M2RB: RUSH
The
hypocrites are slandering
The sacred
Halls of Truth
Ancient
nobles showering
Their
bitterness on youth
Can't we
find the minds that made us strong?
Can't we
learn to feel what's right
And what's
wrong?
What's
wrong?
Cities full
of hatred, fear and lies
Withered
hearts and cruel, tormented eyes
Scheming
demons dressed in kingly guise
Beating down
the multitude and
Scoffing at
the wise
Can't we
raise our eyes and make a start?
Can't we
find the minds to lead us
Closer to
the heart?
"A minute after he took office, the White House website declared his administration would become “the most open and transparent in history.”
Five
years ago, in 2007, Senator Barack Obama went on Larry King's show on
CNN. During the interview, he stated that the Bush administration was
"hiding behind executive privilege" after King asked him for his opinion
on Executive Privilege in theory and practise.
“Do you favor executive privilege or
should Karl Rove and others in that like position be forced to testify
before the House or Senate?
- CNN's Larry King
“Well, you know, I think we'll -- we'll determine over the next several
weeks how this administration responds to the very appropriate call by
Patrick Leahy, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, to have these
individuals come in and testify. You know, there's been a tendency on
the part of this administration to -- to try to hide behind executive
privilege every time there's something a little shaky that's taking
place. And I think, you know, the administration would be best served
by coming clean on this. There doesn't seem to be any national security
issues involved with the U.S. attorney question. There doesn't seem to
be any justification for not offering up some clear, plausible
rationale for why these -- these U.S. attorneys were targeted when, by
all assessments, they were doing an outstanding job.
I think the
American people deserve to know what was going on there.”
- Senator Barack Obama, Larry King Show, 2007
****************************************************************************
“Let me say as simply as I can, transparency and
the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency. I will also
hold myself as president to a new standard of openness…But the mere fact
that you have the legal power to keep something secret does not mean
you should always use it.”
- Senator Barack Obama, 2008
“You
know, there's been a tendency on the part of this administration to --
to try to hide behind executive privilege every time there's something a
little shaky that's taking place. And I think, you know, the
administration would be best served by coming clean on this. There
doesn't seem to be any national security issues involved with the U.S.
attorney question... I think the American people deserve to know what
was going on there.”
- Senator Barack Obama, 2008
****************************************************************************
“The government should not keep information
confidential merely because public officials might be embarrassed by
disclosure. because errors or failures might be revealed or because of
speculative or abstract fears.”
- President Barack Obama, 2009
****************************************************************************
“There may be a situation here in which a serious mistake was
made and if that’s the case we will find out and hold someone
accountable."
- President Barack Obama, 2011
As of Wednesday, the 19th day of June, 2012, President Obama had not addressed his
decision to assert executive privilege to Holder in Fast and Furious
case.
Fortunately, we do have a response from Senator Charles Grassley doing his best Howard Baker impersonation:
“The assertion of executive privilege raises monumental questions,” said Sen. Grassley, ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee who first began the Fast and Furious investigation.
1. How can the president assert executive privilege if there was no White House involvement?
2. How can the president exert executive privilege over documents he’s supposedly never seen?
3. Is something very big being hidden to go to this extreme?
IOW:
1. What did/does the President know?
and
2. When did he know it?
and
3. Why is he so desperately trying to prevent the best disinfectant of sunlight to shine a light on the truth for all of us to see?
Finally, Grassley said that "the contempt citation is an important procedural mechanism in our system of checks and balances.”
Keep in mind, the Obama Administration is arguing that other administrations, namely, the Nixon administration invoked Executive Privilege, BUT THERE WEREN'T HOMICIDES IN THE THIRD-RATE BURGLARY.
Executive Privilege Kicks Off Regular Season
B
A president doesn’t assert executive privilege lightly. It is a relic
from the powers of the king. Some things were not for parliament’s
eyes, such as national security statecraft. This new phase of the Fast
and Furious scandal begins with Americans who had paid no attention to
the scandal hearing the news today and asking, “what are they trying to
hide?”
The new phase might possibly include members of the old media asking
why the Most Transparent Administration in History, isn’t. Or, it might
see them going all out to defend their president.
Pay attention to how often they use the term “botched” gun running
operation. This is government-generated language. If you read Pavlich’s
book, you know there was nothing “botched” about Fast and Furious except
the architecture. The government wants you to think the builders
screwed up, not the anti-Second Amendment architects.
One thing executive privilege can’t accomplish for Eric Holder is
hiding his Department’s wrongdoing. Richard Nixon got that scolding from
the Supreme Court in 1974 in a case deliciously named United States v. Nixon.
In that case, the Supreme Court held,
neither the doctrine of separation of powers nor the need for confidentiality of high-level communications, without more, can sustain an absolute, unqualified Presidential privilege of immunity from judicial process under all circumstances.
Executive privilege cannot be used to cover up criminal wrongdoing, such as lying to Congress.
Note that in the Nixon case, the subpoenas came from a court, not
from Congress. Congress arguably has more power than does a court to get
to the bottom of matters involving governmental action.
This administration has not respected congressional oversight powers going back to the New Black Panther dismissal.
When a president acts this way, Congress wields an even mightier
power than contempt. Congress can wield the power of the purse to
counter today’s assertion by the White House.
This power works best with
a gang so addicted to government largess.
Congress, in particular the House, which was given the express power
to originate spending bills, can simply refuse to fund certain offices
and functions inside the Justice Department.
Last year’s spending is
already set, but not this year’s. Without the House approving spending
at the DOJ, the DOJ can’t spend money.
The answer to this rebuff today is to defund a wide swath of offices
inside DOJ, perhaps starting with the Office of Public Affairs and
Office of Legislative Affairs. They started the lying to Congress and
the American people about Fast and Furious. Now they should lose
funding.
See also Andrew McCarthy: The Plot Thickens: Obama Asserts Executive Privilege to Block Fast & Furious Disclosures
And Bryan Preston: Breaking: White House Asserts Executive Privilege Over DOJ Fast and Furious Documents (Updates)
"A
Farewell To Kings" - Rush
When they
turn the pages of history
When these
days have passed long ago
Will they
read of us with sadness
For the
seeds that we let grow?
We turned
our gaze
From the
castles in the distance
Eyes cast
down
On the path
of least resistance
Cities full
of hatred, fear and lies
Withered
hearts and cruel, tormented eyes
Scheming
demons dressed in kingly guise
Beating down
the multitude and
Scoffing at
the wise
The
hypocrites are slandering
The sacred
Halls of Truth
Ancient
nobles showering
Their
bitterness on youth
Can't we
find the minds that made us strong?
Can't we
learn to feel what's right
And what's
wrong?
What's
wrong?
Cities full
of hatred, fear and lies
Withered
hearts and cruel, tormented eyes
Scheming
demons dressed in kingly guise
Beating down
the multitude and
Scoffing at
the wise
Can't we
raise our eyes and make a start?
Can't we
find the minds to lead us
Closer to
the heart?
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