It’s like the non-Bush cultists in the DOJ thought a crime was being committed or somethin’
Justice Deputy Resisted Parts of Spy Program
A top Justice Department official objected in 2004 to aspects of the National Security Agency’s domestic surveillance program and refused to sign on to its continued use amid concerns about its legality and oversight, according to officials with knowledge of the tense internal debate. The concerns appear to have played a part in the temporary suspension of the secret program.
I don’t care how many crazily biased poll questions come out about this issue, it’s past time for Dems to stop pollwatching and stand up for the principles of our nation. At the very least, congress must fulfill it’s constitutional oversight function and find out if the president or his top people broke the law.
Political Animal: “To hear Rice and others tell it, the warrantless spying was permissible because Harriet Miers, John Ashcroft, and Alberto Gonzales told him the president he could get away with it.”
There’s also the question of why the New York Times held this story to swing the 2004 election in Bush’s direction.
The most obvious and troublesome omission in the explanation was the failure to address whether The Times knew about the eavesdropping operation before the Nov. 2, 2004, presidential election. That point was hard to ignore when the explanation in the article referred rather vaguely to having “delayed publication for a year.” To me, this language means the article was fully confirmed and ready to publish a year ago – after perhaps weeks of reporting on the initial tip – and then was delayed.
Republicans are Dumb: Never one to look at the simple explanation for things, folks on the right are now theorizing that the Times helped throw the election to Bush… because they were helping Kerry. Stupid, but it’s what these people believe.
The mistake Bush has made is the same one he has made countless
times in the past. He trusts a small circle of advisors like Miers and
Gonzalez for his legal advice, and based on that confidence presented
a mea culpa on national television based upon his confidence in the
expertise of counselors. It will result in his impeachment.
Congress did fulfill their oversight function& ..they thought it was legal and moved on. You just don t like their answer.
When exactly did that happen – imaginary incidents in Pedro’s mind don’t count.
Congress did fulfill their oversight function…..they thought it was legal and moved on. You just don’t like their answer.
where is pelosi? where is reid? where is rockefeller? where is dean? All you hear from the democratic side is crickets. Maybe they think it’s legal?
I myself am reassured. The DOJ was doing it’s job diligently, to the point the program was shut down for a period of review. Sounds like a thoughtful recognition by the administration that this was difficult ground.
It was vetted to the congress through the intelligence committee, right? Are you denying that it was presented to congress as described by the NYT?
That’s when it happened……
Are you denying that it was presented to congress as described by the NYT?
How was bermuda?
“presented”
Facts? You don’ nee no steenkin facts.
What exactly is the semantics of ‘presented’? and how would
the lameass, semi-disclosed facts to a chosen few suffice
as ‘informing’ Congress?
Now I have two comments awaiting moderationdue to NYT link, I guess
See John Ashcroft’s top deputy opposing the ‘legal’ actions of Prez’
Didn’t Ashcroft resign about this time?
AGAIN, statements,no facts. {yawn} boring listening to unfounded opinions over and over again
Try this fact awaiting moderation above
link
With the Attorney General unavailable, the administration turned to Comey, who refused to sign off on the program because of “concerns about its legality and oversight.”
He didn’t oppose it, he waited until ashcroft was out of the hospital so he wouldn’t have to make a huge national defense related call while his boss was away.
Yea, that’s hard to believe, an assistant would wait until his boss returned for an important decision, what a scandal!
Exactly, so he waited for his boss to make the call…..
oh, the humanity of it all!
All these DOJ concerns you keep bringing up just REINFORCE the fact that this program has been gone over with a fine tooth comb..
Oh, and where are Pelosi, Reid, Rockefeller and Dean again? I still here nothing but crickets from that side of the aisle…
More cockroaches scurrying on the linoleum
presented
Facts? You don nee no steenkin facts.
What exactly is the semantics of presented ? and how would
the lameass, semi-disclosed facts to a chosen few suffice
as informing Congress?
The same way it always has. Things get presented to select committees and those members are responsible for vetting the idea. If Rockefeller was concerned he could have it presented to the full committee or taken any one of a number of other routes to have it reviewed.
Are you done bandying semantics? Want to address the issue?
Yea, I thought not….
Yes, it was wise for that wet-behind-the-ears newbie Comey to defer to the seasoned wisdom and experience of John Ashcroft.
Experience is not a substitute for authority.
Nice straw man
DrPedro lives in a dream world.
“Presented to Congress” = briefing a few leaders then locking them down by classification so they can’t discuss it with anyone including staff, legal experts, or each other.
Corney didn’t want to make the call, but characterizing it as “waiting for his boss to get out of the hospital” is a little misleading. Bush & Co. took it to Ashcroft in the hospital.
DrPedro was reassured as soon as he got his Dixie Cup.
yea, cause you know senators and congress are such shy, retiring types. I mean, they were forced to just sit in the corner by mean ol’e Mr Mc bushhitler and not say a word!
what a maroon…..
Stop comparing Bush to Hitler.
Let’s see prison, expulsion from congress. Yes. Sip on.
But wait. Newsweek has more:
Hunh. Comey wasn’t just stalling. He apparently turned the White House down. And so did Ashcroft.
Straw man that, sparky.
Holy crap, do you know what that means?
Cracker in the Cellar is defending John Ashcroft…..praise Jesus, he has seen the light!
No, it means you’re either delusional or deliberately dishonest.
Your argument, above, was that Comey deferred a decision, preferring to wait for Ashcroft to make the call. That’s not only wrong, it’s immaterial because Ashcroft shot down the White House too!
But go ahead, peedro. Explain to us how Crisco Johnny probably got it wrong and the domestic spying program is all perfectly legal.
Actually, in America you have to prove something is ILLEGAL….not the other way around. Remember, “presumption of innocence”…?
No, I didn’t think so.
Hypocrite….
Except if it’s a Clinton. Or any other Democrat.
That none of us is above the law is a bedrock principle of democracy. To erode that bedrock is to risk even further injustice. To erode that bedrock is to subscribe, to a “divine right of kings” theory of governance, in which those who govern are absolved from adhering to the basic moral standards to which the governed are accountable.
We must never tolerate one law for the Ruler, and another for the Ruled. If we do, we break faith with our ancestors from Bunker Hill, Lexington and Concord to Flanders Field, Normandy, Iwo Jima, Panmunjon, Saigon and Desert Storm.
For what again? Travelgate? Filegate? Selling secrets to the Chinese? Any of the other things that you and other republican garbage accused him of?
Nope. Lying about consentual sexual activity.
What was John Kerry convicted of, doctor demento?
No, perjury before a federal judge while under oath.
Can you people really overlook it that easily? If Clenis had been the CEO of IBM and he had “consentual” sexual activity with a 21 year old intern, he would have been run out of town, yet here his apologist run free. Should we really hold our president to a lower standard than a business executive?
How did Kerry get into this discussion? You accuse ME of changing the subject! But Kerry has been convicted of the same thing Bush has, NOTHING
HA
So why exactly wasn’t wild bill clenis not run out of town on a rail then? What with all these high-faluting morals you lefties have suddenly developed…
Oh yea, hypocrisy
I’m waiting factcheck, or were you just paying lipservice to the “bedrock principle of democracy….:
Yea, I thought so