When The Party Of Nixon Breaks Laws, They Say Laws Don’t Matter

On 08.26.09, In Media, Nixon, Torture, By tommy

Last Monday, TheHill.com reported:

The ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.), and the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), were among nine GOP senators who sent a letter last week to Holder urging him to back off from the idea of appointing the special prosecutor.(TheHill.com)

Way to go, guys!!! Ehrlichman, Haldeman, G. Gordon and the boys would have loved to have you in the senate, way back when!!!

Torture and potential crimes have been discussed here on MnProgressive Project recently. I’ve posted two; once last Friday in a post entitled “The GOP’s Tortured Logic” and again last Monday, in a post entitled Special Prosecutor Appointed To Probe Potential Bush Administration Crimes, Grace Kelly weighed in yesterday, in a post entitled “St. Thomas Law Professor Robert Delahunty’s “Torture Memos”", and twice by former FBI Agent Coleen Rowley; last Friday in a post entitled “Homework Assignment for St. Thomas Law School on Torture” and again yesterday, in a post entitled “Calling Out the Torture Enablers at St. Thomas Law School”. The facts are there….sadly, so are GOPer “talking points”. And no one carries the water does the talking points for GOPers better than Billo The Clown Bill O’Reilly. Let’s watch!

Now, here’s the exchange that “highlights” the GOP’s position that when they break laws, laws don’t matter:

FLOYD: That pressure has been on to investigate what went on in these interrogations since long before Eric Holder had this job. And yes, it is correct that Obama has said from the beginning that he wants to look forward.

O’REILLY: Yeah, and he’s smart to do that. Right.

FLOYD: And he doesn’t want to look back.

O’REILLY: Right.

FLOYD: And that’s a political choice. And it’s probably a wise strategy, but Eric Holder is not in a political job.

O’REILLY: Yeah, but he can get fired.

FLOYD: That’s right, he can, but you can’t make decisions as attorney general because you’re afraid of getting fired.

O’REILLY: But how many attorney generals did Nixon fire? He fired one a week.

O
M
G.

Not only is Billo The Clown claiming that “prosecutorial discretion” should preclude Attorney General Holder from investigating torture crimes, Billo The Clown is using Nixon – NIXON – as a reason why Attorney General Holder shouldn’t be investigating crimes of torure!!!

(Hat Tip to CrooksAndLiars.com)

O’REILLY: “Unresolved problem” segment tonight, President Obama’s on record as saying he does not want to prosecute CIA agents, who may have broken rules and laws and interrogating terror suspects after 9/11. However, Attorney General Eric Holder has now decided to appoint a prosecutor to investigate about dozen cases of alleged CIA wrongdoing, while interrogating the terror suspects. And he wants to see if crimes were committed.

Justice Department official John Durham will head the probe. And with us now to analyze, attorney and Democratic strategist Jami Floyd.

So this will make the ACLU happy, but I don’t think it’s going to make Barack Obama happy.

JAMI FLOYD, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, that’s not Holder’s job. You know, I think being A.G. is the hardest job in the administration because you’re not working for the president. You’re working for us. You’re working for the constitution. You’ve got to do what’s right by the constitution and by the laws of the United States. And if the special prosecutor is what’s needed here, that’s what he’s got to do.

O’REILLY: Yeah, but you know.

FLOYD: .whether Obama likes it or not.

O’REILLY: .there are – I just don’t know. I know Holder and Obama are friends. So I’m not going to say that Holder did – they’re not playing some subterfuge game. They may be, excuse, but you know there’s prosecutional discretion on most everything.

And in this case, all the polls show that Americans do not want this. They think it’s a witch-hunt. And even the old memos that he’s going by, this is at the end of the memo. And you will not see this on any other news program. The memo that Holder is going by to appoint the special prosecutor says, “The CIA’s interrogation program was an absolute success in protecting Americans from another attack and that includes waterboarding and all of that. “Absolute success. ”

FLOYD: The 2004 memo.

O’REILLY: That’s what this is.

FLOYD: .goes back to 2004.

O’REILLY: Right.

FLOYD: .in the Bush administration.

O’REILLY: Right.

FLOYD: That pressure has been on to investigate what went on in these interrogations since long before Eric Holder had this job. And yes, it is correct that Obama has said from the beginning that he wants to look forward.

