Obama to Pick Former Bush Official to Lead F.B.I.

[choie]

Source: NY Times

WASHINGTON — President Obama plans to nominate James B. Comey, a former hedge fund executive and a former senior Justice Department official under President George W. Bush, to replace Robert S. Mueller III as the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to a person with knowledge of the selection.

Mr. Comey, 52, was chosen for the position over the other finalist for the job, Lisa O. Monaco, who has served as the White House’s top counterterrorism adviser since January. By choosing Mr. Comey, a Republican, Mr. Obama made a strong statement about bipartisanship at a time when he faces renewed criticism from Republicans in Congress and has had difficulty confirming some important nominees.

Some Democrats had feared that if the president nominated Ms. Monaco — who oversaw national security issues at the Justice Department during the attacks in Benghazi, Libya, last September — Republicans would use the confirmation process as a forum for criticism of the administration’s handling of the attack.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/30/us/politics/obama-to-pick-james-b-comey-to-lead-fbi.html?hp

---

Unfucking believable. "Obama made a strong satement about bipartisanship..." - what's the matter - there are no Democrats that he could have chosen? He had to choose an official who was a member of a war criminal's administration? Son of a...

[villager]

1. Of course he does. Why would we expect anything different at this point?

n/t

[Pterodactyl]

91. Excellent point!

[blkmusclmachine]

178. Obama never met a Republican he wouldn't nominate.

DEMS he's never heard of, of course. IMHO

[graham4anything]

2. read response #4.

Last edited Wed May 29, 2013, 07:26 PM - Edit history (1)

[choie]

3. That's right - the hell with who the nominee is...

you never fail to disappoint...

[warrprayer]

25. ...

[rhett o rick]

31. All the conservatives are happy with this move. Just one more conservative

in a long list.

Penny Pritzker is Obama's Mit Romney.

[graham4anything]

33. see reply #4.

[merrily]

160. Why? We already know that everything can be rationalized and excused.

We watched Republicans do it for Bush for 8 years.

Whatever this guy is, he is the umpteenth Republican and double umpteenth corporatist Obama wants to work with.

You don't run on change and keep nominating Bushies and other Republicans to one key position after another.

In fact, you don't run as a Democratic Presidential candidate, get Democratic volunteers, Democratic donations and Democratic votes, then nominate Bushies and other Republicans to one key position after another.

In the private sector, bait and switch is considered fraud.

[OKNancy]

4. Does this help? Maybe read up before the knees start to jerk too hard

In December 2003, as Deputy Attorney General, Comey appointed the U.S. Attorney in Chicago, close friend and former colleague Patrick Fitzgerald, as Special Counsel to head the CIA leak grand jury investigation after Attorney General John Ashcroft recused himself.

and this:

In early January 2006, The New York Times, as part of their investigation into alleged domestic surveillance by the National Security Agency, reported that Comey, who was Acting Attorney General during the March 2004 surgical hospitalization of John Ashcroft, refused to "certify" the legality of central aspects of the NSA program at that time. The certification was required under existing White House procedures to continue the program.[6]

After Comey's refusal, the newspaper reported, Andrew H. Card Jr., White House Chief of Staff, and Alberto R. Gonzales, then White House counsel and future Attorney General, made an emergency visit to the George Washington University Hospital [4], to attempt to win approval directly from Ashcroft for the program.[6] According to the 2007 memoir of Jack Goldsmith, who had been head of the Office of Legal Counsel at the time, he went to the hospital to give Ashcroft support to withstand the pressure from the White House.

