When Is Enough, Enough?
We need to rename the Decider. He should be called President Dooh Nibor (that’s Robin Hood backwards) because he and his anything-but-merry men have been robbing the poor to provide for the rich and fighting against justice and democracy.
Have you noticed the Catch 22 these wretched people have created that makes us look like puppies chasing their tails? It is a pattern they repeat over and over and it goes like this:
- They do something that is unconstitutional or downright illegal.
- An investigation is started, subpoenas are served, and hearings are held.
- They assert executive privilege, allege state secrets, and claim National Security interests.
- The investigation is blocked, the truth remains hidden, and the assault on democracy continues.
- Or if all else fails and there is actually an indictment ending in conviction, a presidential pardon is issued.
This president and his henchmen remind me of a line from Star Trek’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard. It’s as if they utter the words “Make it so” and black becomes white, up becomes down, and lies become truth.
The state-secrets privilege was meant to be a narrow evidentiary privilege and there may be a legitimate need to keep some information secret. But it was never meant to be used as a shield for illegal actions.
The concept of executive privilege is not mentioned in the Constitution but some consider it to be an element of the doctrine of separation of powers. In the United States vs Nixon, 1974, the Supreme Court rejected the notion that the President has an "absolute privilege." In a Supreme Court decision in 2004, Justice Anthony Kennedy noted "Executive privilege is an extraordinary assertion of power not to be lightly invoked.”
President Bush apparently does not agree with the court’s evaluation of this privilege, invoking it whenever his cronies, (Rove, Myers, Cheney, et al), are asked to produce documents or testify before Congress.
Obviously, National Security requires that some things not be made public but it is not the blanket excuse for secrecy that this administration has made it. The total lack of transparency in our government during the Bush-Cheney years should be alarming to everyone who believes in our democratic way of life. Republicans particularly should be alarmed because this administration has undermined just about everything the Republican Party stands for:
The party of family values, has become the party of scandals both sexual and financial.
The party of fiscal responsibility has become the party of spending and large deficits.
The party of small government has become the party of an huge and incompetent bureacracy.
What will finally be enough? What do Bush-Cheney have to do to make the American people stand up and demand they stop? Are we going to wait until they attack Iran and embroil us in yet another “preventive” war? God help us and the rest of the world if that is what it takes.
Comments
Great points Trish -- This Administration and the Bush family, in general seem to get away with murder, literally and figuratively. A friend just sent me an article in the Smirking Chimp by Robert Perry entitled, “The Bush Rules of Evidence.” It starts off by saying,
This concurs with what you are saying about this Administration in general. I’ve been quite frustrated at how it seem to slip through every misdoing and misdeed with mere technicalities. This White House wants to keep something secret so it just cries executive privilege, whether or not the President was even involved in the dialogue. Cheney gets to change which branch of government he’s in depending on which affords him more privacy or makes him less subject to scrutiny on a given day. When Congress asks for and even demands copies of emails to which it is entitled, some millions of them just happen to get lost. I could go on for quite a few paragraphs.
I’m in total agreement with you so far as this Administration or Republican Party having no similarity with what it used to be, or as real conservatives wish it was still. True Conservatives are horrified at what they are witnessing. The real question is, why aren’t more Republicans and Conservatives speaking out, especially those in Congress? I don’t believe James Madison would in any way be surprised at the Executive Branch attempting to usurp more power for itself, but I do think he would be shocked at the way Congress is allowing it.
As I mention in my last blog, “Chutzpah Indeed!” -- the right wing seems to confuse criticism of the government, with partisanship. They label anyone as partisan who is criticizing our present government.
Why is it they don’t see the partisanship in their own behavior; namely not criticizing anyone in government who is not doing their job as it should be done? Why are they not upset and willing to take action to prevent an inept, incompetent and corrupt government from continuing to do whatever they like, no matter how it might harm the nation and people? Why do they bash and go after the horrible “liberals” at any opportunity, real or imagined, but continue to give carte blanche to members of their own party in high places, people continuing to make decisions that are as inane as they seem insane. And, the most puzzling question of all – why do so many “poor” Republican voters keep supporting a party that is hurting people like themselves in particular? I’m sorry, but the my parents and their parents were always Republicans, and so am I mantra just doesn’t cut it anymore!
(Glad you are back Trish, you've been missed)
Posted by: Stephen | November 25, 2007 01:18 PM
Thanks, Stephen, good to be back.
I read your Robert Perry article which led me to other articles by him. Verrrrry interesting!
Perry gives some answers to questions I’ve been asking like
…how come no one stands up to these people?
…where is the media and Congress when evidence surfaces that leads right to them?
…why does the real issue seem to get lost while everyone tries to shoot the messenger?
It is pretty clear that individuals who try to force the issue wind up with destroyed careers and ruined lives that sometimes end in suicide. It will take a group of people with the courage to band together and the means to get the truth out to counteract the very effective attack forces that the right wing media has perfected.
Jaime O’Neill questioned how good people could stay silent in the face of all this administration has done. It seems to me that the majority of them have been manipulated into actually believing the lies they are fed by Fox News, Hannety, O’Reilly and Limbaugh. George W ‘s real legacy is his success in saying one thing and doing another while the spin masters distract people by destroying the reputations of those who oppose him.
Posted by: Trish | November 25, 2007 09:18 PM