O’REILLY: Yeah, and he’s smart to do that. Right.

FLOYD: And he doesn’t want to look back.

O’REILLY: Right.

FLOYD: And that’s a political choice. And it’s probably a wise strategy, but Eric Holder is not in a political job.

O’REILLY: Yeah, but he can get fired.

FLOYD: That’s right, he can, but you can’t make decisions as attorney general because you’re afraid of getting fired.

O’REILLY: But how many attorney generals did Nixon fire? He fired one a week.

FLOYD: I’m thinking about Nixon. I’m thinking about Nixon.

O’REILLY: Okay. All right, now.

FLOYD: But you can’t be thinking about Nixon if you’re attorney general.

O’REILLY: I don’t trust Eric Holder. I’ll tell you why. He’s the guy that wanted Marc Rich to be pardoned. Do you know who Marc Rich is?

FLOYD: I know all about Mark Rich.

O’REILLY: Okay, he’s.

FLOYD: I know about Scooter Libby, too.

O’REILLY: Who went to Bill Clinton on the last day of the Clinton administration, who pleaded Marc Rich.

FLOYD: This is not.

O’REILLY: Wait, wait, wait, Jami, who pleaded Marc Rich’s case. The biggest tax cheat in American history, Holder goes in second in command in the Justice Department.

FLOYD: Bill.

O’REILLY: .says Mr. President.

FLOYD: Bill?

O’REILLY: .give this giant tax cheat a pardon.

FLOYD: Bill, the big news of today is the memo. It’s not Marc Rich.

O’REILLY: But it’s.

FLOYD: It’s the 2004 memo.

O’REILLY: I just tell you why I don’t trust him.

FLOYD: Look.

O’REILLY: Unless you can explain to me why he did that, I don’t trust this guy.

FLOYD: But here’s the good news if you don’t trust him. Here’s the good news. He has now appointed.

O’REILLY: Yeah?

FLOYD: .another man, a prosecutor, independent of Eric Holder, a prosecutor, independent.

O’REILLY: Yeah.

FLOYD: .who is a special prosecutor.

O’REILLY: Yeah.

FLOYD: .who is now going to look into this matter.

O’REILLY: Right.

FLOYD: .that has been on the table since 2004. Since before Eric Holder’s time. The pressure has been on the Justice Department for years.

O’REILLY: From whom? The ACLU.

FLOYD: No.

O’REILLY: Not from the folks.

FLOYD: No, no, no.

O’REILLY: The folks don’t want it.

FLOYD: But the pressure has been on from all sectors.

O’REILLY: What sectors?

FLOYD: Having to do with the memos of John, you, and others. Having to do with what went on in Abu Ghraib.

O’REILLY: There’s no – wait, wait, Jami, you’re crazy.

FLOYD: Having to do.

O’REILLY: Obama doesn’t want it. O’Reilly doesn’t want it. Those are the two most powerful people in the country. All right?

(LAUGHTER)

FLOYD: The big O’s aren’t the question.

O’REILLY: All the polls say 65 percent.

FLOYD: The big goal.

O’REILLY: .don’t want it.

FLOYD: The big goal is not the question.

O’REILLY: There is no pressure.

FLOYD: The big O’s aren’t the question. The question is the constitution and the federal law on torture.

O’REILLY: Oh, stop, stop.

FLOYD: .and whether it’s violated.

O’REILLY: It’s totally discretionary.

FLOYD: All that’s being looked at here is whether or not there’s enough evidence to investigate.

O’REILLY: That’s true.

FLOYD: If there’s not enough evidence.

O’REILLY: That’s true.

FLOYD: .we move on.

O’REILLY: All right.

FLOYD: If there’s evidence, we indict.

O’REILLY: Leon Panetta issues a statement today to his guys and says we don’t want this. And then.

FLOYD: Well.

O’REILLY: Mukasey.

FLOYD: See, that’s a CIA.

O’REILLY: Right.

FLOYD: Of course he doesn’t want it.

O’REILLY: That’s a good point, but Panetta’s a Democrat. Says I don’t want. Mukasey, the former CIA guys go, hey, if do you this, Holder, no foreign country is going to cooperate with the United States and intel gathering because they don’t want to be dragged into any scandal. So we’re going to lose all intel drying up around the world. And you might be killed because of it, Jami.

