Oh look. It’s President Bush…on his way to another GOP fundraiser. Or several. The fact that they still raise any money using George W. Bush as their headliner says a lot about the state of today’s Republican party, doesn’t it?
Sure glad we’re getting our tax dollars worth out of him. Because W sure does pay attention to all the little details (H/T RevDeb) of the important issues of the day — and does an incredible imitation of follow-up…as long as the cameras are rolling, anyway. For instance (H/T Froomkin):
As it happens, President Bush has been aware of the hole for some time — and deserves some of the blame for not fixing it earlier. Confronted about it in public more than a year ago, Bush literally laughed off the question — and then, tellingly, described his response as a case study in how he does his job….
Student: “I was hoping your answer might be a little more specific. (Laughter.) Mr. Rumsfeld answered that Iraq has its own domestic laws which he assumed applied to those private military contractors. However, Iraq is clearly not currently capable of enforcing its laws, much less against — over our American military contractors. I would submit to you that in this case, this is one case that privatization is not a solution. And, Mr. President, how do you propose to bring private military contractors under a system of law?”
Bush: “I appreciate that very much. I wasn’t kidding — (laughter.) I was going to — I pick up the phone and say, Mr. Secretary, I’ve got an interesting question. (Laughter.) This is what delegation — I don’t mean to be dodging the question, although it’s kind of convenient in this case, but never — (laughter.) I really will — I’m going to call the Secretary and say you brought up a very valid question, and what are we doing about it? That’s how I work. I’m — thanks. (Laughter.)” (emphasis mine)
Kind of reminds me of the klieg light scene in NOLA. Especially the part where everything went dark after the cameras turned off. President Short Attention Span needs to dust off a whole lot of stuff these days, it seems.
There he is. Your President…inaction.
[Photo: U.S. President George W. Bush waves from the steps of Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, October 29, 2007. Bush is flying to Pennsylvania and Ohio to attend Republican Party fund raisers for the 2008 elections. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES) via Yahoo. I just loved this shot -- great perspective.]
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Zed! Morning Christy
Morning Jim! How are things where you are? It’s freezing ass cold here this morning — frost on the ground. We went from being in the 80s last week to below 30 this week. Brrrr…little too much of a change all at once for me this morning.
Morning, Christy.
Good morning Christy!
Good morning, Christy. Inaction indeed. Can we make it until the end of this charade that passes for an administration?
Christy Hardin Smith @ 2
are you in the mountains? it hasn’t gotten that cold yet up here in central MA.
We carved Pumpkins last night and will trick or treat tonite since our local football team plays in the playoffs Wed.
Clear and crisp with highs in the 60’s. The goblins and spooks will not freeze tonite.
selise at 6 — Well, WV is pretty much all mountains, but I’m not in ski country here, so not as much. But it’s been below 30 here two nights running, and a very cold walk to preschool in the early morning, let me tell you. *g* Odd that it hasn’t gotten as cold in MA. I remember the crisp fall days when I was at Smith fondly. The weather is just so weird this year, isn’t it?
this is EPU’d from last night,
but the verb “inaction” — on the
democratic side of the aisle — in
not “taking down” cheney and bush,
came up repeatedly. . . so, here
is the mirror’s other side, on the
idea of inaction by those who do NOT
hold the white house, at the moment
[excellent piece, btw, chs!]:
Bluetoe @ 223
this is a very illuminating line of
argument, bluetoe. for i am
certain you do not intend it in
this way, but you must see that
declaring the rule of law to be
no more than a cover for “inertia“,
is to agree with the neo-con notion that
we should bend — or break — the rules when
the wheels of justice turn too slowly
for our tastes. . . that is how we came
to have torture memos, and rendition policies.
now — to be clear — part of the wisdom
of our justice system is that it moves at
a deliberate [glacial?] pace. it takes
the time to get it right, most of the
time. . . so i will respectfully, but
vehemently, disagree with the idea that
leahy, conyers, waxman, whitehouse, tierney,
schumer, et al. are doing nothing.
