think of Bob Ewell (Cheney) spitting in Atticus’ face (Leahy) when Dick told him to go cheney himself. Leahy must have taken that remark as a milestone of progress if the VP was so po’d.

AG Recess Appointment?

Someone over at talking points memo made the following point about a possible resignation by Gonzales followed by a Memorial Day weekend recess appointment of a new attorney general:

[snip]

“I’m beginning to wonder if some Republicans are now coming out to make a statement against Gonzales because they have inside information that a new AG has been selected and Gonzales has already planned to step down, perhaps next Friday, just in time for a recess appointment. People like Coleman can then say to their constituents that they asked Gonzales to resign, even though they only came out with the statement after they knew that he was leaving anyway.”

[snip]

I fear that an AG recess appointment (if legally possible) is a very real possibility that would help the administration to sidestep a number of the very serious problems that are currently facing them.

Do others here agree? If so, how can we get through to Harry Reid et al to convince them to keep enough Senators present so that a “recess” does not occur over the Memorial Day weekend?

Good on Mrs. Ashcroft. She knew an emergency when she saw it and she knew what to do. Then she DID it.

I think she also understood the kind of people her husband worked with.

New thread…

A No Confidence vote in England leads to the fall of a govt. Not here. But it would convey the sense of the Senate. It would be an obvious dry run for impeachment. It would reveal who votes where, and what horse trading it took to accomplish it.

Most importantly, Congress is losing traction badly with the public. Main Street America knows it is witnessing a pattern of corrupt behavior, whatever its formal classification in law, that it’s bad, and it shouldn’t happen.

It knows that drastic consequences should follow. Just as mass lay-offs follow private equity buying a company, indictment follows a city treasury caught with his/her hand in the cookie jar, and resignation follows when the mayor gets caught in the wrong bed with the wrong partner.

Congress, the Democrats, have got to put their votes where their mouths are, or the public will say tell the lot of ‘em to piss off.

LHP I pray that you are right on target? During Fitz’s announcement of the Libby indictment he told the public “to take a deep breath, step back and allow the justice process to take place”. I thought this was good advice and hopeful, but when he said that I thought taking a deep breath was completely impossible for those who had needlessly died in a war of choice sold to the American people by the Bush administration by using false intelligence. Just seemed so absurd and hypocritical that the Republican controlled congress was willing to spend so much money and time impeaching a President for lying under oath about a B/J, yet Republican Senator Pat Roberts and others (former Senator Dewine) did their best to delay, dissolve and divert Phase II of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence) which hopefully hold those responsible for the false intelligence ACCOUNTABLE

I am just terribly sad feel horrible and responsible (even though I was completely against the invasion and did everything in my power to stop it) that so many Iraqi people have suffered and died and been displaced due to my country’s illegal invasion of their country.

I will take your advice and do my part to keep the AG story on the front pages. From what you are describing the Democrats want a suitcase of stained blue dresses, before they do the right thing and move towards impeaching the corrupt and immoral Bush administration.

brendan @ 93

Ishmael @ 77

What has me curious about the whole hospital episode is the nature of the documents Fredo and Card brought with them for Ashcroft to sign in his purportedly sedated condition. As a lawyer, I had my share of requests by “caring relatives” to go to the hospital room to make sure “dad’s wishes are in writing before its too late” – never did it, too risky to ensure competence even when initiated by the dying person, let alone at the behest of the relatives who would gain from the change of the will. No surprise to anyone, but that alone would be a glaring lack of ethics by Fredo. If the document was a reauthorization of the program, who’s to say what the date on the document was – or would they fill it in later, to get around Comey’s temporary appointment? If people will back-date stock options, they will certainly back-date something like this on a secret visit to the hospital – clearly Comey and Goldsmith didn’t put anything by these guys.

It also would have had no legal weight. As Ashcroft said, “And anyway, I’m not the Attorney General”. It showed attention neither to form nor substance.

Yes, but it would have allowed them to muddy the waters, cloud the issue and non lawyers wouldn’t know what to believe.

looseheadprop @ 107

Gnome de Plume @ 63

Oh ick. While typing your name – loose head prop – I flashed on that article that someone, Kathleen maybe, linked to yesterday about the woman whose skull was severed from her spinal chord and survived. This isn’t how you got your name is it?

no. It’s the position I played back when I was a rugby player

That was a bit of snark. Not knowing anything about Rugby, save for the striped shirts and hot bloody bodies, I originally envisioned you propping your head up in the law library night after night.

He was my Senator for almost 20 years, and the first US Senator I ever voted for back in the 70s! I have had the great pleasure of meeting him at a couple of social events–really a great guy all around, and as honest as the Summer Solstice Day is long.

Ditto on all that for me. Voted for him as a college student in the 70’s. Come upon him out and about locally. Gracious, kind person. These days, I am really keeping my eyes peeled. I so want to shake his hand again and thank him.

*xyz @ 152

AG Recess Appointment?

Someone over at talking points memo made the following point about a possible resignation by Gonzales followed by a Memorial Day weekend recess appointment of a new attorney general:

[snip]

“I’m beginning to wonder if some Republicans are now coming out to make a statement against Gonzales because they have inside information that a new AG has been selected and Gonzales has already planned to step down, perhaps next Friday, just in time for a recess appointment. People like Coleman can then say to their constituents that they asked Gonzales to resign, even though they only came out with the statement after they knew that he was leaving anyway.”

[snip]

I fear that an AG recess appointment (if legally possible) is a very real possibility that would help the administration to sidestep a number of the very serious problems that are currently facing them.

Do others here agree? If so, how can we get through to Harry Reid et al to convince them to keep enough Senators present so that a “recess” does not occur over the Memorial Day weekend?

I think we can be assured that the Dems will keep the Senate open 24/7 if that is what it takes to keep it from happening. I think that the only reason Gonzo hasn’t yet resigned is because Rove et al know that they couldn’t pull this sort of a stunt off, so they are left flapping in the wind, terrified of letting the DOJ from falling into McNulty’s hands, who would become the acting AG if Gonzo were to go.

TiredFed @ 96

readerOfTeaLeaves @ 55

Agree that reporter O’Donnell phrased her question very, very well. It was ‘targeted’, if you will, so clearly that Bush’s weaseling was vivid.

As for the late-night visit to the Critical Care hospital bed, Mrs Ashcroft is to be commended for her courage and decency in seeking to protect her ill husband.

IMHO, this goes waaaayyyyy beyond partisan politics. I don’t care whether a person is evangelical, Catholic, Presbybterian, wiccan, Baptist, or believes in holograms. Our personal responsibilities require that most of us, at one time or another, protect, care for, and assist those in our lives we care about.

Fortunately, we do not have to summon the Deputy DoJ and the FBI simply to protect our loved ones.

I shudder to think what could have happened if Mrs Ashcroft had not been decent enough, and tough enough, to look out for her husband during his serious illness.

Personally, I tip my hat to that woman. Politics has no role whatsoever in those emotions. She showed a lot of courage, and no matter what our political beliefs, we should all respect the way in which she clearly sought to protect her husband at a time when he was very ill and vulnerable. I’ll add a kind thought to the unsung, unnamed FBI agents who also assisted in that dreadful circumstance.