FLOYD: This is not about politics. This is not about party.

O’REILLY: See, you’re totally ignoring my question.

FLOYD: This is about — you didn’t ask a question.

O’REILLY: I did. You made a statement.

O’REILLY: You made statement.

O’REILLY: You may be killed because of this crazy decision by Holder.

FLOYD: We have federal laws on torture for a reason. We can’t just violate them willy-nilly. And if they’ve been violated, we need to prosecute.

O’REILLY: You go any war, you could have prosecuted Abraham Lincoln for suspending habeas corpus.

FLOYD: Okay, look, they’re going to investigate.

O’REILLY: Okay?

FLOYD: We’ll see what they find.

O’REILLY: Yeah.

FLOYD: And then you’ll have me back. And we’ll talk about what they found.

O’REILLY: I’ll have you back if you’re alive.

FLOYD: I’ll be alive, Bill.

O’REILLY: You may be killed because the terrorists — all of that stuff’s going to dry up according to Mukasey.

FLOYD: I`ll be alive Bill O’Reilly.

O’REILLY: I’m sorry, Hayden . I made a mistake. I said it’s Mukasey. It’s Hayden. Michael Hayden. All right? Do I have that right? I hope I do. Yes, Hayden.

FLOYD: Yes, it’s Hayden.

O’REILLY: Michael.

FLOYD: Mukasey was at Justice.

O’REILLY: You know, I can’t keep track of them all. Jami Floyd, everybody.

(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject.com)

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The GOP’s Tortured Logic

On 08.21.09, In Bush The Lesser, Torture, inJustice, By tommy

The video includes appearances by Oliver Stone, 9/11 family member Patricia Perry, actors Rosie Perez, Noah Emmerich, John Doman and Reg E. Cathey, and musical composer Philip Glass, among others, reading directly from a memo authored by Jay Bybee, former head of the Justice Departments Office of Legal Counsel under the Bush administration. The memo was released in April as part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the ACLU.

For more information, visit:
http://www.aclu.org/torturedlogic

Ladies and Gentlemen, I received the following via e-mail:

Opponents of torture will rally at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, LaSalle Ave and 11th Street, Minneapolis, on Monday, August 24, 9 – 11 AM to bring letters and voices of discontent to Dean Thomas Mengler regarding Professor Robert Delahunty. Prior to his current stint as professor of constitutional law for St.Thomas University, Robert Delahunty, along with John Yoo, authored an infamous memo (1/9/02) for the U.S. Justice Department which advised that the Geneva Conventions do not apply to the war against al Qaeda, the Taliban, and terrorism. The ‘legal’ advice of this memo helped the Bush administration to legitimize harsh methods of interrogation, which are widely understood to be torture.

The mission statement of St. Thomas University School of Law, posted currently at the University web site, reads, “The University of St. Thomas School of Law, as a Catholic law school, is dedicated to integrating faith and reason in the search for truth through a focus on morality and social justice”. Given this mission statement, many of us who also care about morality and social justice, wonder how the University of St.Thomas can justify maintaining Professor Delahunty on its teaching staff. We also wonder why Dean Mengler finds it necessary to defend Professor Delahunty. Is it the position of the University of St.Thomas Law School that Professor Delahunty’s position on torture is morally correct? Come to the rally August 24 (first day of classes) to hold Professor Delahunty and The University of St. Thomas Law School accountable.

For those who are willing to make it a slightly longer day, some of us will be marching with our banners and letters of discontent from The Center for Human Rights at the U of M to the rally at St. Thomas School of Law. We will be also carrying a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, given to us by The Center for Human Rights. We hope that Dean Mengler and Robert Delahunty will read it. The Center for Human Rights is located in Mondale Hall, University of Minnesota, on the west bank (229 19th Ave. So). We will gather outside the north entrance of Mondale Hall at 7AM. The 2 mile march will begin promptly at 7:15. The march will go straight down Washington Avenue to Nicollet, turn left on Nicollet to 11th Ave, then turn right to St. Thomas University.

That’s next Monday morning; see you there.

