American Conservatism in 2008 and Beyond
Quote:Court Rules on Miers/Bolten Subpoenas
Just in: A federal district court in DC has overruled the White House-backed motion to dismiss the House lawsuit to enforce contempt of Congress proceedings against former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten.
The court also granted the House Judiciary Committee's motion for partial summary judgment in part.
In doing so the U.S. District Judge John D. Bates ruled:
Harriet Miers is not immune from compelled congressional process; she is legally required to testify pursuant to a duly issued congressional subpoena from plaintiff; and Ms. Miers may invoke executive privilege in response to specific questions as appropriate
and that:
Joshua Bolten and Ms. Miers shall produce all non-privileged documents requested by the applicable subpoenas and shall provide to plaintiff a specific description of any documents withheld from production on the basis of executive privilege consistent with the terms of the Memorandum Opinion issued on this date
Just a reminder: The Judiciary Committee is seeking testimony and documents from the White House relating to the U.S. attorneys firings. Bolten is a party because he is the custodian of White House records, but it's really the White House on the line here.
--David Kurtz
Looks like the Bush tactic of claiming Exec privilege for everything just ran out of steam. Meiers, Bolten and likely Rove will all be forced to publicly testify about the things that went on inside the WH.
And this is as it should be. The Bush interpretation of executive privilege was a joke and every lawyer in American knew it. The Congress as an oversight power over the Executive branch and it's about goddamn time that the Bush crew, the neocons, and their loyal followers accepted limitations on the Executive power.
Cycloptichorn
Cycloptichorn wrote:American Conservatism in 2008 and Beyond
Quote:Court Rules on Miers/Bolten Subpoenas
Just in: A federal district court in DC has overruled the White House-backed motion to dismiss the House lawsuit to enforce contempt of Congress proceedings against former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten.
The court also granted the House Judiciary Committee's motion for partial summary judgment in part.
In doing so the U.S. District Judge John D. Bates ruled:
Harriet Miers is not immune from compelled congressional process; she is legally required to testify pursuant to a duly issued congressional subpoena from plaintiff; and Ms. Miers may invoke executive privilege in response to specific questions as appropriate
and that:
Joshua Bolten and Ms. Miers shall produce all non-privileged documents requested by the applicable subpoenas and shall provide to plaintiff a specific description of any documents withheld from production on the basis of executive privilege consistent with the terms of the Memorandum Opinion issued on this date
Just a reminder: The Judiciary Committee is seeking testimony and documents from the White House relating to the U.S. attorneys firings. Bolten is a party because he is the custodian of White House records, but it's really the White House on the line here.
--David Kurtz
Looks like the Bush tactic of claiming Exec privilege for everything just ran out of steam. Meiers, Bolten and likely Rove will all be forced to publicly testify about the things that went on inside the WH.
And this is as it should be. The Bush interpretation of executive privilege was a joke and every lawyer in American knew it. The Congress as an oversight power over the Executive branch and it's about goddamn time that the Bush crew, the neocons, and their loyal followers accepted limitations on the Executive power.
Cycloptichorn
Cyclo, looks like you did not read carefully enough before excreting your opinion!
http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?va=executive+privilege&x=24&y=10
Main Entry: executive privilege Pronunciation Guide
Function: noun
: exemption from legally enforced disclosure of communications within the executive branch of government when such disclosure would adversely affect that branch's functions and decision-making processes
Quote:
http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?va=executive+privilege&x=24&y=10
Main Entry: executive privilege Pronunciation Guide
Function: noun
: exemption from legally enforced disclosure of communications within the executive branch of government when such disclosure would adversely affect that branch's functions and decision-making processes
"To read the Article II powers of the President as providing an absolute privilege as against a subpoena essential to enforcement of criminal statutes on no more than a generalized claim of the public interest in confidentiality of nonmilitary and nondiplomatic discussions would upset the constitutional balance of 'a workable government' and gravely impair the role of the courts under Article III."
Executive privilege of the executive branch applies to foreign affairs and military affairs and national security affairs when such disclosure would adversely affect that branch's functions and decision-making processes.
ican711nm wrote:Executive privilege of the executive branch applies to foreign affairs and military affairs and national security affairs when such disclosure would adversely affect that branch's functions and decision-making processes.