What it says about Bush, Gonzales, and Card is beyond despicable.

maybe we should back up a little further – why would Mrs. Ashcroft think it was necessary to call in the Acting AG and the Director of the FBI? What was it about a call from the President himself that touched off this reaction in her? This speaks of incredible mistrust of the President and “his” men (a group that she did not include Comey and Mueller in). Where did that come from?

EW and I have been going around and around about that. I think she may favor us with one of her amazing time lines. Claerly the story begins much more than one week befre the hospital visit.

Hugh @ 90

OT

The national average for regular gasoline today May 18, 2007 is $3.129.

The break down is as follows (50 states plus DC):

$2.80 plus 1 state
$2.90 plus 13 states
$3.00 plus 9 states
$3.10 plus 8 states
$3.20 plus 11 states
$3.30 plus 6 states
$3.40 plus 3 states

South Carolina is cheapest at $2.896.
California is most expensive at $3.461.

The other states in the $3.40 range are also West Coast: Oregon and Washington.

The robbery continues.

This is all a great big wet goodbye kiss to the oil and gas industry by Darth & the VP.

They know time is short, so they gave permission to shut a few refineries down now to jack up prices in case we had another unexpectedly slow hurricane season.

The worst thing we ever did was “lay back and take it” when gas approached $3/gal. last year and didn’t scream bloody murder then.

I’m also more than a little tired of this nonsense about our driving patterns not changing as gas prices skyrocket, so it’s no big deal. If in March gas is 2.30/gal and 6 weeks later it’s a dollar higher, I don’t think you’ve had time to react.

You can’t change you job/commute, type of car you drive etc. in such a short time frame. A fair analysis would take years to complete, not weeks.

So when Comey went into Bush’s office and Bush told Comey to do the “right thing”. Obviously Bush had been told that Comey and others were considering resigning.

How does Scheumer and others prove that the orders came from Bush to “persuade” Ashcroft or Comey to sign?

Good point(s) LHP! Pardon me if I didn’t read all the comments before making my own, but Your point that we need to get all the ducks ina row first is what I’ve been thinknig. I believe that a very good example of this is the change in attitude in the country and in the congress from kneejerk rah-rah fight the war rhetoric to the gradual understanding that we were lied into the war, and that congress should do something to stop it. Remember the reactions from many congressional Democrats the first time John Murtha expressed doubts about the war? Outrage! Sneering! Dismissal! But that is when the change began to occurr in a big way. That’s what Schumer et al are doing in re the impeachments. At least they better be! But what I do wonder is why they’re fiddling around with a no confidence vote instead of going straight at getting a special prosecutor appointed? Are the Dems just trying to get a head count of repubs who are likely to go along with an investigation?

Brisingamen @ 98

Oklahoma kiddo @ 76

Assuming, and I do, that the AG was carrying out the wishes, desires and directives of GWB, why then is impeachment on the table for Gonzales, but for his boss, not?

Think about Fitz’s strategy, i.e. start with the small fish and work your way up to the big fish.

Same principle here — you’ll learn more about Bush/Cheney by investigating Gonzo, Rove, Miers and crew. — IF — you can reveal enough “dirt,” the public outcry will push the Congress to impeach the big fish. But first you’ve got to do the spadework.

When Pat Fitz was in the major crimes unit doing mafia cases you know who his trail partner was?

Jim Comey. That’s how they got to be such close friends. Comey is VERY well versed inthe “work your way up the food chain” method

I’m in Idaho and I just bought gas at Costco for $3.069. It’s ranging between $3.13 to 3.47 for reg….depending upon the station. I notice becuase I drive a VW in a sea of Dodge or Chevy trucks & SUVs.

Kelly O’Donnell’s question was smooth and went straight for the jugular! Keep it up Kelly!

One would not have known by Kelly’s tone that she was trying to cut your breathing tube.

STTP in Ohio @ 122

Brisingamen @ 98

Think about Fitz’s strategy, i.e. start with the small fish and work your way up to the big fish.

Same principle here — you’ll learn more about Bush/Cheney by investigating Gonzo, Rove, Miers and crew. — IF — you can reveal enough “dirt,” the public outcry will push the Congress to impeach the big fish. But first you’ve got to do the spadework.

Which makes the upcoming testimony of Monica and Susan R. sooooooo important. It’s my belief there is so much illegality going on, no way can either of them (let alone both) testify honestly and not bring Gonzo & Karl down.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we may have our tipping point next week!

speaking of Monica, if anyone has proposed questions for Messrs Conyers et al please leave them here or at Marcy’s place: TNH Monica Thread

Kathleen @ 163

So when Comey went into Bush’s office and Bush told Comey to do the “right thing”. Obviously Bush had been told that Comey and others were considering resigning.

How does Scheumer and others prove that the orders came from Bush to “persuade” Ashcroft or Comey to sign?

Remember that Comey was surrounded by witnesses. Goldsmith and some other guy (forget his name). Note that they were people who were “cleared” to discuss the classified program at stake. The Judiciary committee can depose/interview/subpoena any of the people who were in the room, including Ashcroft and the Missus. They won’t do that until–unless they bring impeachment proceedings is my bet.

dmg @ 135

here’s what i don’t like about the way the dems are handling this: the slow, excruciating pace of incrementalism. it seems unnecessary –there is a hunger for this NOW in the population — and my sense is it runs the risk of running out of steam.

but here’s what i like: schumer, reid, pelosi, leahy et al. are breaking the necessary political and legislative ground, and making themselves and other congressfolk more familiar and less afraid with investigating more and bigger scandals of the bush era.

moreover, i like the fact that the dems are playing offense now, moving the chains, forcing the white house back on its heels and requiring them to respond. at a minimum, this tactic keeps the bushites from doing even more damage. and of course there’s so much greater a chance of ousting these thugs.

Incrementalism can work in two ways. One way slowly lets things blow over, and the other is the floodwaters that keep slowly rising and rising and rising until they overcome all resistance. In contrast to some other Dem moves over the last six years, I think this time we’re looking at the second kind.

Put it another way: this could easily be the drip, drip, drip that erodes a political Grand Canyon.

If you think YOU don’t like this, imagine how it’s going down in the room with no corners at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Comey and Fitz…true Patriots!

grrrr. have got to stop answering the phone!

As a Californian, I hadn’t really taken the measure of Leahy until the last few years. I just luuuurve him!

Me too. And by the way, I believe both my other congresscritters Bernie Sanders, and Peter Welch, are worth keeping an eye on. I have great hopes for them both.

Also–re the phone call from Bush. The Judiciary committee can ask for and get hospital phone records. That would put the squeeze on since it they would show from which line/office the call came from within the WH.

TiredFed @ 109

looseheadprop @ 88

And THAT my darlings was the most important result of the Libby Trial. Rove and Cheney’s MOs have been revealed for al the world to see and in a way that makes the information beyond dispute.

And people were disappointed that Fitzgerald didn’t indict Rove and Cheney at the time!