(crossposted from MnProgressiveProject)

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T Minus 153 – Dumbya’s Diplomacy

On 08.19.08, In Uncategorized, By tommy

Q Thank you, Mr. President. Do you think that Russia is applying undue pressure and threats to accomplish its goals at NATO on missile defense and stopping the Membership Action Plans of Ukraine and Georgia? And President Yushchenko, what do you think of Moscow’s tactics?

President Dumbya: Just because there was a bunch of, you know, Soviet-era flags in the street yesterday doesn’t — you shouldn’t read anything into that. I — look, this is an interesting debate that’s taking place, and it’s — you know, as every nation has told me, Russia will not have a veto over what happens in Bucharest, and I take their word for it. And that’s the right policy to have. – Kyiv, Ukraine, April 1st, 2008(White House)

Lately, it’s not “Soviet-era flags in the street” — it’s RUSSIAN TANKS. And it’s fitting that Boy Blunder uttered this tripe on April Fools Day — no greater of a fool has entered the White House than The Texas Fence Post Turtle. Fortunately there’s only 153 days until Dumbya exits literally and figurtively for good, as January 20th, 2009 will be The End Of An Error.

(originally published at MnBlue.com)

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T Minus 156 – His only point?

On 08.16.08, In Boy Blunderisms ("T-Minus..."), By tommy

Ladies and Gentlemen, you have to read the whole thing, to get the point:

“My only point to you is, is that we’re in constant contact with people on the ground to help make sure that we save lives. Now that the water is beginning to recede, the question is, how do we help with the recovery? And Secretary Chertoff briefed me on plans, particularly when it comes to housing. A lot of people are going to be wondering, is there short-term help for housing? And there is, and we’ll provide that help.

Secondly, what’s going to happen in the long term to the homes? And so Michael is going to set up a housing task force similar to the kind we set up in California for the wildfires, to work with state and local authorities to have an orderly strategy to help people get back in their homes.

I fully understand people are upset when they lose their home. A person’s home is their most valued possession. And we want to work with state and local folks to have a clear strategy to help people find — get back into a place that — where they can live.

Secondly, we’re worried about farmers and ranchers. The country that’s being affected by these floods has got a lot of farm country, a lot of people raising livestock. And the Secretary of Agriculture has briefed me on the conditions — and we’re still assessing how widespread the damage is on the farmlands — and assures me that his team is in place to help farmers and ranchers with the federal aid available.

And finally, Director Nussle is here from the Budget Office. We’ve got what we called a Disaster Relief Fund. There’s enough money in that fund to take care of this disaster. But what we’re concerned about is future disasters this year. And therefore, we’re going to work with the Congress. Jim Nussle is going to go up to work with Congress to get enough money in the upcoming supplemental to make sure that fund is — has got enough money to deal with a potential disaster, another disaster this year.” – George orWell Bush, Oval Office, June 17th, 2008

WOW!!! “only one point”, with a “secondly”, and another “secondly”, and a “finally” to boot?

Well, the point is, Dumbya shoulda been booted long ago. He wasn’t, but in 156 days he’ll be gone, and January 20th, 2009 will be The End Of An Error.

(originally published at MnBlue.com)

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T Minus 160 – Trust Dumbya? Nyet!

On 08.12.08, In Boy Blunderisms ("T-Minus..."), By tommy

Q – Did President Putin ease your concern at all about the spread of nuclear technologies by Russia, and is this a man that Americans can trust?

A – I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul; a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country. - Boy Blunder, June 16th, 2001

What a moron. Bush The Lesser looked into Putin’s eyes, and thinks he saw Putin’s soul??!?

Putin used to run the KGB; he don’t got no (cheney)in’ SOUL. And only a moron trusts a guy that ran the KGB. Which, of course, would explain Dumbya.

You cannot spell “worst” without Dumbya, and January 20th, 2009 will be The End Of An Error.

(originally published at MnBlue.com)

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T Minus 166 – Boy Blunder Explains

On 08.06.08, In Boy Blunderisms ("T-Minus..."), By tommy

And on today’s Adventure in BushSpeak, we got YouTube so you can watch and listen to it, too!!! How cool is THAT??!? OK, here’s the deal: Bush The Lesser is asked a question, and here’s his response:

“Tribal sovereignty means that; it’s sovereign. I mean, you’re a — you’ve been given sovereignty, and you’re viewed as a sovereign entity. And therefore the relationship between the federal government and tribes is one between sovereign entities.” — George orWell Bush, speaking to minority journalists, Washington, D.C., Aug. 6, 2004

166 days left, until January 20th, 2009 – The End Of An Error.

