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 Marie Cocco: What Lies BeneathPosted on Jan 8, 2007By Marie Cocco WASHINGTON—Henry Waxman scares me. Not for the same reason the Bush White House fears the watchdog from California, who now chairs the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The administration is adding lawyers to fight—probably until the president leaves office—any and all requests for information it deems Congress and the American people have no right to know. They will try to thwart Waxman and any other congressional Democrat who seeks to penetrate the dark corners of an administration that has perfected the art of secrecy like none since the Nixon cabal. I do not fear that Waxman will flinch from a full-scale White House assault. I tremble at what he might find—that even the smallest victories in his oversight will yield accounts of constitutional horrors yet unknown. Everything we know thus far about this president’s abuse of power has come from the news media. Relying on sources who’ve risked their careers to reveal constitutional overstepping and contempt for domestic and international law, journalists have provided the only glimpses into the workings of this White House, during six years of willful blindness on the part of Republicans who controlled Capitol Hill. The media exposed Abu Ghraib. It uncovered the existence of a global network of secret prisons and the U.S. practice of sweeping up people around the world, delivering them to countries known to practice torture. Journalists revealed that the president—despite a law requiring warrants to be granted by a special court in order to eavesdrop on Americans for intelligence purposes—has been snooping on international phone calls without this sanction. And they detailed Bush’s unprecedented use of “signing statements” that say the president can, in effect, ignore any portion of a new law with which he disagrees. Advertisement Collins determinedly points to the circumstances under which current law allows a warrantless search of mail: when there is “an immediate danger to life or limb or an immediate and substantial danger to property.” She has said, as well, that the signing statements in general “raise questions about the executive’s intention to comply with legislation approved by Congress and signed into law by the president.” In the era of Republican congressional control, this dust-up might well be relegated to a back-and-forth in the media, soon buried beneath the crush of news from Iraq. Now we may well find out, through congressional hearings, that the president believes opening mail is his right as commander in chief of the armed forces, a power he asserts in claiming an unfettered right to monitor international phone calls. Those who believe the American news media is too powerful misunderstand journalism’s constraints. Reporters cannot compel anyone to talk to them. In this era of prosecutorial probing, they cannot even make an ironclad promise of anonymity. They can’t force someone to hand over government documents, or to verify the authenticity of leaked papers. For every blockbuster story that exposes wrongdoing or controversy, there are hundreds of leads and rumors that can’t be confirmed, even with unflagging journalistic effort. The power of a congressional committee to summon witnesses, to put them under oath and to seek documents, far surpasses the reach of a lowly reporter. It is entirely possible that even without a single subpoena, Congress will learn more about the Bush administration in the next six months than we have come to find out over the past six years. That isn’t an exercise in excessive partisanship. It is an urgent duty. Waxman, for his part, says he’ll concentrate at first on suspected waste and fraud in dispensing billions in government contracts. But Congress also has an obligation to uncover the depth of this administration’s descent into what Vice President Dick Cheney, just after 9/11, called “the dark side” of the war on terror. One danger is that lawmakers might uncover skullduggery of historic proportion. The other is that we’ll continue to avert our eyes.  Previous item: E.J. Dionne Jr.: We're Not Ready for Bipartisanship Next item: 'Children of Men': Universal's Orphaned Masterpiece CommentsAre you a Truthdig member yet? Login now, or register with Truthdig. Add Your Comment |
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By Todd, January 10, 2007 at 4:07 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
“Can anyone think of any anomolies or omissions in the official 9/11 report?”
Well, yes, I can. Let’s start with the clasified papers that former Clinton National Security Advisor Sandy Burglar stole from National Archive, in his underwear! “Gee Honey, I don’t know how that woman’s lipstick got inside my underwear. Clearly, the Republicans hatched a conspiracy to put it there and then flew cruise missiles into the World Trade Center to hide their actions.” What did the Clintonistas know and when did they know it? My guess, a lot! That’s a good question I’d like to see asked by someone.