i, for one, believe the principles must
be adhered to, even if it yields an unfair
advantage to those who would disregard them
to acheive their ends — cheney, bush, gonzo,
rice, rummy, wolfie — and on and on. . .
i really enjoyed catching up on
this thread, little bear and bluetoe!
thanks!
p e a c e
btw, the HJC/Tanner hearing is scheduled to air on C-Span3 this morning. And I’m planning on live-blogging it. Based on the witness list, it looks like it could be a good one…
After much reflection I have decided that what we need is a major outbreak of love and tolerance.
It is my intention to speak of tolerance and love at least once a day to others.
Good morning Christy.
Didn’t think anyone picked up on the comment about Malloy’s new name for Chuckles (another name he uses for W).
Though you and LHP would be interested in this from the Glob. The USA in MA used to have a great recored on prosecutions until 2001 when for some reason they have plummeted.
Christy Hardin Smith @ 10
indeed, it will be. . .
Well, for perspective, at least you all aren’t AGAIN in “the cone” — and we in south Florida thought we were done for the year!
To the point, though: isn’t the Shrub and/or the party supposed to reimburse the federal government for those uses of resources like Air Force 1? Or did he find some incredibly-flimsy excuse to go to Pennsylvania and Ohio? God knows the current crop of reporters wouldn’t ask… sheesh!
High in the mid-60s in NW Indiana today, clear and crisp, overnight lows dipping into the 30s. Some frost Sunday night in open areas. 80s here a couple of weeks ago, too, and leaf color not at peak yet. Can’t believe it’s nearly November already!
Christy Hardin Smith @ 2
This is the time of year that I have to get up and light the fire before my wife dares venture her nose above the blankets. This http://math.boisestate.edu/gas…..ond12.html is always appropriate for those of us in the cold.
Keeryst the bloody world is falling apart and the resident WH chimp is fundraising… gotta keep the money flowing I guess. Who were the hapless bas**rds for whom he was shilling?
Good morning Christy The cold arrived to early for $3 a gallon heating oil.
The thief who was the head of the operation, who first had to overturn our election system, was never elected in “a full and fair election”and deserves no repect and least of all being called president.When will we stop living this lie?
28 degrees F this morning at my house at 7 a.m. We’re in the middle of major energy saving work on the house – new windows and insulation – which, given the 1939 nature of our house (old rattly windows and an air space), bodes well for this winter, I think.
‘morning all – coffee is ready – hold out your cups…
President Lazy Ass… I’m so tired of him…
HAHA – our crooked OC sheriff chief just got brought up on Fed corruption charges… ’bout damn time.. he’s been running amok for years now.
it’s a beautiful fall day here today. cool and clear and crisp and smells like fall. but, maybe got as low as 40 last night. should get up to 60 today.
Toby at 18 — Would love to hear what you are doing on your house. Ours is more than a hundred years old. We have these gorgeous old windows, but they are drafty. If anyone knows a way to find good storm windows that work with old, wood-frame windows, I’d love to know. Ours have some decorative elements that would be really, really difficult to replace…but the draftiness is not so great in the winter.
Anyone who has some experience at weatherproofing something like that, I’m all ears…
Sort of on topic from downstairs. Christy, do you understand how the State Dept can grant immunity? I’ve been trying to figure out that one. Congress can, DOJ can, but State? Who’s next? Education?
Christy Hardin Smith @ 10
oh boy. I’m home sick so I can watch and play with the rest of you.
Morning Christy. Bush’s condition has been catching for quite some time. Even though before the invasion hundreds of thousands marched against a pre-emptive invasion and hundreds of thousands marched this past weekend.
The depressing reality is that for the majority of Americans “inaction” is epidemic.
Hillary’s laugh after Mike Gravel challenged her on her Kyl/Lieberman vote reminded me of Bush’s dismissive and arrogant laugh.
