Gonzales; T-Shirts

Alberto Gonzales

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales appeared before the Senate yesterday in an effort to defend the illegal spying program of President Boosh. I don’t know how the Senate expects to get any new information out of a Boosh lapdog, but I guess they must be applauded for trying. Gonzales continually stonewalled the questioners, hiding behind the Super Secret nature of the program. If it weren’t such a serious matter, it would be laughable.

First, Gonzales spent the entire day insisting that the program was legal, stating that the Constitution gave the President the authority to do this. He then threw in that Congress had also authorized it when they gave the President permission to use force in Iraq. These approaches create some problems. First, virtually every legal scholar who is asked about the legality of this activity does not agree that the Constitution gives the President this authority. Second, the very Senators who signed the authorization to use force, said that they did not in any way intend to give the President the authority to spy on the American public.

Gonzales, in true Booshlike form, just continued to say the same thing over and over, regardless of the line of questioning. “It is legal and it was authorized, it is limited, trust us.” Finally, Gonzales tried using Abraham Lincoln and FDR as examples of former Presidents who had claimed the same authority. Interesting choice of ex-Presidents, given that Lincoln and FDR are the first ones the Republicans mention when the conversation turns to overreaching power used by a President. I guess, when it’s convenient, do as the Romans do.

Gonzales then stated that the “bi-partisan Gang of Eight", a select group of Senators, had been briefed on this program without offering objection. Therefore, we are to believe that nothing was hidden from the Intelligence Committee. He implied that the Gang of Eight had given tacit approval for the program. Again, there are two problems with this view. First, only notifying these eight Senators is against the law, just as the entire program became against the law when the FISA court was bypassed. The law states that the entire Senate Intelligence Committee, some 48 members, must be informed when major changes like this are to be implemented. Once ALL members of the committee knew of the program, the committee could then evaluate the program and use the oversight that it was designed to have. But, the all but the Gang of Eight were kept in the dark. Second, the Gang of Eight, who were briefed on the proceedings, were prevented from consulting with anyone outside of the group, including legal counsel. This essentially guaranteed that a shield was in place to prevent any type of oversight or review. A true catch 22, all by design. Booshco does not want any “oversight or review,” it merely gets in the way of their secret agenda. Even John Ashcroft, hardly the bastion of civil liberties, thought that this program went too far, and refused to sign off on it.

Republicans were almost as adamant about the need for oversight as were the Democrats. With the exception of Jeff Sessions of Alabama, who is nothing more than the Orin Hatch of the South, they blasted Gonzales right alongside the Democrats. And Gonzales, as expected, followed the “trust us, we’re not abusing power here” line, ad nauseum. Well, Al, we don’t trust you and there is no reason that we should. You were asked specifically, during your confirmation hearings, whether you could separate yourself from the Boosh agenda should you be confirmed, and you said yes. I believe that you were under oath at the time, unlike yesterday, when the Republicans allowed you to testify without being sworn to tell the truth. You have proven to be nothing but another member in a long line of sniveling, lying, antisocial personalities that make up the Boosh regime. A perfect fit, I must admit.

Now the Senate has threatened to subpoena Ashcroft and others, so we'll see how it all plays out over the next week or so. In the big picture, I'm afraid that it is merely a sideshow, and means little when looking to the future.

T-Shirt Update

This is taking a bit longer than I anticipated, but rest assured, they will be available before the economy blows up or WWIII starts, whichever occurs first. The artwork should be complete this week, and then the shirts can be ordered. I'll let you know as soon as they are available, and we'll work out a payment procedure. My apologies for the delay.

Cyclone