Letters to the Editor
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Low self esteem?
Thanks very much Glenn for your post. Why the American public is not demanding impeachment proceedings against Bush and Cheney for their secrecy, illegal and anti-constitutional behavior is a mystery. Perhaps it reflects collective low self esteem, poor civic education, or apathy. But we DO deserve better, and the way to keep our democracy vibrant and healthy is for the people to assert thier power!
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Glenn
It has been obvious from the very beginning that this administration wants to conduct all operations in the dark of secrecy; a thing that is the opposite of government 'by the people'.
When the USA invaded Afghanistan, we were going to 'get' the men responsible for the attacks on NYC on 9-11-2001. However, bin Laden denied he was involved in the affair and the Taliban asked the USA for evidence that he was the culprit. As a national hero (for beating the USSR) and a former (we think former) CIA asset, the Taliban felt they needed a fig leaf from the USA before handing over bin Laden. They even offered to put him on trial in an international court; one held in Pakistan if I remember correctly.
As I understand it, nations often ask for a man to be extradited and there are established norms for extraditions even if there is no explicit treaty. I was suspicious of the administration when they refused to state what evidence they had to conclude bin Laden did it at the time, and to my knowledge no government official has ever made the legal case against him.
Tillman might be alive today (as well as thousands of others) if the Bush administration had been willing to make their case against bin Laden in public. Could we not have tried him in our courts, even if we did not have him here? Could we do that even now after all these years?
After all these years of lies from the Bush White House, why should I take anything they say at face value?
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We need to examine all options
"Referrals for criminal prosecution" sound great on their face. But I fear that the administration will use delaying tactics to run out the clock. Their "home free" is in just 18 months. I could be mistaken but it seems to me the only option that blocks this administration from stone-walling Congress till they're out of office is impeachment.
Why this is still "off the table" is a mystery. The only conclusion I can draw is that most Democratic members of Congress have little understanding of the Constitution, because if they did, they would understand that it is being fundamentally subverted and undermined by this administration. Perhaps if they understood what was at stake, they would show some courage and act for the good of the country.
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Gratuitous Exertion of Privilege
Do you agree that such a frivolous assertion of privilege will only hurt the administration when the issue hits Federal Court?
I think the American people may relate to this issue more than the abstract issues involved in the US Attorney and FISA scandals. For example, when you get the quarterback of the Denver Broncos riled up [1] against the administration, it may be possible to pierce the Manichean shroud of the "base." Can't wait to hear the excuses for this one from the Hewitt/Reynolds/Malkin wing.
[1] See Jake Plummer on Pat Tillman's death http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcqLlT44rR8
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explosive frustration
It's reaching a point where it's hard to convey the extent to which I feel enraged by this govt. Most of what I'd like to say would just get me in trouble. This extends to the corrupt and utterly disfunctional beltway press corps. The disconnect between their reporting and the anger many Americans feel about what this administration is doing couldn't be more stark. The pathology you've well documented is in full play as they actively ignore anything that would paint a picture that would threaten the corrupt but secure world of privelege they live within.
The track record of this administration is such that any claim of executive privelege should be covered as if the thing they refuse to release had been released and contained the most damning evidence possible. In a functioning system hiding the truth would cause more damage than whatever the worst possible case could be in telling the truth. The press obviously has a crucial role to play in making that happen, but the current Beltway Cocktail Claque's refusal to do its job makes it more profitable for Rove to cover things up, even in cases where doing so gives clear indications of guilt.
The more this administration does to show it is rotten to the core the further the press shoves it's head into the ground to avoid having to confront the obvious. They work harder trying to protect their secure world of access and privelege than they do kissing the asses of those they're supposed to cover.
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"nyah-nyah-nyah-I'm better than you"
Let’s see, Bush supporters argue that Article II of the Constitution makes the president an all-powerful dictator in foreign policy – not accountable to Congress.
And now, they claim that the concept of “executive privilege” is a power our founding fathers gave to the president so he “never has to do anything he doesn’t want to.”
It’s the “Nyah-Nyah-Nyah – I’m better than you” theory of presidential power and it is nothing less than the behavior of an extremely spoiled child who doesn’t want to play by the rules.
What’s next- is Bush going to claim “no touchbacks!” and then claim the game is over and he wins?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tag_(game)
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every step
"...take every step available to force it to stop."
glenn - what steps do you recommend? are you including impeachment investigation hearings?
did you see bill moyers on impeachment last night? you watch it here:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07132007/watch.html
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Go view Bill Moyer's Journal from last night.
For anyone who missed seeing the Journal last night, it would be well worth your time to find it online and take a peek. It ties in nicely with what Glenn has been saying all along and says here today. We either have a Constitution and a nation of laws, or we don't. Best we find out now and put this genie back in the bottle if that's what it takes. My big worry is not that impeachable events haven't happened by both Cheney and Bush, but that the Republicans continue to back these crooks and there would be no conviction. In that case, does it mean that all this has been validated?