Remember when Rumsfeld said “I don’t do quagmires”
Christy Hardin Smith @ 21
realworld @ 22
NPR piece this morning said State Dept. had NO authority to grant immunity, and that everyone will be questioned again by the FBI. That’s going to make it legally very interesting (IANAL).
Perhaps campaigning will keep him occupied & we won’t have to worry about those bunker busters.
Christy Hardin Smith @ 10
no kidding, here’s the list, four additions to tanner:
John K. Tanner, Chief, Voting Right Section, U.S. DoJ, Civil Rights Division
Toby Moore, Former Geographer/Social Science analyst, CRT Voting Section
Laughlin McDonald, Director, ACLU Voting Rights Project, ACLU Southern Regional Office
Robert N. Driscoll, Alston and Bird
Julie Fernandes, Senior Policy Analyst & Special Counsel, Leadership Conference for Civil Rights
Christy Hardin Smith @ 21
There is a pretty good company with which I have absolutely no connection called (I believe) Trimline that does wood frame double pane windows. I had a local craftsperson do mine a couple of years ago (1855 house) and I have been warm and toasty ever since. As for weather proofing re-caulking all windows doors every year will help. Any gaps fill ‘em. Re nailing all clapboards every few years helps a lot. I am a retired contractor and let me tell you the work never stops on an old house!!!!
also today — no video feed yet,
though — rep. john tierney is
scheduled to hold a REALITY-based
hearing on iran — “what’s real;
what’s next?”
could be pretty illuminating, by
way of contrast, to the fear-preznit’s
positions. . .
Christy Hardin Smith @ 21
Ah, the gorgeous old windows issue. Well, I too had gorgeous old wood windows…and I even had storm/screen combos on the outside of those…and it was still awful. I had to put plastic on the inside of the windows every fall. And the plastic used to bow in about 6 inches..all the time.
The decision to change things out was fairly easy – our house is just a little farmhouse sort of thing in the country. And, like many home projects, it all started with “a little work in the kitchen” which blossomed into “I think we really need to talk about ripping out all the walls because there is no insulation in this house.” So, we’ve been marching around the house, gutting the walls out, putting in insulation and the new windows. If we had some sort of historic house, it might have been more difficult(and probably expensive) to do, but what we were looking for was a) energy efficiency and b) keeping the house standing up (the floor tile job in the kitchen turned into an engineer, two beams in the basement, three floor jacks, two concrete pads in the basement, and two beams in the ceiling of the first floor to support the stairs).
Sort of like living the “real life” version of “The Money Pit”. If you’d rather talk “off lake”, my email is htwollin at yahoo dot com.
msmolly @ 26
Right, in fact, I would guess that the FBI could (and should) subpoena the transcripts, tapes, whatever, from State. Now that would be very interesting.
When action is needed, our president will do something wrong, unless doing nothing at all will produce even worse results than doing something wrong. Imagine the worst thing he could do. Then prepare yourself for what we have all come to expect: He’ll do something even worse than the worst you could imagine.
Having read Shock Doctrine (thank you, thank you for the upcoming book salon), I now understand that it’s not inaction/laziness. It’s malign, purposeful action. There is NO interest in ’solving’ matters in a way that would be helpful (or legal). If you haven’t read this book yet folks, PLEASE take the time. It’s well worth it. (And if you get too depressed, head to the last chapter for some cheer.)
nolo @ 30
that one looks interesting to me too. i’m planning on recording the audio for it while watching the hjc live.
The Times’ take on the Blackwater immunity deal:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10…..ref=slogin
Inaction yes, but more important Iraq is a great source of AMUSEMENT. That is funny stuff. Komedy Guy laughs about Blackwater when asked about whether he should hold it accountable. Ha! Ha! and Yuk Yuk. It is his own private mercenary army, to do with as he pleases. I wonder how funny these creeps think Pat Tillman and David Kelly are?
Nancy Pelosi should watch this, but she is too busy being a Loyal Bushie.
