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U.S. House Gets Spine Transplant Stands Up To Bush White House
Finally last week, after years of waiting, the United States House of Representatives faced down the Bush White House over two very important constitutional issues.
The first was approval of the civil and criminal contempt proceedings against two associates of the Bush administration. The House has found former White House Counsel Harriet Miers, in contempt of Congress. You may recall she said the president is the smartest man she knows. This statement suggests to us Mrs Miers doesn’t get out much. Current White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten is also charged. Both Miers and Bolten chose to ignore a House Judiciary Committee subpoena issued during the hearings investigating the 2006 firings of nine US Attorneys for what appears to have been political reasons. Those who were fired refused to comply with demands by Republicans to bring weak cases involving voter fraud against Democratsor they were investigating incidents of reported Republican corruption.
The decision to pursue contempt citations against current and former members of the Bush administration will move on to federal court to determine the range of permissible claims of executive privilege. When the matter has been decided in favor of the House, Miers and Bolten will have to comply with the usbpoena or else face fines and or imprisonment.
The second historic stand pertains to our right as citizens to privacy. The House of Representatives once again chose to stand tough against Bush style facism while flexing it new spine. Even though the Senate had earlier passed a bill giving the government authority to monitor e-mails and phone calls the House did not succomb to pressure from the president. The current law expires at midnight tonight Saturday, February 16, 2008. The surveillance activities associated with the law could continue for a year after expiration. The law known as the Protect America Act was passed by the US Congress in August 2007. It was intended to be in effect for six months to afford the Democrats an opportunity to revise it. The Senate’s revised version of the Protect America Act grants immunity to telecommunications companies that complied with the administration’s requests for surveillance without court approval after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
When the House passed its version of the bill in November 2007 the retroactive immunity provision was not included.
We are very glad to see the House exhibit some starch and stand up to the ridiculous attempts of George Bush and Company to limit our rights in the name of security and to behave in a way that says they are entitled to run roughshod over the Constitution.
One word of caution: As you representatives go forward keep your eyes on La Pelosi.
Nancy Pelosi, the first female Speaker of the House, second in the line of succession after the Vice President and before the president pro tempore of the Senate, changes her position more frequently than Hillary Clinton or more frequently than Britney Spears changes her mind or her underwear. Remember when she came into her current position of authority she clearly stated impeachment of the president is not an option. It is off the table.
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