In May 2007, Comey testified before both the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, and the House Judiciary subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law on the U.S. Attorney dismissal scandal. His testimony contradicted that of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who said the firings had been due to poor performance on the part of some of the dismissed prosecutors. Comey stressed that the Justice Department had to be perceived as nonpartisan and nonpolitical in order to function.[15]

“ The Department of Justice, in my view, is run by political appointees of the president. The U.S. attorneys are political appointees of the president. But once they take those jobs and run this institution, it's very important in my view for that institution to be another in American life, that -- because my people had to stand up before juries of all stripes, talk to sheriffs of all stripes, judges of all stripes. They had to be seen as the good guys, and not as either this administration or that administration.[15] ”

In 2013, Comey was a signatory to an amicus curiae brief submitted to the Supreme Court in support of same-sex marriage during the Hollingsworth v. Perry case

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_B._Comey

[Pragdem]

7. That won't matter to those who PREJUDGE our President. nt

[FiveGoodMen]

104. Yeah, we're pre-judging

It's not like he's got a track record by now.

[alcibiades_mystery]

143. Good and telling word

It's what's usually going on, in the more familiar noun form.

[Pragdem]

216. In their eyes, the black man is incapable of making informed decisions...

For the white upper middle class.

From which it seems most of Obama's most liberal critics come.

[appacom]

226. You hit the nail on the head. Boom!

[merrily]

154. Prejudging would have been assuming before the fact that he would appoint a Republican.

[Pragdem]

217. Correct, but I was referring to the assumptions people are making about why he did it.

Before knowing that gem of information OKNancy shared with us.

As you can see, it was a reply to that.

[michigandem58]

193. "Bush" and "hedge fund" got the dogs to salivate

Most of the folks freaking in this thread didn't read the article or research the nominee.

[Pragdem]

215. And people that fucking stupid are liabilities to the Democratic Party. nt

[Melinda]

8. Well there ya go, my synapsis still fire from time to time.

Thanks.

[OKNancy]

10. Yup!

[BlueCaliDem]

9. Thank you for this info, OKNancy. I was startled reading the headline of the OP

but thank you for bringing things into perspective.

Comey doesn't appear to be a bad choice by Obama after all.

[merrily]

155. Startled? Why? He's approached and/or nominated so many Republicans, starting with

Geithner and Gates, when the nation's two biggest issues were war and the economy.

[BlueCaliDem]

208. And they both served him well, didn't they? War is winding down and the economy is on the rebound.

So I guess all that hand-wringing by some on the Left was unnecessary, wasn't it?

I just made mention of being startled because I didn't know Comey or his background. Or, at least, I didn't remember it.

[cstanleytech]

15. The day they dont attack Obama for a decision is the day I am going to win the powerball. nt

[OKNancy]

16. Loser

it will never happen.

[cstanleytech]

20. Yup, I know. nt

[Summer Hathaway]

58. Please refrain from posting facts ...

They tend to confuse many here - especially those who don't want to hear them.

[DefenseLawyer]

68. It amazes me to no end that Fitzgerald is still revered by some of you.

Except for the token that was handed to him, he let everyone off the hook. He played us all like a fiddle, yet somehow he's a "different" Republican.

[Doctor_J]

114. They don't revere Fitz. They revere every single move by Obama

no matter how disgusting.

[merrily]

173. +1

I wondered the same thing.

[Skittles]

79. questions for you OKNancy

why - why - WHY - does it have to be ANYONE connected to the bush misadministration, "good" OR BAD?? *WHY*????? And how does it not feel like a snub that Obama to not only declines to hold ANYONE responsible for the bush travesty, but to also hire people connected to them?

[okaawhatever]

128. Comey stood up to Bush and everyone else in the administration about the wire tapping issue. He's

the reason for the showdown in Ashcroft's hospital room. He would not certify the program as legal, leading Card and others to go to Ashcroft's hospital room hoping to get Ashcroft to certify it or force Comey to do so. Comey said he would resign if they continued with it (so did the FBI director he is replacing). He then went to the White House and got Bush to change the program before he would certify it.
Comey wasn't part of the administration the way you suggest. He was the guy who refused to be part of the administration. That would probably help explain why he hasn't been in govt service since then. He got a little blackballed by the gop.