Just watched Edwards on CBS. He states that he refuses Washington lobbyists money. AND said Hillary is the biggest recipient of the lobbyist largess of all the presidential candidates. Is this accurate?
Toby Wollin @ 31
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
2007 spy budget at $50 Billion
And they still don’t know where Ossama bin Buggin’!
RockPaperScizzors @ 38
True but she did say that she would not be influenced by the lobbyists money and of course I believe her. Edwards does not take money from K street.
Frank33 @ 37
And ‘they’ wonder why people don’t watch the news and why blogs and YouTube are exploding… Very telling.
Laura Doty @ 34
Mistakes in Iraq? The majority of the Iraqi people and many others believe the Bush administrations plans are on track.
Laura at 34 — Yes, but that would have ruined my “inaction” pun. *G*
musicsleuth @ 42
No need to wonder why they hate us.
Ruffian @ 11
Peace is contagious!
-The fact that they still raise any money using George W. Bush as their headliner says a lot about the state of today’s Republican party, doesn’t it?-
The scary thing to me is that Guiliani, Romney, Thompson, et. al, are loath to mention Bush, but select the worst neocons as advisors and endorse the worst of the Bush policies, both domestic and foreign.
Christy Hardin Smith @ 10
Good morning from L.A. Thanks for the heads up on the HJC hearing, CHS. I’ll have to rely on that live blog since I’m off to LAX to drop someone off, then in to work early this a.m.
Feeling FDL & Act Blue donations coming on just about now to support all you do around here. Tough times, but we will persevere by working hard for change. Worse has happened in this world, & it has been overcome by people rising from the despair we all sometimes feel & working tenaciously for the common good.
Thanx again for all the hard work done by everyone here…
Bush in action, picking up the phone later:
“Hi, it’s me – the Decider. Ok, sompum goin on there? ….. Well, you know…mission accomplished – we need it to look accomplished. So … find something to accomplish. Or make it look that way!
“Ok, gotta run… hafta go and wave to the camras … even tho nobody’s there a course…. but walkin to the helicopter… gotta wave… make it look like somthin’s happenin, ya know!
“See, ya make it look like you’re decidin and you’re wavin… bingo! accomplished!”
Articles over at Information clearing house good reads,
“On Track for U.S. collapse”
“Iran has evidence US Backing Terroist”
“Us differs with UN nuclear chief on Iran”
Would really like to know what information Valerie Plame Wilson has access to that trumps what Iaea El Baradei has on Iran,
Valerie said on Keith Olbermann that she has “no doubt” that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons program. El Baradei has said “no hard evidence” to back up such claims.
Looks like the ACLU is logging calls too.:
Document, document. I think that’s a great idea. I haven’t seen moveon and ACLU really do this before.
selise @ 20
It’s been unseasonably warm New England weather. I have Al Gore on my mind, I think.
I believe there is a term for Bush’s inaction: selling popcorn
selise @ 35
good plan — i’ll post it here,
if i am able to find a video link. . .
p e a c e
Christy:
Regarding your windows, folks gave great advice (I’m the energy geek among your readers). If you don’t want to replace the actual windows, you should consider insulating and caulking the trim, reglazing the windows, and caulking everything else very carefully. (Stuffing insulation around the windows before you put the trim back on can really help…) Our house is only 80 years old and we broke down and spent some serious money on historically correct (!!) Marvin double paned, double hung energy efficient windows. Wow, what a difference up here in southern WI.
Check your local utility and see if they offer any energy efficiency programs or incentives that might help. Many do.
RevDeb @ 39
Some old houses up here are protected. But I see an alarming number of people actually rip up an old house and rebuild it. I imagine if you took one of those engineers tools you would see cracks and fissures in some of the 18th c. houses. I love the old stove/fireplaces with the hooks dangling and all, but how the wind whistles in those places.
