This is the umpteenth book from an administration insider to reveal the true dysfunction, incompetence, and utter callousness of Bush and his enablers.  Trouble is, like the others, who will read it?  Only the choir.

I think Goldman could have been a real hero had he come forward right away and prevented the Justice Dept. from digging in and ‘sand bagging’ and forgetting everything as time passed.

He is not the first deceitful “R” that waited for an opportune time to open up and be responsible. There is usually a financial deal behind most of these later disclosures.

I suppose he deserves our respect for speaking out, but his vision of presidential powers is still extreme.  I hesitate making him into the hero of the moment.  His disagreements with the administration were not so much over the need for extreme measures in curtailing civil liberties and using torture for interrogations, but rather with the style in which they did it.  He seems to support most of what the Bush cabal did, just not that they did it without Congress’ consent.  Rather than “pushing at the edges of law” when they committed their crimes, he seems to want those acts decriminalized first.

“Magnification and Deification” of Presidential War Powers

Goldman’s comments about being virtually alone in trying to keep law and order in the thought process at the White House are revealing. It was uphill all the way over and over again until he threw in the towel. Should he have stayed and sacrificed his life? I guess that only history will evaluate that.

Goldman’s recent interview by Bill Moyers was very informative, especially his description of the climate of paranoia and panic in the White House anticipating another attack by terrorists at any moment (especially since it ignored the warning signs of the 9/11 disaster and abandoned America to “fate” rather than take preventive action). Working in such a climate renders everyone immobile, anxious, paranoid and “mistake prone” -  the perfect climate for imperialistic people to “take over.”

Fear makes it possible to flaunt laws and the Constitution under the guise of protecting America, and it permits the magnification of presidential powers that extend beyond “normal” presidential powers. That’s why the president felt he could act alone as the “decider,” the “decision maker,” and “the commander in chief.” The Constitution should have prevented the making of a king in pseudo or real wartime situations!

Also interesting was the verification of the deliberate avoidance of Congressional and Judicial review to save time and to avoid any setbacks. “Don’t ask, don’t tell” was the White House policy.

Aren’t fear and power-grabbing the conditions that facilitate tyranny?

Goldman seems to have been among the few dissenters in the White House hell-bent on grabbing as much “power” as possible and being “almost legal.”

Congress did not react responsibly because the republican leadership at the time rolled over and played dead. Journalists didn’t do their jobs either, because they mistakenly thought that everyone was afraid of everything - privacy rights, first amendment rights, and the Constitution can be set aside. They fell for it - and misled America!

“Magnification and Deificiation” of Presidential War Time Powers

Goldman’s comments about being virtually alone in trying to keep law and order in the thought process at the White House are revealing. It was uphill all the way over and over until he threw in the towel. Should he have stayed and sacrificed his life? I guess that only history will evaluate that.

Goldman’s recent interview by Bill Moyers was very informative, especially his description of the climate of paranoia in the White House anticipating another attack by terrorists at any moment, (especially since it ignored the warning signs of the 9/11 disaster and abandoned America to “fate” rather than take preventive action). Working in such a climate renders everyone “mistake prone,” immobile, anxious, paranoid: the perfect climate for imperialistic people to “take over.” 

Fear makes it possible to flaunt laws and the Constitution under the guise of protecting America, and it permits the magnification of presidential powers that extend beyond “normal” presidential powers. That’s why the president felt he could act alone as the “decider,” the “decision maker,” and “the commander in chief.” The Constitution should have prevented the making of a king in pseudo or real wartime situations!

Also interesting was the verification of the deliberate avoidance of Congressional and Judicial review to save time and to avoid any setbacks. “Don’t ask, don’t tell” was the White House policy.

Aren’t these the conditions that facilitate tyranny?

Goldman seems to have been among the few dissenters in the White House hell-bent on grabbing as much “power” as possible and being “almost legal.”

Congress did not react responsibly because the republican leadership at the time rolled over and played dead. Journalists didn’t do their jobs either, because they mistakenly thought that everyone was afraid of everything - privacy rights, first amendment rights, and the Constitution can be set aside. They fell for it - and misled America!