Pam Miles of AfterDowningStreet reports that she has firm confirmation that Nancy Pelosi is urging the Judiciary committee to not hold Rove in Contempt of Congress for his blatant contempt in not showing up to evoke executive privilege. Just a glorious F.U. to any oversight. And, to the American people.
First, we have masses of I don’t recall and I don’t remember’s. Then we have David Addington testifying with the attitude of a 14 year old who has been told it wouldn’t be wise to follow her friends over the cliff (But, everyone does it!). And I won’t go into Professor Yoo, of University of California Berkeley’s Boalt Hall, whose torture memos are now infamous.
I pondered the other day how this administration has managed to keep Congress on such a short leash. It’s not surprising that it will be forthcoming the level which this administration has spied on Congress. There is little in the way of explanations for what has taken place in the last seven years.
In the 2006 midterm elections, Congress was given a mandate (with 22 of the 33 seats going to the Democrats). Additionally, three red strongholds were lost to Democrats in recent special elections, further showing that the American public is tired of Republican rule. Yet, the Democrats continue to fold like cheap chairs.
So, with this, I ask you two things:
1) Call your elected officials and tell them not to let Rove off that easily. Pam has an extensive list of contact telephone numbers and you can also get all of your elected official contact information here.
And,
2) Tell me, why do YOU think the our elected officials are rolling over on all of us?
Click it if you liked it! 
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12 Comments
July 8, 2008 at 8:48 am
I happen to believe that Bushco has been using domestic surveillance since the got into office through taking the presidency instead of being elected.
I think they spied on Congress members ever since the beginning. I now believe this is WHY Democrats has folded over and over again. I would love to know what they have on Pelosi.
This HAS happened before. Remember J. Edgar Hoover? That was how he controlled and influenced Congress members..
From Wikipedia:
“Hoover amassed significant power by collecting files containing large amounts of compromising and potentially embarrassing information on many powerful people, especially politicians. According to Laurence Silberman, appointed Deputy Attorney General in early 1974, Director Clarence M. Kelley thought such files either did not exist or had been destroyed. After The Washington Post broke a story in January 1975, Kelley searched and found them in his outer office. The House Judiciary Committee then demanded that Silberman testify about them. An extensive investigation of Hoover’s files by David Garrow showed that Hoover and next-in-command William Sullivan, as well as the FBI itself as an agency, were responsible.”
July 8, 2008 at 8:57 am
Which brings up a good point (er, couple of questions, actually), Muse:
Has it ever stopped?
How can this be remedied?
How can we, or CAN we, ever get our elected officials to be OUR elected officials, and not those solely for the Corporations of America (for which we stand, one nation, under a board room, blah blah blah)?
July 8, 2008 at 8:58 am
Good point and I totally agree, Muse.
Even Nixon and Johnson were scared to death of Hoover.
July 8, 2008 at 8:59 am
I was listening to Thom Hartmann on my way out of the Gorge yesterday, and he said the Qwest turned down the president’s request for surveillance in February, 2001. Immediately after he got into office!!
The other companies apparently did not turn this admin down, and I’m sure that’s the reason why Congress folds — they are being blackmailed.
Cowards — all.
July 8, 2008 at 9:09 am
Isn’t Cindy Sheehan running against Pelosi in her district? All in all it is only through the dethroning of incumbents that the problems can be solved.
July 8, 2008 at 9:23 am
EV, from what I read yesterday, Pelosi won again. UGH!!
Zooey, and Qwest paid for it dearly in losing billions (yes, Billions) in contracts. All the companies which did the spying got massive government contracts.
And, Muse…another point. Wasn’t Bush Sr. in the same position as Hoover?
July 8, 2008 at 9:47 am
Pelosi is a disgrace.
July 8, 2008 at 9:51 am
“Every generation needs a new revolution”
- Thomas Jefferson
Smart dude. If the NRA and their backers spent more time worrying about Executive Privilege than about making sure Micky f***in’ Mouse can carry his glock, I’d have more respect for them. but oh, the NRA is backed by ‘Big Gun’, who are on the same side as Big Phone (Qwest excepted), Big Oil, Big Pharma, Big Farm and Big Bank…..
… who the h*ll is on my side?
“”I hope we shall crush … in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations, which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and bid defiance to the laws of our country” – Thomas Jefferson again.
…. thanks Tom, but you are dead. Pity.
July 8, 2008 at 9:54 am
“So that government of the people by Big Corporations for Big Corporations shall not perish from the Earth….”
– Almost Abraham Lincoln, 1863
July 8, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Hartmann made it pretty clear he thinks that the Democrats are being blackmailed in some manner. Me? I’m not so sure; I think many of them are gutless cowards that don’t want to stir the pot too much so they can stay in office/power. I don’t think anyone needs to blackmail Pelosi because she’s simply weak and power-hungry.
July 8, 2008 at 2:20 pm
I agree Gunmitch. Pelosi is so power hungry she would sell her money for a buck.
The spying has never stopped, the FBI has even been sued because of this. The answer to make it stop; I’m not sure there is one. The Levi Guidelines were instituted in 1976, to stop the FBI from investigating and spying on individuals and groups unless they were exposing criminal conduct.
Then they were weakened by the Smith Guidelines in 1983, where “reasonable indication” of criminal activity could warrant a full investigation. Then came Ashcroft, Bush’s lacky, new policies were developed. The FBI was allowed to engage in prospective searches without possessing any evidence of suspicious behavior. Ashcroft’s changes to the guidelines increased the FBI’s powers. Ashcroft’s changes allow for mining of commercial databases where there is no suspicion of criminal conduct and infiltration of groups that have not demonstrated any evidence of criminal activity. Those all went into effect in May 2002. Thanks again to George W Bush, where nothing in life is sacred especially privacy. A confirmed kill to our 4th Amendment Rights.
I did a post on Monday at TP about this and Judi Bari with Earth First. Judi and another member of Earth First were awarded $4.4 million dollars from the FBI and the Oakland Police department because of the FBI covert operation. (A great victory but a sad story)
July 8, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Give ‘em the bird!
Vote for a third!
The only one stopping you from voting for a third party is YOU!
You do not have to fall into the trap of voting only for one of the two major political parties which, as has been observed, really don’t differ all that much.
Now that’s out of my system, I’ll shut up and go away now. Thank you.
Comments are closed.