John Yoo. This guy first came to my attention five or six years ago when PBS News began using him in discussions on legal/political matters. He hit the bigtime, news-wise, with the revelation that he had co-authored the "torture memo" within the justice department (along with David Addington, Bush's second, and others). He still pops up here and there arguing for expanded presidential powers and related issues, including still justifying torture (see Sunday op ed in NY Times).
And below is how he came down on the legal/constitutional matters related to expanded presidential powers when Clinton was in office...
Quote:President Clinton exercised the powers of the imperial presidency to the utmost in the area in which those powers are already at their height -- in our dealings with foreign nations. Unfortunately, the record of the administration has not been a happy one, in light of its costs to the Constitution and the American legal system. On a series of different international relations matters, such as war, international institutions, and treaties, President Clinton has accelerated the disturbing trends in foreign policy that undermine notions of democratic accountability and respect for the rule of law.
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This really ought not to be surprising. Placing individuals into positions of power and influence who, above all else, hold party and ideological fealty to the Bush circle and the new conservative movement has been a pervasive strategy of this White House. It is a strategy consistently used by Rove (along with Ralph Reed, Jack Abramoff and Grover Norquist) ever since their days in the college republicans. Purge the moderates, replace them with ideologues of the proper sort, and defund/disempower other individuals/groups/organizations who can or do represent alternatives...see Easton's Gang of Five).
In the present, the SC nominees (and all other nominees to lower courts) clearly follow the model. But it is far more pervasive than just the courts.
In the CIA, Peter Goss' primary organizational task/goal was to remove or demote anyone who did not operate to the political advantage of the president (see Suskind's book). Under Goss, almost the entire top structure of the CIA, including many who were uniquely expert and experienced, have taken early retirement and Goss was finally removed for the negative consequences he wrecked upon the CIA.
Regulatory agencies too have been purged of administrators who were insufficiently "loyal". Where individuals have blown the whistle, they've been punished, silenced, or removed or all three.
Likewise, the military. "Fiasco" details the removal or side-lining of the top commanders who "spoke out of turn" or who argued too much with the civilians in the WH, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Feith, Addington and those associated. The marginalization and disempowerment of Powell is in this pattern.
Or, one can refer to Richard Clarke's accounts of the purging of Clinton staff out of the intel and state and counter-terrorism departments beginning the moment that this WH took over.
And same with communications functions, most notably the FCC and Public Broadcasting (Tomlinson remains in his position, by the way, even after the recent reports). And the payment to reporters to write stories favorable to Bush policies is in this mold, as is the contracting of corporations like the Lincoln Group to create and distribute propaganda, to both foreign and domestic constituencies.
Or, one can look at the marginalization (the silencing, effectively) of the older generation of Republican moderates such as Scowcroft, Baker, Shultz, etc.
Yesterday, the Washington Post detailed a story we've known about for several years, but it is a good thing to be reminded regarding...the employment criteria for positions in The Green Zone in Iraq. Ideological fealty, electoral contribution and family connection are the criteria.
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The creation of what is designed to be a fully separate (and NOT independent) umbrella of "news" providers pre-dates the Bush admininstration's arrival, but it has blossomed with funding and support in the last six years (eg Cheney, "I only watch Fox. It is balanced.") The manipulation of independent media is a story that is well covered by Alterman, Brock, Suskind, Boehlert and others but we really don't know the full extent of this yet, if we ever will. Corporate boardroom conversations or contacts between them and the WH staffs won't be known.
For the true believers, all of this will be just fine. For the rest of us, it presents a real set of problems. Not only does power have to change hands, but then this entire program will have to be detailed (and made known publicly) followed by some sort of counter-purge.