(originally published at MnBlue.com)

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T Minus 168 – Dead Men Talking

On 08.04.08, In Boy Blunderisms ("T-Minus..."), By tommy

“In this job you’ve got a lot on your plate on a regular basis; you don’t have much time to sit around and wander, lonely, in the Oval Office, kind of asking different portraits, ‘How do you think my standing will be?’” — George (The “W” stands for “Worst”) Bush, Washington, D.C., March 16, 2005

Say, Dumbya? If they could talk, those dead men in the portraits would tell you that you’re really, Really, REALLY not destined as “The Future Fifth Face On Mount Rushmore”. And Buchanon, Pierce, Harrison and Harding probably would tell you that they’re mighty happy you came along. For those that aren’t pushing daisies, January 20th, 2009 will be The End Of An Error.

(this post originally published at MnBlue.com)

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T Minus 169 – It’s Hard Work, To Work Hard, When You’re Hard At Work

On 08.03.08, In Bachmann, Boy Blunderisms ("T-Minus..."), By tommy

“You work three jobs? … Uniquely American, isn’t it? I mean, that is fantastic that you’re doing that.” – George aWol Bush, to a divorced mother of three, Omaha, Nebraska, Feb. 4, 2005

And some folk wonder how Boy Blunder led this country to the mess we’re in. The fact of the matter is, Boy Blunder didn’t “lead” us here, he just let it happen – because, as the above quote shows, he simply doesn’t have a clue what working people go through. Of course, this explains the close relationship between Boy Blunder, and Michelle Bachmann. Bachmann, if you will remember, said:

“I am so proud to be from the state of Minnesota. We’re the workingest state in the country, and the reason why we are, we have more people that are working longer hours, we have people that are working two jobs.” – Michelle Bachmann, R=Crazytown, January 16th, 2008

Boy Blunder must think we’re slackers. Whatever. What Boy Blunder thinks, or (more likely!) doesn’t think won’t matter in 169 days, because January 20th, 2009 is The End Of An Error.

Oh, and about that “hard work”, in the title above? link here, to watch Dumbya talking about “hard work”…

(this post originally published at MnBlue.com)

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“T Minus 180″ And The Discourse

On 07.23.08, In Boy Blunderisms ("T-Minus..."), ol' Smokescreen, By tommy

“And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I’m sorry it’s the case, and I’ll work hard to try to elevate it.” — George “Dubya” Bush, interview on National Public Radio, January 29th, 2007

This quote is from the Texas Oil Man (that couldn’t find oil in Texas). Fortunately for Shrub, while he was running oil companies like Arbusto Energy into the ground, he had friends. Well, his daddy had friends. Good friends. Friends that could find oil in Texas, and Saudi Arabia, too. And they took care of Boy Blunder.

Once installed into the Oval Office, Boy Blunder brought some of these friends with him, and made some more. Not many of the new ones have been as dedicated a cheerleader as Norm “Smokescreen” Coleman, R=Lapdog, who has voted with Dubya at around a 90% clip. Coleman had Bush’s back while Bush was running the language and the country into the ground. Norm’s also a big backer of Bush’s Brain, Karl Rove. Disclosing the identity of undercover agents is no problemo in Norm’s world, as long as the leaker is Karl Rove. And that’s exactly how Coleman voted in 2005. Yet Dubya’s acting surprised at the lack of trust for his misAdministration?

There’s a saying for Boy Blunder And The Plunderers that makes a lot o’ sense, and that’s ”stick a fork in ‘em; they’re done.” January 20th, 2009 will be The End Of An Error.

(this post originally published at MnBlue.com)

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“T Minus 181″ and Adventures In BushSpeak

On 07.22.08, In Boy Blunderisms ("T-Minus..."), By tommy

“But all in all, it’s been a fabulous year for Laura and me.” - George orWell Bush, summing up his first year in office, Washington, D.C., Dec. 20, 2001

Yeah, “right.” Fabulous, simply fabulous. Thankfully, there’s only 181 days until The End Of An Error.

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