Silly. Like I said, a good sniper doesn’t rush to take the first clear shot. Especailly if he knows there will only be one shot at all.

lhp – you have some really fascinating dinner conversation, doncha? sounds like you have a wonderful family. just wanted to say keep up the good work.

When your ex-husband is an exparatrooper commando–the conversations are mindblowing. You cannot believe how much evil there really is in war.

Re Mrs. Ashcroft, I think it may have gone something like this:

“But, but, Mr. President, why can’t Mr. Comey take care of this? Because he…..What? I didn’t catch that. He’s a…..oh, my!Mr. President! He seems like such a nice young man…Yes, Mr. President…I’m so sorry…I’ll let John know.”

Click.

Dial.

“Mr. Comey, this is Mrs. Ashcroft. Yes. No, I’m not calling to tell you how Mr. Ashcroft is doing, I’m calling because the President tells me you are not doing your job, and because you aren’t doing your job, he’s going to have to send some business over to John TONIGHT. What do you have to say about that, Mr. Comey? You say….well, that’s more like it. I’ll let John know you’re on your way.”

Hi all:

I’m not new, but mostly lurk and learn as a healthcare and not a legal type. I’m the one who posted a knowingly EPU’d comment yesterday about Kelly O’Donnell. Maybe insignificant – maybe not.

NBC News has a family of blogs under the Daily Nightly title at the MSNBC website. The day before O’Donnell got her questions out, she had posted an insipid piece about the Bush/Cheney gift records. I commented, scathingly, and challenged her to do the job of an investigative journalist and specifically to ask Bush if he gave the dictum to Card/Gonzales to coerce Ashcroft about the illegal domestic spying. My comment wasn’t posted, but I did include a challenge asking her to explain exactly what she did to earn her paycheck – probably a no from the editor for posting.

At any rate, she asked the questions, very little changed from what I had included in the comment. I went back to the post and commented, complimentary this time, about her being brave and courageous. It was posted within an hour or so – which is par for the course for these blogs.

I occasionally write challenging posts to Brian Williams along similar lines – critical when soft news and junk gets airtime at the expense of hard news and conflict of interest non-disclosures. Both he and the former executive producer have responded to my comments, and I’m fairly certain that all comments are read, whether or not they are posted. It might be worth some compliments to keep stroking Kelly – especially as her boss is Russert.

Just a thought of one who’s been over there.

Speaking of Mrs Ashcroft. It is worth noting that she DIDN’T have a security clearance to discuss or listen to conversations about classified programs.

Another law broken by Gonzales and Card.

More “No Confidence” -

The Cobell case moves forward..

Cobell’s side has argued that the government does not have the records needed to accurately reconcile the roughly 500,000 individual trust funds in dispute. [Cobell’s lead spokepeson] McAllister said the government should not rely on existing records, as it has proposed to do, but should recreate transaction records for oil and gas lease payments.

[Wampum]

Cobell’s counsel moves the tab for decades of royalties owed to Native Americans

onto Big Energy, Big Mining, Big Timber, and Big Beef.

And the usual cast of Bushie suspects collude to obstruct Justice – while on the Department payroll.

The head of the Justice Department which is overseeing the government’s defense in Cobell is acting Associate Attorney General Matthew J. McKeown. McKeown, like his predecessor, Sue Ellen Wooldridge, (now married to indicted former Dep. Sec. of the Interior, J. Steven Griles,) came from Interior, where he worked as Deputy Solicitor, first to fellow Idahoan and withdrawn Circuit Court nominee Bill Myers, and later to Wooldridge.

Just how is McKeown going to defend the actions of the office which he formerly held? BTW, McKeown’s former boss, Bill Myers, is now a lobbying partner with two other former Assistant AGs of the Environment and Natural Resourses division, Tom Sansonetti and Kelley Johnson. Johnson, you all might remember, is well known here at Wampum for her part, along with then White House aide Kyle Sampson, in the 2002 firing of Special Trustee, Tom Slonaker.

Wampum

looseheadprop @ 131

TiredFed @ 64

lhp! you go grrrl (hope you dont mind that expression). you are so right about keeping these issues in front of everyone – like the US Attorney scandal. that pissed off just about every senator. Schumer and Leahy are doing some preliminary vote counting with this no confidence idea. will be very interesting to see who they get with this one. then they open the can of worms on Monica Goodling next week, then Miers and Rove. could be more than 67 by the time June rolls around. btw, we have 6 confirmed, 10 very likely, and maybe 16 likely to cross the aisle in the senate on this. not going to name names here. wonder if they will schedule to vote before or after Wed. morning.

It’s more than just head counting. It’s like a new clothing trend (like from baggy jeans to skinny jeans) it takes time for the eye to adjust and the new silloette to semm “normal”.

By doing these dry runs, the mindset of the Congresscritters adjusts to the idea. It’s another form of pump priming

hehe. sorta like saying the same thing over and over to a teenager – at some point, it sinks in (around age 30?).

ACK – forgive the typos – hit the wrong button!

N=1: Well done.

blue e @ 113

I’ve been thinking the past few days about the decission of the top DOJ wanting to resign if Bush’s team pushed this secret program. It reminded me of February when some top people in the military were saying they would resign if Bush decided to attack Iran.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/t…..434540.ece
Do you think there was a similar show down? Or what about the State Dept. any similar thing in the news about them?
Some in the goverment must be under enormous stress.

It would not surprise me a bit.

And I have long said that there were still pockets of good people in our government torn between disgust at what is happening and fear that if they deserted theirposts by resigning, the job would be filled with a loyal bushie

looseheadprop @ 140

TiredFed @ 71

??? we dont need the House Republicans to vote against Gonzales, only 16-17 Senate Republicans. or is that what you meant?

WE need House republicans to vote articles of impeachment aginst AGAG

I agree we need them for moral support, but a simple majority is all that is necessary in the House to vote articles of impeachment for the Senate to consider.

TiredFed @ 96

readerOfTeaLeaves @ 55

Agree that reporter O’Donnell phrased her question very, very well. It was ‘targeted’, if you will, so clearly that Bush’s weaseling was vivid.

As for the late-night visit to the Critical Care hospital bed, Mrs Ashcroft is to be commended for her courage and decency in seeking to protect her ill husband.

IMHO, this goes waaaayyyyy beyond partisan politics. I don’t care whether a person is evangelical, Catholic, Presbybterian, wiccan, Baptist, or believes in holograms. Our personal responsibilities require that most of us, at one time or another, protect, care for, and assist those in our lives we care about.

Fortunately, we do not have to summon the Deputy DoJ and the FBI simply to protect our loved ones.

I shudder to think what could have happened if Mrs Ashcroft had not been decent enough, and tough enough, to look out for her husband during his serious illness.

Personally, I tip my hat to that woman. Politics has no role whatsoever in those emotions. She showed a lot of courage, and no matter what our political beliefs, we should all respect the way in which she clearly sought to protect her husband at a time when he was very ill and vulnerable. I’ll add a kind thought to the unsung, unnamed FBI agents who also assisted in that dreadful circumstance.

What it says about Bush, Gonzales, and Card is beyond despicable.

maybe we should back up a little further – why would Mrs. Ashcroft think it was necessary to call in the Acting AG and the Director of the FBI? What was it about a call from the President himself that touched off this reaction in her? This speaks of incredible mistrust of the President and “his” men (a group that she did not include Comey and Mueller in). Where did that come from?