What they are being subpoena'd for are not national security affairs by any stretch of the imagination, and nobody is claiming they are. You are using a false argument.
I also disagree with your comment; 'national security affairs' is too broad a topic to be given blanket immunity.
Cycloptichorn
http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2007/cyb20070314.asp
6:35am EDT, Wednesday March 14, 2007 (Vol. Twelve; No. 46)
1. Nets Ignored Clinton Firing 93 U.S. Attorneys, Fret Over Bush's 8 [actually 9]
The broadcast network evening newscasts, which didn't care in 1993 about the Clinton administration's decision to ask for the resignation of all 93 U.S. attorneys, went apoplectic Tuesday night in leading with the "controversy," fed by the media, over the Bush administration for replacing eight [actually 9] U.S. attorneys in late 2006 -- nearly two years after rejecting the idea of following the Clinton policy of replacing all the attorneys. Anchor Charles Gibson promised that ABC would "look at all the angles tonight," but he skipped the Clinton comparison. Gibson teased: "New controversy at the White House after a string of U.S. attorneys is fired under questionable circumstances. There are calls for the Attorney General to resign." CBS's Katie Couric declared that "the uproar is growing tonight over the firing of eight [actually 9] federal prosecutors by the Justice Department" and fill-in NBC anchor Campbell Brown teased: "The Attorney General and the firestorm tonight over the controversial dismissal of several federal prosecutors. Was it political punishment?" Brown soon asserted that "it's a story that has been brewing for weeks and it exploded today" -- an explosion fueled by the news media.
Cycloptichorn wrote:ican711nm wrote:Executive privilege of the executive branch applies to foreign affairs and military affairs and national security affairs when such disclosure would adversely affect that branch's functions and decision-making processes.
What they are being subpoena'd for are not national security affairs by any stretch of the imagination, and nobody is claiming they are. You are using a false argument.
I also disagree with your comment; 'national security affairs' is too broad a topic to be given blanket immunity.
Cycloptichorn
What do you think they are "being subpoena'd for?"
Executive privilege of the executive branch applies to foreign affairs and military affairs and national security affairs, all of which are very broad topics covering specific matters critical to maintaining the security of the USA.
...
I think they are being supboena'd to talk about the politicization of the DoJ; this has absolutely nothing to do with any of the topics that exec. privilege normally deals with. Rove is being called in to discuss his role in the Seigelman bullshit prosecution. Nothing to do with national security.
Cycloptichorn
Cycloptichorn wrote:
...
I think they are being supboena'd to talk about the politicization of the DoJ; this has absolutely nothing to do with any of the topics that exec. privilege normally deals with. Rove is being called in to discuss his role in the Seigelman bullshit prosecution. Nothing to do with national security.
Cycloptichorn
Oh! Then Rove et al are actually subpoenaed to testify to Congress about aiding in the Democrat Seigelman's conviction. But Rove et al don't want to testify about that under oath. Maybe it's because they think that is none of the Congress's damn business. Or maybe they think Congressional Democrats are likely to turn their testimony into a political circus.
By the way, assuming Rove et al did aid the conviction of Seigelman, what law or laws did they allegedly violate?
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Rove has fled the country in order to avoid prosecution, and btw, the WH did not assert exec. privilege in his case; he just didn't show up. Expect to either see him on the stand or in jail soon.
Cycloptichorn
Gee, I thought I saw and heard Rove on TV yesterday. Maybe it was a stand in for Rove that I saw.
Cycloptichorn wrote:
...
Rove has fled the country in order to avoid prosecution, and btw, the WH did not assert exec. privilege in his case; he just didn't show up. Expect to either see him on the stand or in jail soon.
Cycloptichorn
Gee, I thought I saw and heard Rove on TV yesterday. Maybe it was a stand in for Rove that I saw.
ican711nm wrote:Cycloptichorn wrote:
...
Rove has fled the country in order to avoid prosecution, and btw, the WH did not assert exec. privilege in his case; he just didn't show up. Expect to either see him on the stand or in jail soon.
Cycloptichorn
Gee, I thought I saw and heard Rove on TV yesterday. Maybe it was a stand in for Rove that I saw.