[pacalo]

83. Thanks, Nancy. The guy has integrity.

[Skittles]

106. people with integrity

do not serve someone APPOINTED to the presidency by conservative hacks

[pacalo]

113. He has proven that he can separate politics from doing what is right.

These are his words:

“The Department of Justice, in my view, is run by political appointees of the president. The U.S. attorneys are political appointees of the president. But once they take those jobs and run this institution, it's very important in my view for that institution to be another in American life, that -- because my people had to stand up before juries of all stripes, talk to sheriffs of all stripes, judges of all stripes. They had to be seen as the good guys, and not as either this administration or that administration. ”

[merrily]

162. And, of course that is the truth from heaven, simply because Obama said it.

Obama says anything to rationalize what he wants to do.

First, changes in the Executive Branch were never based on administration but on political party. Every President before Obama cleaned house if his predecessor in office was from a different political Party. Not 100% change, necessarily, but a lot.

So, Reagan cleaned House, Poppy Bush did not, Clinton did and Bush did (and Obama certainly should have).

And that was always the intent. That is why they were called "political positions," as distinguished from civil service positions, in which federal employees stay for all their careers. For that very reason, we howled when Cheney started changing poliltical positions to civil service positions. We did not want Republican holdovers.

Why? Elections are supposed to have consequences, not only the President, because everything is not about the Obama, but the entire Executive Branch. That has been the understanding all along, until President Barack my policies are those of a moderate Republican Obama took office. Voters not only expect that, they deserve it. Hell, even Leslie Graham admits that. Elections are not just about changing which face in the Oval Office is going to blame everything on Congress, even at times when he is head of the party that controls Congress.

Despite changes in the Executive Branch every time that the political party of the President changed, no one ever had trouble accepting any part of the Executive Branch. Name one instance when someone committed a crime or did not go to jail or refused to let an ambassador into an embassy or refused to accept mail simply because a Republican appointed Republicans to political positions or a Democrat appointed Democrats to political positions.

But, sure. If Obama says it, it must true.

[pacalo]

166. You need to read OKNancy's post #4.

This is about Comey, not Obama.

[merrily]

167. I read it. See Reply 160 and my other replies on this thread.

Also, maybe re-read Reply 162 because you seem to have totally missed the point, if you read it at all.

Also read the other replies on this thread from many other Democrats who are tired of the bait and switch we got in 2008.

And ever since.

Not being the worst Bushie ever is not a reason for A democratic President who ran on change to appoint anyone.

And it is not as though he is Obama's first Bushie or Republican or corporatist choice. Or his fiftieth

Also not as though no Democrat in America has qualifications and integrity.

[pacalo]

169. You replied to me. I'm not beholden to you to read all of your rants on this thread.

Your rants are off topic when it comes to what I've posted in this thread. You're coming from left field by attacking me with your rants against Obama; I'm not interested.

[merrily]

171. You are the one who told me which rant to read.

And I replied to you because you posted a quote that had nothing to do with reality.

Oh, yes, and because it's a message board and people reply on message boards.

[pacalo]

172. That quote was in OKNancy's post & you took it out of context, attributing the quote to Obama.

Whoa.

[merrily]

174. And, because it supports Obama's choice, it's gospel to certain Democrats, even

if it bears no relation to fact and practice.

Exact same principle, no matter who said it.

And that was what my reply to you was about.

[pacalo]

179. The fact is, I've liked Comey ever since he stood up to Gonzales & Bush.

My only posts in this thread were in regard to Comey's background & I was confused by your off-topic response directed to me.

[choie]

141. Or war criminals

N/t

[Skittles]

149. THANK YOU

[AndyA]

89. It's that "Former Bush Official" that gets to you!

Nightmares from the recent past.

[merrily]

163. Well, that and "Republican" and "corporatist" and "yet another white male in a top position."

He probably wears nice shirts, though.