That is a very insightful observation. I suspect John had been giving her an earful in the weeks prior to his health crisis. Even a true believer like Ashcroft held on to simple tenets of right and wrong. Too bad, that is so rare in D.C.

I wonder if one of the most important positions in a future Democratic Administration will not be head of the FCC. If we don’t get some jouralistic principals restored in the broad media the ignorant masses will continue to allow this kind of criminal behavior. For one, I think Bill Moyers would be an excellent FCC Chairman. Wouldn’t the media moguls just love that?

N=1 – keep up the good work. Now I must get on with mine. It has been a good morning at the Lake, but not much of one for getting things done around Plume House.

Adie @ 18

Good one LHP!

I buried something deep in EPU-land this morning because we were leaving the house & I couldn’t wait for the new threads to start appearing.

Besides, your post seems tailor-made. THANKS!

[Shortened by moderator]

Please see video and commentary at the following links:

http://www.salon.com/opinion/g…..index.html
http://www.commondreams.org/ar…..05/02/906/
http://www.firedoglake.com/200…..-it-again/

These links are all abbreviated and won’t work– please fix!

Bob in HI

looseheadprop @ 167

Brisingamen @ 98

Think about Fitz’s strategy, i.e. start with the small fish and work your way up to the big fish.

Same principle here — you’ll learn more about Bush/Cheney by investigating Gonzo, Rove, Miers and crew. — IF — you can reveal enough “dirt,” the public outcry will push the Congress to impeach the big fish. But first you’ve got to do the spadework.

When Pat Fitz was in the major crimes unit doing mafia cases you know who his trail partner was?

Jim Comey. That’s how they got to be such close friends. Comey is VERY well versed inthe “work your way up the food chain” method

yknow, lhp, i wouldn’t get this from just any old source.
thanks muchly. gives me confidence.

blue e @ 129

John Dean has a new article up at FindLaw.
Its painful to watch this implosion…

One of the Pups here recently asked what was happening regarding the money in the freezer:
On May 15, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia heard arguments in the case of Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2133 v. United States, …

Thanks, Carolyn Urban @ 184.

I may be way off base, but I hope that other WH reporters will get some courage. I believe that the domestic spying must be involved in intimidating the press, if not members of Congress – and I can’t even believe that I believe this! To this formerly politically ignorant fool, the current state of affairs is scary.

Before I leave – Schumer, Leahy, et al MUST be talking to the Ashcrofts don’t you think? They are all Senate Pals. I want to be a fly on the wall there. (No, not a Kafka fly, thank you.)

Kathleen @ 158

LHP I pray that you are right on target? During Fitz’s announcement of the Libby indictment he told the public “to take a deep breath, step back and allow the justice process to take place”. I thought this was good advice and hopeful, but when he said that I thought taking a deep breath was completely impossible for those who had needlessly died in a war of choice sold to the American people by the Bush administration by using false intelligence. Just seemed so absurd and hypocritical that the Republican controlled congress was willing to spend so much money and time impeaching a President for lying under oath about a B/J, yet Republican Senator Pat Roberts and others (former Senator Dewine) did their best to delay, dissolve and divert Phase II of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence) which hopefully hold those responsible for the false intelligence ACCOUNTABLE

I am just terribly sad feel horrible and responsible (even though I was completely against the invasion and did everything in my power to stop it) that so many Iraqi people have suffered and died and been displaced due to my country’s illegal invasion of their country.

I will take your advice and do my part to keep the AG story on the front pages. From what you are describing the Democrats want a suitcase of stained blue dresses, before they do the right thing and move towards impeaching the corrupt and immoral Bush administration.

I am as pessimistic as they get, but I wouldn’t be able to drag myself out of bed in the morning without a faith bordering on certainty that they’re not going to finish their term.

You can’t just “do the right thing” without real power. The Democrats now have some of that, in the form of the law and their subpoena power, but they still have to coax the guns out of our enemies’ hands.

Our elected representatives are trying to land a very, very big and ornery fish, and it’s the exhaustion, not the hook, that’s going to do it in.

Polibus @ 121

DOMESTIC SPYING: A CHENEY/RUMSFELD CONNECTION????

Isn’t there a reoccurring theme in the NSA spy story… a weak Article II argument to support a shockingly absurd secretive executive power grab that tramples the Constitution?

Which two guys do we know love them some Article II and are down for expanding executive power?

Which 2 guys deplored intelligence gathering by CIA & State on Iraq etc so much so that they created their own foreign intell gathering operation at the Pentagon?

Would/could they equally deplore intell gathering by the FBI and NSA so much so they also created their own Domestic intell gathering operation?

Could Cheney/Rumsfeld have created it’s own domestic spy operation to report to them directly…effectively cutting the NSA etc out of the domestic terror spying loop?

Well, that would explain what Rumsfeld does in his office at DOD. You know, the office he still has at DOD even though he supposedly resigned as SecDef?

What does he do there all day?

Woodhall Hollow @ 148

dmg @ 134

here’s what i don’t like about the way the dems are handling this: the slow, excruciating pace of incrementalism. it seems unnecessary –there is a hunger for this NOW in the population — and my sense is it runs the risk of running out of steam.

but here’s what i like: schumer, reid, pelosi, leahy et al. are breaking the necessary political and legislative ground, and making themselves and other congressfolk more familiar and less afraid with investigating more and bigger scandals of the bush era.

moreover, i like the fact that the dems are playing offense now, moving the chains, forcing the white house back on its heels and requiring them to respond. at a minimum, this tactic keeps the bushites from doing even more damage. and of course there’s so much greater a chance of ousting these thugs.

I highly recomend this John Dean article. He clearly spells out why the Dem strategy is the right one.

If Congress Operated Like Gonzales

Recently, Gonzales’s refused to fully comply with the subpoena for Karl Rove’s emails regarding his involvement in the firing of the U.S. Attorneys. His refusal caused me to mull what it would be like if Congress were to proceed as Gonzales has -without a shred of respect for the other branches of government.

Congress could hold Gonzales in contempt by a simple majority vote (and that would not be difficult to obtain, given the feelings in both chambers about this Attorney General). It could hold him in contempt for his failure to respond to the subpoena he virtually ignored, or for his lies to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which I will explain shortly.

Congress has two routes to travel, once it holds any person in contempt. It can proceed by the statutory route, which requires the Department of Justice to handle the prosecution. But since the Attorney General could block that route, the Congress would have good reason to use its inherent powers and procedures, instead.

Thus, Congress could –taking a page from Gonzales’s playbook — send fifteen plainclothes Capitol Hill police officers to arrest the Attorney General and take him into custody. Either the House or Senate, alone, would have the power to hold him until the end of the 110th Congress. In truth, a majority of either chamber of Congress has more power than a president, the Department of Justice, and federal courts to take summary actions against those who refuse to honor its processes.