Which of course doesn’t mean Christy can’t get those old windows winterized.
nolo @ 54
the house oversight committee has archives now – so even if we miss the live feed, we should be able to view/listen to the archived webcast.
i know that you know all this… but thought i should make sure all our fellow committee hearings watchers do to…. *g*
Thanks everyone. Great suggestions — really appreciate it.
Fundraising is just a cover. He’s ‘coordinating’ with cronies.
A lot of Republicans have been retiring and ‘choosing’ not to run again lately.
Bush wants to back out of the White House, taking all of his skeletons with him.
And, he appears to be offering ‘immunity from prosecution’ if his henchpeople will ‘clam up’ and stay Loyal – you know, like Pajamas Pete and Dennis the Menace seem to have.
Bush is travelling so he can visit some of his various Speakeasies.
selise @ 57
okay I am at the website, where *is* the live feed?
RockPaperScizzors @ 38
It is true but not as dramitic as it sounds. She currently is getting about 1% of her donations from PACs. Edwards, and Obama get nothing. It is a little more enlightening to see the top industry breakdown by candidate:
Industry Finance Law Dem/Liberal Retired
H 9.2M 4.7M 4.3M
E 8.0M 1.6M 1.3M
O 5.1M 7.7M 4.4M
On the immunity question, I’m not certain that State has the ability to give immunity in a criminal prosecution. They may be able to give use immunity for an internal IG investigation, but they don’t have criminal jurisdiction. Which would mean that the information gathered via statements from the Blackwater guards could not be used against them for prosecution purposes, but that would not prevent criminal investigators from independently investigating the matter and bringing charges.
That would certainly be my argument if I were FBI and/or DOJ.
J @ 50
When Valerie was at the CIA she likely had access to internal Iranian documents and recordings of private conversations among Iran’s rulers. Their intent was probably quite clear. El Baradei has access to no such information and has to infer from what he is inspecting, unless someone on the inside chooses to give him hard evidence.
Christy Hardin Smith @ 58
I like the idea of doing things with scotch tape and some bubble wrap. I read somewhere if you bubble wrap your whole house, it would be great insulation. It was some solar engineers website.
mui @ 60
i usually shows up about 5-10 minutes before the hearing starts – that is the case for both the house oversight committee and the hjc. althought they are different kinds of feeds. the oversight committee is an automatic windows player feed, and the hjc just has a link to the real player feed.
mui at 64 — LOL Then I’d have The Peanut running around the house popping bubbles all day long. *G*
Hey, everybody. Turns out we’ve been wrong all along.
Just heard Lynne Cheney interviewed on the radio while driving to work. She says outside of the beltway, everyone loves George and Dick.
How does she know? She just did a booksigning in Wyoming, and that’s what the people who bought her book told her.
Well, I’m convinced! /snark
Christy Hardin Smith @ 66
Oh yes, kids I forgot about that. They go crazy over bubble wrap.
mui @ 68
Problem solved
selise @ 65
Yes, but I can’t even find a link on the website. help.
twolf1 @ 69
Not the same. I think that tactile pleasure is missing.
mui @ 68
and some of us who are only kids at heart. *g*
Christy Hardin Smith @ 66
ROFL; now that’s funny!!
OT to mods. Is there any way to get tables to display right here? I’ve tried HTML, spaces, tabs, etc. Things tend to look good in preview but lose their formatting when posted.
Sorry for the interruption.
Gromit @ 67
Hmmm. I saw a steely-eyed Dr. Cheney, saying that *history* would decide, i.e. not the paysans.
RockPaperScizzors @ 38
Bonior saying the same on MSNBC’s Super Tuesday “coverage”–impassioned advocate for Edwards.
Interviewer Andrea Mitchell: catatonic
selise @ 72
*stern look* I am going to use it to winterize some of my potted perrenials. I mean to keep kids away, come hell or high water. (Of course that’s probably harder than the summer battles between the two-legged and four-legged beasts.) Skip to the bottom.http://www.cloudforest.com/northwest/forum/17302.html Now there’s a “good kid”.
lem·ming (plural lem·mings)
noun
Definition:
1. subarctic rodent: a rodent with a small thick furry body and furry feet that lives in subarctic regions. Lemmings are noted for their mass migrations in search of food during population explosions, which has given rise to the myth that they flock to the sea to drown themselves. Native to: Arctic and northern regions. Genus Lemmus, Dicrostonyx.
