The imperial presidency marches on
The Bush administration, citing the confidentiality of executive branch communications, said Tuesday that it did not plan to turn over certain documents about Hurricane Katrina or make senior White House officials available for sworn testimony before two Congressional committees investigating the storm response.
What’s funny about this is that faux Democrat Joe Leiberman is simply perturbed that the White House is actively obstructing an investigation into its malfeasance where hundreds of Americans were killed, but you’d think that Joementum would have realized these jackals only care about their own hides and not about the people they rule over.
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I’m certain that about 7 or 8 years ago, you would have applauded the Execurtive’s resistance to seuch demands by Congress, calling it a “witch hunt.”
America tuned out to Katrinia carping when they found out that Kathleen Blanco cut money for State Government employees at the same time as she remodeled her private office with Plasma TVs.
File this one in the dustbin of failed attempts to bring down Bush along with Plame, DeLay, Arsnic in the water, and Fahrenheit 9/11.
Farris,
What the hell are you talking about? Only in your insular world would “America tune out to Katrina” because of some bizarre story about Gov. Blanco remodeling her office. Look, she screwed up royally in the whole mess, as did Mayor Nagin. But that doesn’t absolve George “Heckuva Job” Bush and the asinine mismanagement of FEMA. And last I checked, Blanco and Nagin are not my mayor or my governor (I live in Illinois). But Bush is, sadly, my President, and I have to count on him and the DHS and FEMA if disaster strikes up here. Since terrorism preparedness is vitally connected to the actions of FEMA and DHS I conclude, along with Lieberman, that Bush has done far too little to make our country safe.
Oliver,
I’m going to have to defend Lieberman here again. I disagree with him on the war, and he is clearly not media savvy, but he has a very solid, liberal voting record on most issues. Peter Beinart described Lieberman correctly when he said that he cares deeply about the war against Islamist terrorism and is willing to view Bush through that prism. However, if Lieberman feels that Bush is screwing up that war, or if Bush is screwing up every other facet of life in America, then he will speak out. Again, I think Lieberman underappeciates how much Bush has screwed up the war on terror – through incompetence mostly – but he is not inconsistent when he blasts Bush over the Katrina debacle.
So, Farris. You have no problems with the Bush administration deciding not to share its super-secret, hush-hush communications about their response to the storm?
Everything is a security risk to this administration.
Especially THEIR security.
The hearings are a joke as noone here gives a rip about them. Recriminations are well and good, but that doesn’t get the parishes cleaned up any faster.
The bigger news around here is that Gov. Blanco is trying to disenfranchise the locals. I’ll bet that if someone with an ( R ) behind their name were trying the same stunt, we’d be hearing nothing but howls of “disenfranchisement!” and “Remember Florida!”
Last I checked, Blanco was my governor. So you’ll forgive me for having an entirely firsthand, and therefore completely different, experience than you.
Re-read the article. People are ALREADY voting that day on local candidates, so the cost is negligible.
We still found a way to have a nationwide election in 1864. Something tells me we can pull off a statewide one, even in LA, in 2006.
but he has a very solid, liberal voting record on most issues
Which is undermined every time he rat effs a Dem so he can get on tv.
Farris, I checked your link. How does seeking to delay a vote equal disenfranchisement? Maybe my brain’s just tired, but wouldn’t this allow for more voting, rather than less? It also seems like this would save the state money, money that could be better used rebuilding.
I wrote:
Farris replied:
Sheesh. Remember that “What if George W. Bush killed a kitten” poll from the other day? Farris doesn’t even care if the Bush administration’s neglect kills his state.
Probably not, Frank. By now, even the Republicans on two separate Congressional committees are probably just out to get him.
Does anyone seriously believe that the idea behind this “investigation” is to improve emergency response in the future?
Does anyone seriously believe that anything like an improvement in emergency response might result, if that were the case?
Then they’re showboating…
I would applaud Frank for his insightfull comment above if it weren’t for the fact that FEMA wasn’t broken before Bush took office.
JK
I guess Frank conveniently forgot that one of the main jobs of Congress is in the oversight of the Executive Branch. You know, when something goes wrong.
I’ll give him this. They will likely grandstand at the hearings. (We are talking about Congress here.) However, without any hearings or an investigation the response problems in FEMA can be swept under the rug without any opportunity for any public input.