Of course, this is not likely to happen. Congress has the power to do so if it so chooses. But because most of those in Washington with experience do not think like Gonzales, they will exhibit respect for interbranch customs instead of simply jailing the Attorney General.

thanks for backing me up John ;) been saying this for quite a while now (suggested the Sergeant at Arms bring that big mace with him, too).

Woodhall Hollow @ 148

I highly recomend this John Dean article. He clearly spells out why the Dem strategy is the right one.

wh,
much obliged. i enjoy dean’s columns muchly, yet had not read this one.

Marty Lederman continues to be en fuego. In the latest post at Balkinization, he serves up a heaping plate of Kmiec-kabobs.

*xyz @ 154

AG Recess Appointment?

Someone over at talking points memo made the following point about a possible resignation by Gonzales followed by a Memorial Day weekend recess appointment of a new attorney general:

[snip]

“I’m beginning to wonder if some Republicans are now coming out to make a statement against Gonzales because they have inside information that a new AG has been selected and Gonzales has already planned to step down, perhaps next Friday, just in time for a recess appointment. People like Coleman can then say to their constituents that they asked Gonzales to resign, even though they only came out with the statement after they knew that he was leaving anyway.”

[snip]

I fear that an AG recess appointment (if legally possible) is a very real possibility that would help the administration to sidestep a number of the very serious problems that are currently facing them.

Do others here agree? If so, how can we get through to Harry Reid et al to convince them to keep enough Senators present so that a “recess” does not occur over the Memorial Day weekend?

or July 4th either! or for the rest of this Congress!

looseheadprop @ 185

blue e @ 113

I’ve been thinking the past few days about the decission of the top DOJ wanting to resign if Bush’s team pushed this secret program. It reminded me of February when some top people in the military were saying they would resign if Bush decided to attack Iran.
timesonline link
Do you think there was a similar show down? Or what about the State Dept. any similar thing in the news about them?
Some in the goverment must be under enormous stress.

It would not surprise me a bit.

And I have long said that there were still pockets of good people in our government torn between disgust at what is happening and fear that if they deserted theirposts by resigning, the job would be filled with a loyal bushie

I tried to post a link to this shocker, but it didn’t show up. A boomantribune diarist links to a very suprising story in “Asia Times” about Gates and Fallon: boomantribune.com link

TiredFed @ 196

thanks for backing me up John ;) been saying this for quite a while now (suggested the Sergeant at Arms bring that big mace with him, too).

at some point, it still may come to that — capitol police deputized by lawmakers to retrieve documents or somesuch.
depends how insanely the white housers behave in their disregard of congress and oversight.

conniptionfit @ 166

That’s what Schumer et al are doing in re the impeachments. At least they better be! But what I do wonder is why they’re fiddling around with a no confidence vote instead of going straight at getting a special prosecutor appointed? Are the Dems just trying to get a head count of repubs who are likely to go along with an investigation?

Because the Special Prosecutor provision no longer exists. It was allowed to lapse during Bushco’s first term.

The “No Confidence” vote is to see how many Republicans in the Senate will vote with the Dems. If they get the magic number (two thirds, I think?) then the House will know the vote to convict is there, and that impeachment (at least for Gonzo) IS on the table.

carolyn urban @ 175

As a Californian, I hadn’t really taken the measure of Leahy until the last few years. I just luuuurve him!

Me too. And by the way, I believe both my other congresscritters Bernie Sanders, and Peter Welch, are worth keeping an eye on. I have great hopes for them both.

I really think that if there is a god it looks like Leahy…or Helen Thomas.

Although Fitz and Comey are looking a lot the way I imagine god would look if it became a human!

xargaw #187:

Yours, in turn, is also a very insightful observation.

I’ve said a couple times that hoping the media covers this is putting the cart before the horse. To mix metaphors, the horses, ridden by Shumer, Leahy and Waxman, are out of the barn. The media are only “covering” their asses, i.e., their reputations, at this point by expressing their outrage, as Hiatt has done the past few days.

John H. Farr @ 146

I don’t buy this crap about having the votes to convict. The danger is clear and present. The administration has committed innumerable high & treasonous crimes. Where does the “one shot” idea come from? The House should vote on impeachment again and again and again. WHAT ELSE IS MORE IMPORTANT?

Maybe you know something I don’t. My approach is strictly emotional, but I wish I were hearing a lot more outrage. These goofballs aren’t nearly upset enough about being stonewalled by lying, lawless thugs.

I beg you, please take all that wonderful outrage and direct it to your electeds and you media outlets.

That kind of passion is just what they need to hear. Plaese make calls

Woodhall Hollow @ 148

dmg @ 134

here’s what i don’t like about the way the dems are handling this: the slow, excruciating pace of incrementalism. it seems unnecessary –there is a hunger for this NOW in the population — and my sense is it runs the risk of running out of steam.

but here’s what i like: schumer, reid, pelosi, leahy et al. are breaking the necessary political and legislative ground, and making themselves and other congressfolk more familiar and less afraid with investigating more and bigger scandals of the bush era.

moreover, i like the fact that the dems are playing offense now, moving the chains, forcing the white house back on its heels and requiring them to respond. at a minimum, this tactic keeps the bushites from doing even more damage. and of course there’s so much greater a chance of ousting these thugs.

I highly recomend this John Dean article. He clearly spells out why the Dem strategy is the right one.

If Congress Operated Like Gonzales

Recently, Gonzales’s refused to fully comply with the subpoena for Karl Rove’s emails regarding his involvement in the firing of the U.S. Attorneys. His refusal caused me to mull what it would be like if Congress were to proceed as Gonzales has -without a shred of respect for the other branches of government.

Congress could hold Gonzales in contempt by a simple majority vote (and that would not be difficult to obtain, given the feelings in both chambers about this Attorney General). It could hold him in contempt for his failure to respond to the subpoena he virtually ignored, or for his lies to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which I will explain shortly.

Congress has two routes to travel, once it holds any person in contempt. It can proceed by the statutory route, which requires the Department of Justice to handle the prosecution. But since the Attorney General could block that route, the Congress would have good reason to use its inherent powers and procedures, instead.

Thus, Congress could –taking a page from Gonzales’s playbook — send fifteen plainclothes Capitol Hill police officers to arrest the Attorney General and take him into custody. Either the House or Senate, alone, would have the power to hold him until the end of the 110th Congress. In truth, a majority of either chamber of Congress has more power than a president, the Department of Justice, and federal courts to take summary actions against those who refuse to honor its processes.

Of course, this is not likely to happen. Congress has the power to do so if it so chooses. But because most of those in Washington with experience do not think like Gonzales, they will exhibit respect for interbranch customs instead of simply jailing the Attorney General.

ooooohhh, John Dean is speaking my language.

I really do want to see Congress start slapping some contempt citaions around. Fred Feilding is full of fertilizer and they shouldn’t be taking any guff from him.

Dean just made my knees weak, I may swoon.

Clap them in irons till the end of the 100th! What a great idea to play with! Oh the daydreams, the fantasies…..

xargaw @ 187

TiredFed @ 96

maybe we should back up a little further – why would Mrs. Ashcroft think it was necessary to call in the Acting AG and the Director of the FBI? What was it about a call from the President himself that touched off this reaction in her? This speaks of incredible mistrust of the President and “his” men (a group that she did not include Comey and Mueller in). Where did that come from?