[PragmaticLiberal]

103. Thanks for the link.

When people see/hear "Bush" they freak out.

Heck, I was one of those people at one point......

[Politicub]

120. Good post. It's too easy to knee jerk

I get a case of the heevy jeevy's when republicans are nominated, too, but appreciate the reality check.

[merrily]

164. LOL!

[jenmito]

126. THANK YOU! Could you PLEASE make an OP out of your post? n/t

[merrily]

152. Help whom with what and why?

Are Democrats who expect a Democratic President they elected on change to appoint more Democrats?

Even if this guy is not the most heinous Republican in the world, are no Democrats both qualified and un-heinous?

[blkmusclmachine]

177. Obama overlooks DEMS, even when they're equally qualified as his rightwing choice.

It's just how he rolls.

[msanthrope]

194. I remember Comey from both scandals..he acted honorably and did his job. nt

[Kahuna]

195. Thank you OK. The man appears to be career,

not a political hack.

[Melinda]

6. IIRC, Comey stood up to Bush* and refused to go along w/NSA wiretapping

I could get smarmy about the appointment BUT I remember DUers (me included) applauding Comey's actions during that period of time. Comey was also responsible for appointing Patrick Fitzgerald, wasn't he? This choice seems a good one, if my memory serves.

[SCVDem]

11. I guess that's why we have this 'smilie'?

[elleng]

12. I hope folks recall how strong Comey was AGAINST bush's game playing,

and probably will be. He's a public servant, NOT a political mover.

'Some Democrats had feared that if the president nominated Ms. Monaco — who oversaw national security issues at the Justice Department during the attacks in Benghazi, Libya, last September — Republicans would use the confirmation process as a forum for criticism of the administration’s handling of the attack.

As deputy attorney general in the Bush administration, Mr. Comey was a critical player in 2004 in the dramatic hospital room episode in which the White House counsel, Alberto Gonzales, and Mr. Bush’s chief of staff, Andrew H. Card Jr., tried to persuade Attorney General John Ashcroft — who was ill and disoriented — to reauthorize a warrantless eavesdropping program.

Mr. Comey, who was serving as the acting attorney general and had been tipped off that Mr. Gonzales and Mr. Card were trying to go around him, rushed to Mr. Ashcroft’s hospital room to thwart them. With Mr. Comey in the room, Mr. Ashcroft refused to reauthorize the program. After the episode, Mr. Bush agreed to make changes in the program, and Mr. Comey was widely praised for putting the law over politics.'

[whistler162]

13. But... he was once on the same planet as George Bush

so he must be evil!!

[elleng]

23. THANKS for this, whistler!

[BlueCaliDem]

86. And couple that to the fact that some on this site believe Obama = Bush, well

you get a LOT of kneejerkers posting.

[OKNancy]

14. Yes, I posted some snips from the wiki page

which seems pretty accurate. http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014495379#post4
Duers sometime just want to see bad in everything, or they like to prove their liberal bono fides by being negative.

[elleng]

24. Right and thanks, OKNancy.

[elleng]

102. HOPE people saw him on Rachel show!

[alp227]

148. The article details how Comey clashed with the Bush white house

In the 2004 episode that defined Mr. Comey’s time in the Bush administration, the White House counsel, Alberto R. Gonzales, and Mr. Bush’s chief of staff, Andrew H. Card Jr., sought to persuade Attorney General John Ashcroft —who was hospitalized and disoriented —to reauthorize the administration’s controversial eavesdropping program.

...

According to testimony Mr. Comey provided to Congress in 2007, Mr. Ashcroft rose weakly from his hospital bed when Mr. Gonzales and Mr. Card approached and refused to approve the program.

“I was angry,” Mr. Comey said in his testimony. “I had just witnessed an effort to take advantage of a very sick man, who did not have the powers of the attorney general because they had been transferred to me...