Really, you have to be in America to go on television these days?
Cycloptichorn
Cycloptichorn wrote:ican711nm wrote:Cycloptichorn wrote:
...
Rove has fled the country in order to avoid prosecution, and btw, the WH did not assert exec. privilege in his case; he just didn't show up. Expect to either see him on the stand or in jail soon.
Cycloptichorn
Gee, I thought I saw and heard Rove on TV yesterday. Maybe it was a stand in for Rove that I saw.
Really, you have to be in America to go on television these days?
Cycloptichorn
You have to be in America when you are sitting in a room with other Americans who are in America at the same time. Maybe, it was a split screen discussion. Actually, Rove may be in America despite allegations to the contrary.
All those allegations about Bush firing 9 US attorneys in comparison to Clinton firing 92 are entertaining but are nonetheless low priority concerns.
All those allegations about Rove et al falsifying evidence to convict Seigelman are likewise entertaining but nonetheless also low priority concerns.
My highest priority concern is Democrat sabotage of US energy independence and the US economy. Whether they are doing those things unintentionally or deliberately is of zero interest to me now. What is of interest to me now is first, how to stop the damage they are doing, and second, how to repair the damage they are doing.
Here's one conservative Republican who 'gets it'. I wonder how many posting on this thread or on A2K don't understand what it is that he is saying here?
You're a Republican???
In today's America, ask a growing number of high school and college students; their teachers and professors; the self-anointed media elite and/or hard working men and women of all ethnicities, the question, "What is a Republican?", and you'll be told " a rich, greedy, egotistical individual, motivated only by money and the desire to accumulate more and more of it, at the expense of the environment the working poor .and all whom they exploit "
I am a Republican I am none of those things and I don't know any Republicans who are.
WHAT I AM first and foremost, is a loving husband of some 52 plus years, the father of four and an American who's proud of his country and his country's heritage.
WHAT I AM is the grandson of immigrants who risked everything, including their lives and those of their children, to escape tyranny in search of freedom.
WHAT I AM is a man who grew up during the Depression and witnessed, first hand, the effects of the Stock Market crash and the soup lines that followed. I watched as both my parents and grand parents, who had very little themselves, share what food they had with a half dozen other families, who had even less.
WHAT I AM is someone who worked his way through college by holding down three and four jobs at a time and then used that education to build a better life.
WHAT I AM is a husband who, at age 24, started his own business for the "privilege" of working 60, 70 and 80 hours a week, risking everything I had, including my health, in search of a better life for myself and my loved ones.
WHAT I AM is a businessman whose blood, sweat and tears . and plenty of them , made it possible for me to provide a secure living, not only for my family and myself, but also for literally hundreds of my employees throughout the years. Employees, who in turn, were able to buy their own homes, raise their own families and give back to their communities and their country.
WHAT I AM is a man who believes in God; a God who has blessed this country and all for which it stands.
WHAT I AM is someone who knows, if you doubt miracles exist in today's world, you need only to look into the face of those who received them and the eyes of those who give them.
WHAT I AM is an American who's proud that his President embraces a belief in God; proud of a President who understands, as "politically incorrect" as it may be, there is evil in this world and for the security and safety of all freedom loving people everywhere, it must be confronted and it must be defeated.
WHAT I AM is an American who takes comfort in the knowledge that our President refuses to allow decisions concerning the very safety and security of this nation, to be governed by the political whims of foreign governments.
WHAT I AM is tired of hearing from leading Democrats who see only negativity in America; racism in her people; class warfare in her society and "political incorrectness" in her character.
WHAT I AM is a former democrat who now understands that it is the soldier and not the reporter that guarantees us our freedoms of press, speech and dissent.
WHAT I AM is a man who believes in the sanctity of life. A man who is repulsed by the pandering of the political left for votes, at the expense of the unborn.
WHAT I AM is a husband and father who believes in the sanctity of marriage and the preservation of the family unit.
WHAT I AM is a movie go-er who is repulsed by those insecure, socially inept, elementary thinking, ego-inflated "entertainers" who have appointed themselves "experts" in the fields of national security and geo-politics and then use their forum to attack this nation, its leaders and its actions . much to the delight and encouragement of our enemies.