That is a very insightful observation. I suspect John had been giving her an earful in the weeks prior to his health crisis. Even a true believer like Ashcroft held on to simple tenets of right and wrong. Too bad, that is so rare in D.C.

I wonder if one of the most important positions in a future Democratic Administration will not be head of the FCC. If we don’t get some jouralistic principals restored in the broad media the ignorant masses will continue to allow this kind of criminal behavior. For one, I think Bill Moyers would be an excellent FCC Chairman. Wouldn’t the media moguls just love that?

I can’t imagine my wife reacting the same way to a call from the frikkin President of the United States. She dislikes him as much as I do, but what must he have said or done in the past for her to react to swiftly and in that way? I’m truly amazed at her reaction. (Hey mods, nice new trick with the zig reductions.)

looseheadprop @ 205

I beg you, please take all that wonderful outrage and direct it to your electeds and you media outlets.

That kind of passion is just what they need to hear. Plaese make calls

Exactly — I’ll emphasize what I said earlier — Call your Congresscritters and local Media, and ask them why they aren’t doing anything about this (or why aren’t they covering the issue?)– come on, folks, first thing Monday morning make the calls!

Since the Libby trial I’ve been pestering my Congresscritters by either calling or emailing at least once a week. Please consider doing the same.

do-si-do @ 142

Marie Roget @ 127

Don’t know much about being a sniper, but all my brothers & uncles hunt & what Cheney & his pals mostly do is canned hunting. It has almost no relationship to real quail/duck hunting and more relationship to poleaxing cattle in a slaughterhouse. Guess it’s all these guys can handle:

(warning animal lovers, graphic description alert)
Canned Hunting

Hi Marie, my point exactly (i’ll pass on the link. yuck!) efficient removal vs. messy collateral damage of whatever moves.

May I invoke everyone’s favorite lawyer? Atticus Finch takes down the rabid dog?

my hero

Hi, do-si-do. Down in EPUville here. Really agree w/your Atticus Finch invocation. First time out in the woods for a real hunt, my favorite uncle would ration the birdshot/buckshot to a couple rounds each. Take your time, make it count, he said. Must admit I did hunt sometimes w/the boys until I went off to college. Can still break down, clean, & oil a rifle when there’s any call for it…

Yours is a good analogy for these dark days. Many times you get one decent shot in hunting (or in taking out a threat like a rabid dog), so take your time (if you’ve got some) & make it count.

*xyz @ 154

AG Recess Appointment?

Someone over at talking points memo made the following point about a possible resignation by Gonzales followed by a Memorial Day weekend recess appointment of a new attorney general:

[snip]

“I’m beginning to wonder if some Republicans are now coming out to make a statement against Gonzales because they have inside information that a new AG has been selected and Gonzales has already planned to step down, perhaps next Friday, just in time for a recess appointment. People like Coleman can then say to their constituents that they asked Gonzales to resign, even though they only came out with the statement after they knew that he was leaving anyway.”

[snip]

I fear that an AG recess appointment (if legally possible) is a very real possibility that would help the administration to sidestep a number of the very serious problems that are currently facing them.

Do others here agree? If so, how can we get through to Harry Reid et al to convince them to keep enough Senators present so that a “recess” does not occur over the Memorial Day weekend?

You know, I am sad to say I think that might be possible.

In the catholic church they sometimes do someting called “eternal vigil”. It’s like a relay race of praying with parishoners handing off round the clock 24/7 to keep a constant stream of prying going.

WHen I was in HS one of the Franciscan Brother who taught us died and the the rest of the friary did an eternal vigil for a week over his body. It was very middle ages.

Maybe Reed needs to set up something like that. Almost like a fillibuster set up.

looseheadprop @ 43

Peterr @ 6

Premature shooting can fill your hunting partner’s face with buckshot.

Or so I’ve heard.

Great post, LHP — but perhaps you’ve got one thing backwards. Might it be that instead of you reading Schumer’s mind, he’s been reading your posts?

I doubt he has time for humble little me

Maybe not him personally, but he has a staff that could be given the task on his behalf.

Vigil for democracy.

TiredFed @ 186

looseheadprop @ 140

WE need House republicans to vote articles of impeachment aginst AGAG

I agree we need them for moral support, but a simple majority is all that is necessary in the House to vote articles of impeachment for the Senate to consider.

Politically, psychologocally, that won’t do the job. Remember, we don’t want partisam tit for tat. We want to elevate things by HOW we andle this as much as by the result.

Both the ends, and the means to ends, count.

Rove has been busy: Coburn says that even though he thinks Gonzo should resign, he won’t vote for no-confidence, which he calls a “silly partisan stunt.” WH Press secretary used identical language earlier today.Via thinkprogress

looseheadprop @ 213

TiredFed @ 186

I agree we need them for moral support, but a simple majority is all that is necessary in the House to vote articles of impeachment for the Senate to consider.

Politically, psychologocally, that won’t do the job. Remember, we don’t want partisam tit for tat. We want to elevate things by HOW we andle this as much as by the result.

Both the ends, and the means to ends, count.

Amen.

carolyn urban @ 114

I’d like to know exactly HOW to keep the pressure on . When I write the networks I get no response. Calling senators they dont take down names. Administration doesn’t care about protests. How do we, the people, communicate our views and make an impact? The news media only responds to its bottom line. Even Air America has inserted a conservative host in what was sam seder’s show. I’ve also written to them and no response. It gets dispiriting!

In addition to suggestions you got above, I would say, just keep trying. Contact your local media, TV and print, imply you are a viewer and you are concerned about a lack of coverage. Write letters to the editor, and encourage others to make calls.

As for your congresscritters, don’t wait for them to take your name. Give them your name, address and telephone, make them write it down, and make it clear you would like a written response from your CC on this matter. Better yet, write to them, hand delivered is best; snail mail good, email third. Hand written letters pack a lot of whallop because they clearly took time and effort. Stop in at your closest CC’s office, drop off a letter, have a concerned and friendly chat with the staff.

Don’t be discouraged. One call, one letter, doesn’t seem like much. But added to all the calls and letters and actions made everyday, then you have a river of discontent – and even those who only worry about the bottom line have to begin to pay attention.

Contact:

Stop A*P*C! PO BOX 11311 Berkeley, CA 94712

Deans latest article is well worth reading. This line jumped out at me

“But Gonzales’s ingenuousness, his polarization of the Department of Justice, and his dissembling are all coming back to haunt him now.”
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20070518.html

Can someone explain to me just why McNulty resigned. Was he asked to resign? Is he in big trouble for telling the truth?

How will his resignation effect the upcoming Rosen/Weissman espionage trial?

Carolyn Urban, I have always been shocked by how incompetent some of the folks and systems seem to be at our reps offices. You call and some act as if you are bothering them. I have asked how they tally the calls and opinions? Just a few years ago they (Dewine and Voinovich’s offices) were marking it down on a paper as if they were playing a card game.