2. doomed conformist: a member of a large group of people who blindly follow one another on a course of action that will lead to destruction for all of them
Christy Hardin Smith @ 66
Funny you should say that. Ive had grandchildren running around here for two days. They havehad more fun with two squares of bubble wrap. I think they popped the last bubble!
OT, but perhaps someone could save it if it becomes relevant.
Yesterday, during the Lieberman post, I emailed the CT gov info site about the rules for replacing a U.S. senator. Heres’s their answer:
In other words, the governor’s appointment lasts only until the next election, when the electorate decides who will serve out the remaining term.
snowbird42 at 79 — The Peanut is the same way. Must be a kid thing. (Although, to be honest, it’s also a Mr. ReddHedd thing — he’s such a kid at heart. *G*)
It’s all Michelle Obama on CSPAN2
realworld @ 74
The short answer is no. For the most part, HTML other than what is in the buttons above the comment entry field (bold, italics, underline, strike, code, blockquote and link) gets ignored.
Christy,
Many utility companies will visit your home and do an energy analysis and identify how much infiltration you are getting through the windows.
You can also get a cost benefit calc so that you can evaluate the different strategies to make the house tight and well insulated.
You might be able to reduce your utility bill to nothing if you invest in some solar strategies, like a solarium… even terrarium windows can add heat to a house.
Insulation and caulking are a must. You can blow insulation into the walls.
You really don’t want to waste energy.
mui @ 82
I don’t like the way she puts her husband down.
Christy Hardin Smith @ 62
Christy – Here’s what the NY Times sez: “The State Department investigators from the agency’s investigative arm, the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, offered the immunity grants even though they did not have the authority to do so, the officials said. Prosecutors at the Justice Department, who do have such authority, had no advance knowledge of the arrangement, they added.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10…..er.html?hp
It’s hard to imagine an SJC meeting tomorrow without some comment today regarding the Great Viewing of the 4-Page Writ of Above-the-Law-ness given to Rockefeller, Leahy and Company last week.
Surely, we won’t just get Kabuki tomorrow on FISA if the concensus opinion is that the UE Rationale is flawed?
Why debate unilateral delegation of domestic wire-tapping without warrants to the sole discretion of “flunkies” like McConnell and Mukasey (or his suitable substitute) if the whole premise is Obviously Un-Constitutional?
The Lurking Mod @ 83
Just a small request for some future upgrade of your text processor then. Sometime everything is said best in a table :-) Thanks.
BTW: Oversight hearing feed is up
radiofreewill @ 87
“UE Rationale”?
eCAHNomics @ 80
I love our CT state librarians. They are excellent.
Who can legally offer immunity?
If the “crime” took place outside of US property… the streets of Bagdad, how can this be done? There may be no jurisdiction in a US court.. right? But why couldn’t Iraqis bring an action over there? And how could the state dept declare immunity where they have no jurisdiction?
realworld at 88 — Not likely to happen. Ponder for a moment what the comments would look like with all the flashing goodies, tables and other such programming excitement…and then ponder the effect on the blog that some bad code would have in making it crash. Repeatedly.
And then see why extraneous code is not allowed in the comments. Sorry, but we only have so much server space, and we can’t afford to crash every five minutes…
realworld @ 88
I will forward your request along to the powers that be.
$100,000? There are kids in this country who don’t get enough to eat each and every day. S’more “compassionate conservatism”? Mr. Veep.
Cheney Goes on a Hunting Trip
The Clove Valley Rod and Gun Club is an exclusive place: Its 70-odd members are said to pay as much as $100,000 a year for the privilege of hunting ducks and pheasants on 4,000 acres of land on the west side of Clove Mountain, an expanse of shrubs and trees speckled in orange and gold.
