More on the USA scandal

I posted this as a letter over on Salon, but thought it was worth copying here:

If you connect the dots in this case, some frightening implications emerge - implications which to this point have not been brought up in the mainstream media.

The language allowing the DOJ to appoint US attorneys for indefinite periods without Senate approval was inserted into the Patriot Act on December 14, 2006.

Emails show that members of the DOJ and White House staff were discussing the replacement of US attorneys in early 2005, and possibly 2004.

The implication is clear that the modification of the Patriot Act renewal - a modification which usurped the authority of the legislative branch - was part of a long-standing plan by the executive branch. The language was inserted apparently without the knowledge of any Senator, and was accomplished by Brett Tolman, a conservative political operative who was made a staff member by Senator Arlen Specter to help appease right-wing politicos who were angry at Specter's "moderate" image. Tolman had prior connections to the DOJ, and was later made a US attorney himself.

This has every appearance of being a deliberate conspiracy by the executive branch to subvert the authority of the legislative branch and therefore the Constitution itself. If Bush himself was aware of this action (as is now clearly implied by newly-revealed emails), it is a violation of his oath of office.

If ever a case called for the appointment of a special prosecutor, this is it.

More information:
US Attorney Timeline

More on the USA scandal

I posted this as a letter over on Salon, but thought it was worth copying here:

If you connect the dots in this case, some frightening implications emerge - implications which to this point have not been brought up in the mainstream media.

The language allowing the DOJ to appoint US attorneys for indefinite periods without Senate approval was inserted into the Patriot Act on December 14, 2006.

Emails show that members of the DOJ and White House staff were discussing the replacement of US attorneys in early 2005, and possibly 2004.

The implication is clear that the modification of the Patriot Act renewal - a modification which usurped the authority of the legislative branch - was part of a long-standing plan by the executive branch. The language was inserted apparently without the knowledge of any Senator, and was accomplished by Brett Tolman, a conservative political operative who was made a staff member by Senator Arlen Specter to help appease right-wing politicos who were angry at Specter's "moderate" image. Tolman had prior connections to the DOJ, and was later made a US attorney himself.

This has every appearance of being a deliberate conspiracy by the executive branch to subvert the authority of the legislative branch and therefore the Constitution itself. If Bush himself was aware of this action (as is now clearly implied by newly-revealed emails), it is a violation of his oath of office.

If ever a case called for the appointment of a special prosecutor, this is it.

More information:
US Attorney Timeline

Response to a fucking idiot

I had to respond to this comment by an idiot over at the Washington Post:

---

"What IS torture is having to listen to all this phony pious hand-wringing from the left. They only care about this as something else to bash this president about."

Thanks, gitarre, for a textbook example of projection. Since you right-wingers are apparently incapable of understanding a moral objection to torturing a fellow human being, you can only ascribe the objections of others to a cynical political motive.

Of course that is the only reason why YOU would object to torture, gitarre. But some of us subscribe to a higher standard.

I find it ironic that so many right-wing Republicans claim to be such wonderful Christians. From your behavior, you are much more like the popular image of Satanists instead.

But even THEY have more scruples than you do. You seem to be very happy to sacrifice the children of others - thousands of them - to what you think is your own political gain.

The irony is that your approach has failed spectacularly, resulting in what I devoutly hope continues to be the political implosion of the Republican Party - and, I hope, its eventual replacement by a REAL conservative party, one that acts to conserve our finances, environment, culture, and lives.

Response to a fucking idiot

I had to respond to this comment by an idiot over at the Washington Post:

---

"What IS torture is having to listen to all this phony pious hand-wringing from the left. They only care about this as something else to bash this president about."

Thanks, gitarre, for a textbook example of projection. Since you right-wingers are apparently incapable of understanding a moral objection to torturing a fellow human being, you can only ascribe the objections of others to a cynical political motive.

Of course that is the only reason why YOU would object to torture, gitarre. But some of us subscribe to a higher standard.

I find it ironic that so many right-wing Republicans claim to be such wonderful Christians. From your behavior, you are much more like the popular image of Satanists instead.

But even THEY have more scruples than you do. You seem to be very happy to sacrifice the children of others - thousands of them - to what you think is your own political gain.

The irony is that your approach has failed spectacularly, resulting in what I devoutly hope continues to be the political implosion of the Republican Party - and, I hope, its eventual replacement by a REAL conservative party, one that acts to conserve our finances, environment, culture, and lives.

Political Aphorism

I just came up with a truism in another forum that I rather like:

Why do Democrats always bring a thesaurus to a gunfight?

Political Aphorism

I just came up with a truism in another forum that I rather like:

Why do Democrats always bring a thesaurus to a gunfight?