I have always found it more effective to write, document it, ask them for a returned response to my direct question. I have also found smaller petitions on issues (they act like they are getting a bit numb to MOVE ON and other large petitions) are effective signed by people from their districts .

looseheadprop @ 185

blue e @ 113

I’ve been thinking the past few days about the decission of the top DOJ wanting to resign if Bush’s team pushed this secret program. It reminded me of February when some top people in the military were saying they would resign if Bush decided to attack Iran.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/t…..434540.ece
Do you think there was a similar show down? Or what about the State Dept. any similar thing in the news about them?
Some in the goverment must be under enormous stress.

It would not surprise me a bit.

And I have long said that there were still pockets of good people in our government torn between disgust at what is happening and fear that if they deserted theirposts by resigning, the job would be filled with a loyal bushie

Rock and a hard place.

what if these good people take Abu’s lead and hang on and be obstreperous and unresponsive? Just a thought.

I would also like to suggest that for national security reasons DOJ/NSA start tapping the phone lines of Rove et al…what’s good for the goose and all that.

Woodhall Hollow @ 214

Rove has been busy: Coburn says that even though he thinks Gonzo should resign, he won’t vote for no-confidence, which he calls a “silly partisan stunt.” WH Press secretary used identical language earlier today.Via thinkprogress

Both hands slapped on face and silent screeeeeammmmm….

Is Rule of Law partisan?
Good. Lard.

Here are a few media outlet contact pages.(tried to find the Fox contact us link, surprise there was not one that I could find.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10285339/

http://www.cnn.com/feedback/

http://abc.go.com/site/contactus.html

http://www.npr.org/contact/

Chris Matthews and others have blogs, folks could overload them with request to cover the AG issue more closely.

do-si-do at #219:

See the story I link to at #200, about Gates and Fallon. It is a shocker, in a good way.

impeachment of who?

Also the presidents answer was not double-speak – he refused to admit or deny it. As someone on that there TV said it was absurd logic he used that the program was a “sensative matter” – that does not matter the question was if he ordered them to the hospital or not.

SO WHAT CAN PEOPLE DO

Well, to some extent it depends on where you live and vote. If things go badly for Goodling next week at the House Hearings — time will be to start a movement across the country to get Democratic Members of the House to write and drop in the Hopper, Motions for Impeachment. Members need to know they have home support for either writing one, or signing on as co-author on one. Let your member know you strongly support their doing this, expect it. As Example, after the Saturday Night Massacre in October, 1973, there were over one hundred such resolutions, some with multiple authors. Make it clear you are targeting Gonzales. Realize that going forward with a Gonzales Impeachment Investigation will be a Party Caucus decision — we need to try to make that decision nearly 100% of the Democratic House Members, and a leadership decision. Republicans don’t vote in the Democratic Caucus.

If such resolutions come in, they will be referred to Rules. Louise Slaughter is Chair of Rules. It is her job to refer resolutions to the House Judiciary Committee. Louise represents a district in Upstate NY — but she is originally from Kentucky. She should get lots of letters from both places.

Petitions: We need to start planning mass petition campaigns, Congressional District by District. Many people will not write letters, but they will sign a petition, but right now these need to be directed at the member representing a specific district. A petition needs to have a short, not legal language reason why signers want Gonzales impeached. Unlike letters to Democratic Congresspersons, petitions are useful in letting Republicans know the homefolk are none too happy, and it may serve to restrain their intemperate spin. I think we need a master petition form that can be adapted for each district, with signing spaces for name, address, and a check-off indicating one is a registered voter.

It might be useful to set up a web-site just for Gonzales impeachment materials — a downloadable petition, talking points for letters to Congress members, and a longer form review of the reasons for impeachment, with links to back-up materials. (Not everyone has been following all the news on this.) I assume that as soon as things move, Josh will have up pages and counts of Representatives that have signed on.

Something like this needs to be endorsed by people well known at the local as well as national level. Methods need to be developed to collect such endorsements, and make them public. Local Newspapers are much more likely to pay attention and cover if they know that let’s say 25 local elected officials have endorsed. Local Democratic Party units need to take a lead in this — but if they slow roll, then others. It’s just as important in many ways to get a piece in a local or state Labor Paper as it is in the local paper. Union Locals are great places to ask for endorsements — just as important as party local clubs.

Others can add to this — and should, but rather than being discouraged, it may well be we now almost have something to organize around — and what will make it happen is a movement.

But see, that’s the beauty of the no confidence vote. They get Rethugs like Coburn to go on the record — voting against no confidence is saying you DO have confidence in this lying weasel idiot criminal thug of an AG. Then, like VoteVets is doing with Iraq, MoveOn points it out clearly in an ad in all the lock-step Rethug districts and their prospects for ‘08 get even worse. Squeeze ‘em , I say!

Marie Roget @ 127

do-si-do @ 100

LHP, I like the sniper analogy. It takes a lot of restraint and self-control. It’s masterful esp. when compared to the quail-hunting on the other side.

Don’t know much about being a sniper, but all my brothers & uncles hunt. What Cheney & his pals mostly do is canned hunting. It has almost no relationship to real quail/duck hunting and more relationship to poleaxing cattle in a slaughterhouse. Guess it’s all these guys can handle:

(warning animal lovers, graphic description alert)
Canned Hunting

Sounds like the same situation that Cheney set up for the Iraqi people. The Bush administration are clearly a group of psychopaths!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy

http://www.bullyonline.org/workbully/serial.htm

Woodhall Hollow @ 214

Rove has been busy: Coburn says that even though he thinks Gonzo should resign, he won’t vote for no-confidence, which he calls a “silly partisan stunt.” WH Press secretary used identical language earlier today.Via thinkprogress

FGS. Coburn. It’s partisan NOT to vote for it. Gonzo isn’t going to resign, so wake up and smell the squatter.

From Coburn’s own senate site:
Though his doggedness has earned few friends on Capitol Hill, Coburn shrugs off the Beltway critics. “I’m not bothered by Washington,” he said. “Look, I came here with one purpose in mind, and that’s to try to change the culture.”

yeah, right. I mean, this vote should be so easy for a professed “outsider”.

dalloway @ 225

But see, that’s the beauty of the no confidence vote. They get Rethugs like Coburn to go on the record — voting against no confidence is saying you DO have confidence in this lying weasel idiot criminal thug of an AG. Then, like VoteVets is doing with Iraq, MoveOn points it out clearly in an ad in all the lock-step Rethug districts and their prospects for ‘08 get even worse. Squeeze ‘em , I say!

Ahhh. thanks for this reminder. I was blowing a gasket.

Is there such a thing as a collective group of psychopaths. (oh yeah the fascist) I think we are witnessing such a phenomena.

In current clinical use, psychopathy is most commonly diagnosed using the checklist devised by Emeritus Professor Robert Hare. He describes psychopaths as “intraspecies predators [12] [13] who use charm, manipulation, intimidation, and violence [14] [15] [16] to control others and to satisfy their own selfish needs. Lacking in conscience and in feelings for others, they take what they want and do as they please, violating social norms and expectations without guilt or remorse” [17]. “What is missing, in other words, are the very qualities that allow a human being to live in social harmony.”[18]

landofthefree @ 59

T-bird @ 45

What is the process of getting a Special Prosecutor appointed? Couldn’t this be an important part of holding Gonzales accountable? Isn’t there some evidence of criminal wrongdoing yet? Wasn’t Libby convicted of “perjury” and not of “outing” Plame? Could someone cover this in their post?