You people rant over the same moronic themes on and on ad nauseum. “Dictatorship”, “Bush / Republicans are evil” (that’s one of my favorites), “High Crimes”, etc., etc., blah, blah. Grow up, no one is listening anymore.
Report thisBy AnnaCatherine, January 10, 2007 at 1:07 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
I’m watching as Bush Orders more troops to Iraq and there isn’t much opposition. I’m all for hearings and getting to the bottom of so many things. But seeing how few are putting up a fight against escalating the war in Iraq is very discouraging. They’re caving in without a fight.Nobody seems to want to get their hands dirty. How sad.
Report thisBy Jeanne, January 10, 2007 at 9:24 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
I too fear what we will find beneath the surface. This white house takes actions that are in direct disreguard of the constitution, the will of the people and the Congress. I can only guess what they have been doing while we had a Congress asleep at the wheel. Maybe DeLay and Frist and Hastert had full knowledge of some of it but even they will be surprised I think by what will be revealed. You NEVER give people like Cheney and Bush free reign.
I believe it’s a good thing that Congress has changed hands. If things are to be revealed, and I think they will reguardless, they should be in a new Congress. If they were revealed while the Republicans where still in the majority and people realize what they had been letting the President by with there would probably be a real crisis. There would have been a lack of trust by the people toward the House and Senate.
At this point I think it is very important for the Congress to proceed with investigations. If they do nothing and the press continues to unearth serious issues involving this white house, the Congress will look ineffectual or duplicitous.
Report thisBy Watne Smyer, January 10, 2007 at 3:17 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Please Check It Out! Dig For The Truth: Keywords: Gus Boulis, SunCruz Casino Ships, Jack Abramoff, Adam Kidan, Anthony Moscatiello, Gale Norton, Rep.Bob Ney.R-Ohio,Sen. Conrad Burns
Report thisQuestion: Are Alberto Gonzalez and Alice Fisher too stupid to make the connection? Who ordered and payed for the killing of Gus Boulis? Why has no “RICO” case been filed by the Department of Justice? Where is Waxman when you need him ?
Lwayno, disabled vet, Veterans For Peace
“IMPEACH F-Y CHENEY” PROTECT OUR TROOPS!
By Gerry Long, January 9, 2007 at 8:13 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Pelosi is in a strange position, to propose impeachment of both the mental midget Bush, and the moral midget Cheney, as it would appear as though she had done that to make her president, since she is next in line after the V.P.
But if enough of her colleagues propose impeachment, she can go along with it (“It wasn’t my idea.”).
How long will it take for enough democrats and a few realistic (I was going to use the word “honest” but tht doesn’t fit—we know there are none of those.) GOP members to realize that the constitution is more important than saving face?
Report thisBy Rodney Matthews, January 9, 2007 at 9:55 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
The question is will the congress impeach Bush and Cheney when they have concrete evidence that high crimes and misdomeanors were comitted?
Report thisBy KISS, January 9, 2007 at 8:01 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Let us hope that this congress will not re-invent the Constitution in the likes of Dubya. Will Waxman stand up and bring forth the necessary investigation that is needed? He has always been a mouth, will he now be more than a word-spitter? Pelosi has already dodged impeachment proceedings, another big-mouth without credibility…so does Dubya have fears, I think not.
Report thisBy DennisD, January 9, 2007 at 7:20 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
“The administration is adding lawyers to fightprobably until the president leaves officeany and all requests for information it deems Congress and the American people have no right to know.”
Since the administration means “everything” in the right to know category - I think that says it all. Our dictatorship is alive and well.
Report thisBy Kellina, January 9, 2007 at 3:59 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
It is time for a genuine investigation of 9/11. Gee, can anyone think of any anomolies or omissions in the official 9/11 report? ‘)
Report thisBy davr, January 8, 2007 at 11:31 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
The Bush/Republicans criminal activities are far greater than your wildest imagination.
The Bush/Republicans must be punished for their crimes against the American people and their crimes against humanity.
The Bush/Republicans are the epitome of Evil.
Report this