WHAT I AM is an American who understands the difference between "censorship" and "choice". Evidently, these individuals do not, because when these same "celebrities" receive public ridicule for their offensive actions, the first thing they yell is "Censorship!". What they seem incapable of understanding is the right of free speech and dissent is shared equally by those offended as well as those who offend. I support and will continue to support those films and performers whom I choose to and refuse to support those I don't. It is my right as an American a right I will continue to enthusiastically exercise.
WHAT I AM is a voter, tired of politicians, who, every time their voting records are subjected to public scrutiny, try to divert attention from their political and legislative failures by accusing their opponents of "attack ads" and "negative campaigning" . and the news media who allow them to get away with it.
WHAT I AM is a Catholic who loves his God and his Faith and who's been taught to respect all religions whose teachings are based in love, peace and charity. As such, I am embarrassed and ashamed of those individuals, in both private and public life, whose decisions and actions are devoid of any sense of character or morals; individuals who are only driven by what's best for them rather than what's right often times at the expense of many . including our national security.
WHAT I AM is a realist who understands that the terrorist attack that murdered hundreds of innocent Russian children could have occurred here, in our heartland. That's why I sincerely believe America needs now, more than ever, a President who sees with a clear and focused vision and who speaks with a voice when heard by both friend and foe alike, is understood, respected and believed.
WHAT I AM is eternally grateful to Ronald Reagan for having the bravery to speak out against Communism and the courage of his convictions in leading the fight to defeat it; and George W. Bush for the vision, courage, conviction and leadership he has shown in America's war on terrorism amidst both the constant and vicious, personal and political attacks both he and his family are made to endure.
WHAT I AM is a human being, full of numerous faults and failures, but a man nonetheless, who, though not always successful, has continually strived to do "what's right" instead of "what's easy". A man who is challenging the religious leaders of all faiths, to not only preach to their congregations the fundamentals of "what's right" and "what's wrong", but to also then hold them accountable for their actions in both the public and private sectors.
WHAT I AM is disgusted with the Courts who, on one hand, call the murder of a pregnant woman a "double homicide" but then refer to the abortion of her baby as, "pro-choice".
WHAT I AM is someone deeply troubled by a political party which embraces a candidate whose primary "leadership" qualities center around his protesting of the Vietnam war and his labeling the honorable men and women who fought in it, (50,000 of whom gave their lives in that action), as rapists, and war criminals. That same political party then stepped forward this year to block the appearance of a true Vietnam war hero, retired Admiral and former United States Senator, Jeremiah Denton, (a man who spent seven years and seven torturous months in a North Vietnam prison), from speaking before an open session of the California legislature as part of that state's 4th of July celebration. The reason Democrats gave for refusing to allow this American hero to speak before their state legislature was because of the "conservative" nature of his views. As an American, that troubles me deeply .as well it should you.
WHAT I AM is a man who feels the need to spend, $104, 655.60,(tax paid) of his own money, to purchase this advertisement, in order to set the story straight. Some may say this money would have been better spent feeding the world's poor. At the risk of sounding self-serving, as an American and as a Republican, for the last six decades of my life, I have done exactly that and more. Following the examples of my parents and grand parents, I have used my earnings to feed the poor, shelter the homeless, provide housing for the elderly and medical care for the sick .. and continue to do so and I'm not alone in that work.
WHAT I AM is someone who is paying for this announcement, at my sole expense, in hopes of opening the eyes of those led blindly by ill-informed elements of our great nation, who, through either ignorance, or malicious intent, repeatedly attack and belittle those of us who belong to a political party that holds true to the belief, " the rights of the governed, exceed the power of the government". For those interested, I am speaking only as a tax-paying individual who is in no way associated with The Republican National Committee, nor with any of its directors, or delegates.
WHAT I AM is a man who understands, "the American way of life" is a message of self-empowerment for all.
WHAT I AM is an American who is grateful that our nation gives each of us the opportunity of self-determination and the right to benefit from the fruits of self achievement.
WHAT I AM is an American who wants to preserve that way of life for all who seek it.
WHAT I AM is blessed to be an American . and proud to be Republican.
George J. Esseff, Sr
SNOPES LINK VERIFYING THIS AS AN AUTHENTIC AD IN THE WASHINGTON POST