Doesn’t the AG decide to appoint a special prosecutor?

this is why Alberto will never resign, nor Bush will fire Alberto. (The closest they’ll come to it is that Gonzo will “step down for personal reasons, but will remain in the job until a successor is confirmed” and Bush will take his sweet ole time appointing people who won’t pass confirmation by a D controlled Senate. They’ll ride out the clock until the term is up.) As Thom Hartmann said yesterday, Alberto Gonzales knows where all Bush’s bodies are buried going decades back to Texas. Bush will keep him on the job because he cannot afford to get rid of Gonzo, nor afford the risk of having a new AG confirmed that will actually do his/her job and investigate corruption.

Maybe this has been fielded by someone already, but don’t confuse the Special “Prosecutor” law, which died, with the Special “Counsel” provision, which is what Patrick Fitzgerald is.

Despite the Ken Starr experience, IMHO the Special Prosecutor provision is better in the long run, especially when the DOJ is compromised.

Bob in HI

brendan @ 222

do-si-do at #219:

See the story I link to at #200, about Gates and Fallon. It is a shocker, in a good way.

Hi Brendan. I checked it out and yes, thank goodness. I think I read about Fallon here before and good on ‘im!

What chest-beating, draft-dodging war hawks don’t realize is that once you’ve “seen the elephant” you’re not esp. eager to see another one.

even Republicants who say Gonzo should step down are too partisan and too lacking in tackle to support this no confidence vote… all talk and no action…

carolyn urban @ 62

[snip]

And BTW, somebody asked about the video? I’m pretty sure I saw it at Crooks and Liars.

Its on Politics TV– at least, 20 minutes of the most important video made since the Kennedy assassination.

Bob in HI

Kathleen–you would really love John Dean’s book on Authoritarian Personalities in politics. It draws to a substantial extent on the work of a Canadian psychologist (name escapes me just now) who has been studying this phenomenon for something like 20 years. Basically, it explains how facist movement can take over and silence a “normal” population.

Neither go into the role of child-rearing to examine why some people (or groups) seem to be more susceptable than others, but Alice Miller makes a pretty compelling case imo. Abused children leads to broken adults who look to strongman father figures to make them feel safe. And of course then you have facist/authoritarian/psychopaths come along and capitalize on their pain and trauma (at “best”) or turn them into outright facist thugs (at worst).

Right!!!
And BTW, that should be “pyrrhic” (as in “pyrrhic victory”).

Hi Kathleen,

I think we’re in EPU mode now. saw your posts and think everyone would agree with the diagnosis. But we can’t diagnose someone out of office unfortunately.

for more Bush crack go here (I’m no Tucker Carlson fan but I remember this story)
Tucker interviews Bush, gets blowback

collective narcissism/psychpathy = The Bush administration.

http://samvak.tripod.com/14.html

OK, well I think I should withdraw my Tucker citation since it might be lacking full accreditation. Kathleen, if you are studying narcissism, please note that many who are more knowledgable have written him off. Not to say that everything he says is wrong, but caveat emptor. The bullyonline site is a helpful.

I’m going to look for the Dean book, Woodhollow. Thanks.

going to sign off now. hugs to all firedogs.

oh god, how do you edit? I previewed and everything. I meant to say Samvak has been written off…

do-si-do @ 236

Hi Kathleen,

I think we’re in EPU mode now. saw your posts and think everyone would agree with the diagnosis. But we can’t diagnose someone out of office unfortunately.

for more Bush crack go here (I’m no Tucker Carlson fan but I remember this story)
Tucker interviews Bush, gets blowback

I Understand that the professionals here at FDL can not diagnose out of office. But I am a peasant,farmer, soccer mom…so I can. Thanks for the nod!

What terrifies me beyond this group of radical zealots is the complacency and comfort level of so many Americans. As the Iraqi people die in the hundreds of thousands ( up to millions if you count the sanctions) and millions are displaced. How different is this to the complacency of so many as Jews, gypsies, handicapped and others were slaughtered by Hitler? How different is this? Wake up America. There is a systematic genocide taking place in Iraq and we created the perfect enviroment for it to take place.

the analysis is seriously flawed:

1) no-confidence in gonzales is achievable. thinking that would be any kind of indicator on impeaching the chimporer is flawed – the two are apples and oranges. Given today’s party-over-country republican, conviction is not likely no matter what without a minimum of 67 dem senators. Therefore, impeachment (with or without conviction) serves a different purpose: to start to begin to re-establish the credibility of the US.

2) you ignore a fundamental problem the US currently has – that without impeachment in the case where it was actually intended we are left with only politically motivated impeachment. This undercuts the whole purpose of impeachment: to protect the people from a criminal executive. It incapacitates the ability of any Congress to protect the people from criminals. In light of our current history of only 2 politically-motivated impeachments, history would write an impeachment of bush as a CONTRAST where it was actually warranted (regardless of whether or not conviction is achieved) and a validation of the whole concept and purpose of the constitutional capability.

3) the crimes of bush, cheney, and their whole administration are extensive and obvious. A failure to convict would only be an indictment of republicans displaying their loyalty to party over the people. On the contrary, the failure of democrats to bring impeachment (which is both a failure to uphold the constitution and a failure to protect the people from criminals) is an indictment of democrats and an enforcement of a view of democrats as unprincipled.
.

Woodhollow thanks for the recommendation. I have been going to Deans website/writings for quite a while.

Loosehead Prop … Usually the stockiest member of the team, whose head typically joins his shoulders without recourse to a neck. … LOL

from the BBC

If the “no confidence” vote comes in at the magic 67, we will have taken one more step closer to IMPEACHMENT TO CONVICTION.

I keep getting knifed for reminding the IMPEACH NOW!!11!!1!! crowd over at DK that 17 Republicans must vote “aye” to impeach their War Preznit, no matter how many marchers fill the streets, write LTE’s or write angst-filled diaries about Democrats abandoning principles because they don’t IMPEACH NOW!!11!!1!!

Clearly this is priming the pump. The longer AGAG smirks and lies to judiciary committees and keeps his job, the more inept this Administration looks on every single issue (pick one! any one! lots to choose from!). November 2008 is a clarion call that becomes louder and more urgent with every passing headline. If only it didn’t cost us our military in the process, I’d be singing sweet refrains.

-GFO

Bob Schacht @ 189

Adie @ 18

Good one LHP!

I buried something deep in EPU-land this morning because we were leaving the house & I couldn’t wait for the new threads to start appearing.

Besides, your post seems tailor-made. THANKS!

[Shortened by moderator]

Please see video and commentary at the following links:

http://www.salon.com/opinion/g…..index.html
http://www.commondreams.org/ar…..05/02/906/
http://www.firedoglake.com/200…..-it-again/

These links are all abbreviated and won’t work– please fix!

Bob in HI

APOLOGIES! Please check my “fix” at my #39
Thanks. -A

Let’s look at “impeach” as a step to “treason”