Letters to the Editor

"Missing" evidence is familiar Bush pattern The latest revelations of obstruction of justice involve two familiar ingredients: Deliberate destruction of evidence and acquiescence by key congressional Democrats. Glenn Greenwald [2007-12-07]

• RandyBastard

  You're wrong about this one, Glenn

  It doesn't happen often, but you're wrong about this one.

  What would you have had Rockefeller and Harmon do? Would you have them getting classified briefings and then telling the world the contents of those briefings?

  There are countless mechanisms available to a U.S. Senator or Representative to do something about illegal behavior they discover. Anyone -- not just someone in such a position -- has mechanisms available to them under whistleblower laws to intiate proceedings to investigate illegal government conduct. Why couldn't they have done that?

  They could have also communicated much more aggressively within the government that unless the illegal behavior stopped, they would invoke those mechanisms. Why couldn't they have done that?

  They could also commence closed door investigations to exert oversight over these illegal intelligence activities. The whole point of the SECRET SELECT INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEES is to enable Congress to exercise oversight even over the most secretive governmental conduct, precisely in order to prevent illegal behavior of this sort.

  I'm amazed that there are people willing to depict Rockefeller and Harman as some sort of helpless victims who were unable to act. They could have taken numerous steps to impede, if not stop and expose, the criminal conduct of which they became aware. Yet they didn't -- not because they couldn't, but because they didn't want to.

  -- GlennGreenwald
  [Read GlennGreenwald's other letters]
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