During its 104-year history, the club has played host to millionaires, generals and politicians. President Dwight D. Eisenhower hunted there in the 1950s. In recent years, so did retired Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf. And John L. Dowling, one of New York’s leading commercial real estate brokers, was a member and a regular visitor until his death in 2004.
But on Monday, the talk of the neighborhood was about Vice President Dick Cheney, who was paying his second visit to the club. The previous trip was during President Bush’s first term, local residents said.
$100,000. All to kill some helpless birds. You go Dickie!
SanderO — An offer of immunity has to come from a prosecutor, not an agent. And agents know that.
HJC: DOJ/CRD And John Tanner, Part I
Christy has a fresh thread upstairs.
msmolly @ 26
Indeed Christy. I tried to find some references for “confessions” obtained by non-Police government officials. There are some cases of this but usually in non-coercive situations where the statements were given freely (as in an undercover agent).
If the “officer” from the State Department wasn’t clear that the “immunity” he was offering didn’t relate to criminal charges, it might be viewed as coercion- the statement would not have been provided without the offer,and the official IS a Government officer.
This isn’t settled law. And often it’s the judge or jury that has to decide within the context. If the DOS interviewer said something like…”Your cooperation will be viewed as positive in reviewing whether you receive administrative sanctions or not”, and “I’m not here for a criminal investigation” THAT would go a long way to making the statements legally allowable in court.
If they implied that they were involved in a criminal investigation then it would be a lot more coercive and an offer of immunity might taint the willingness not to remain silent.
wigwam at 90
UE Rationale – Bush and Cheney claim that under certain circumstances…
- President acting as CIC in time of War
- Declared State of National Emergency
…the Constitution envisions the emergence of a 4th Branch, aka the Unitary Executive, that is all-powerful and un-checked outside itself.
That’s the rationale in a nutshell that is presumably contained in the 4-page ‘order’ that empowered Bush to direct the Telecoms, in secret, to cooperate with Warrantless Domestic Spying outside of FISA – a clear-cut circumvention of Legislative Oversight.
Since the UE Rationale hasn’t had its day in Court, Bush has also successfully managed to avoid Judicial Review while exercising his self-proclaimed ‘Above the Law’ powers.
The right answer here is for Congress to Finally draw the line on supporting Bush without first getting a Binding Independent Legal Review of his reasoning for the so-called 4th Branch – Bush’s Lawlessness has piled up so high that he’s lost the Public Trust – his actions seem out of All Proportion to the needs of the Country and don’t, imvho, represent US as a People very well.
Bush is artificially maintaining “War Status” and “National Emergency Status” just to keep his “grabbed on a pre-text” unlimited powers, which conveniently include immunity from the Rule of Law for him and his designates.
It’s long since past time that Bush should have relinquished his ‘emergency’ powers and volunteered his actions, taken in the name of national security, for review by the People he’s is supposedly acting in the name of to ‘protect.’
Christy does that mean this offer has no standing?
He looks like he’s about to get shot out of a cannon … too bad he dismantled “the safety net.”
Kind of reminds me of God telling Moses on Mt. Nebo that the land where the Israelites were going was “spitting out” its current inhabitants for being so vile.
If we keep following BushCo policies, that’s what planet earth is going to do with us: spit us out.
was anyone waving back? I mean, really with the hypersecurity he commands, can he be waving at anyone except the staff that protects him? And is he paying his share for the use of the people’s AF#1 for partisan junkets?
How much fuel is Air Force One using to get Bush to these fundraisers and how much is it costing the American taxpayers every time?
wigwam @ 63
Big diffference between intent and “hard evidence” El Baradei was spot on about Iraq.
All I can say is that this reminds me of The Simpleton’s joking about WMDs (”No, they’re not under here…”)
This is f***ing NOT a subject to be joking about, you stupid f***ing Idiot!