[ReRe]

17. Like I keep saying...

... "We're all Republicans now." Did anyone ever hear the song by that name, written and sung my Garrison Keillor On Prairie Home, back during GW's term? It was a hoot. But I'm beginning to believe it.

Is this country is so corrupt, there's just no one left to choose from? Doesn't matter who he chooses? Either that or he's surrounded buy all the wrong advisers. Can anyone figure this out?

I give the fuck up trying to understand this man I voted for twice.

[OKNancy]

18. read the rest of the thread

it will help

[ReRe]

26. I read you guy's stuff all the time...

... you're living on a different planet than me. I'm a Democrat.

[warrprayer]

32. Me Too

only thing I can say is...

[OKNancy]

48. I'm a Democrat and a realist

I also know the difference between pie in the sky and the real world

[FiveGoodMen]

107. The "real world" is what we get for continually excusing betrayal

It's real.

But it was not inevitable.

[merrily]

165. Assuming that whatever Obama does is all that realistically can possibly be done is fantasy and

idolatry and maybe wishful thinking, not realism.

Sorry, but that is the reality of it.

[choie]

19. Thank you, ReRe

for a moment there, I thought I was the only one who thought this nomination stinks.

[Cha]

27. Maybe because you're knee jerking ReRe and don't know the whole story?

I see where OKNancy asked you to read the rest of the thread because it would help.

[ReRe]

73. Cha? Cha?

I did read the whole thing. You know me well, Cha. Yes, I am a knee-jerk left-wing progressive liberal DEMOCRAT. That's me, through and through and will be till the day I die. But, as you know, the Democratic Party has been hijacked. We only have a two-party system. And we all need to get on the side we belong on. Just because one calls one's self a Democrat three times in a row doesn't make him one. I apologize to everyone for going off, but at this point in time, it's just so difficult to understand why PO can't find someone in the Democratic Party to fill his cabinet vacancies with. Again, respectfully, I will try not to go off like that in the future.

[Cha]

80. I hear your frustration, ReRe. But, I know that there are still plenty

of Dems who are fighting the good fight.

There's so much going on in running our goverment and I don't pretend to know why someone was chosen to run the FBI.. but, I most certainly will give them a chance because I believe that PBO wants the best one for the job.

Sorry, I get frustrated too.

[cstanleytech]

92. The only party thats been hijacked is the Republicans ReRe.

The Democrats are still the largest diverse political party still that they have always been with each of us having our own interpretation of what being a "Democrat" is or isnt.

[ReRe]

96. Well, thank God we all vote Democrat! ;-) n/t

[cstanleytech]

98. Well, mostly atleast.

Though to be honest I cant recall the exact last time I voted for a republican for higher office.

[ReRe]

111. I will confess....

.... everybody gather around.... I used to be a Republican. That's back when I was young and voted like my Grandma did... for the Abe Lincoln Party (she was born in 1880.) However, when it came to the second term of Ronald Reagan, I realized that there really wasn't a "Republican" bone in my body, with what was coming out of his mouth. It was the first time I didn't vote. I went to the library and started studying history and politics. Did that for 4 years. Went backwards and forwards in US History. Enjoyed those 4 years of my life, deep in my own personal research. And ever since 1988, I have been a fierce die-hard liberal Democrat.

[cstanleytech]

138. Back then is when I changed more to voting democrat as well.

In fact the tipping point for me started when Bush Sr did the whole pardon thing to protect Reagan and himself with the antics the republicans pulled on Clinton with whitewater causing me to finally develop a very jaded opinion of most Republicans that has lasted to this day.
Mind you I still try to be fair and give them and their ideas a benefit of doubt but when they keep repeating the same tired ideas that have proven to fail time after time like trickle down economics it does become more and more difficult to do.

[graham4anything]

35. read reply #4

[merrily]

157. Fook me once, shame on you. Fook me twice...

[whistler162]

196. Is this country so corrupt that.....

we can't judge a person on their worth and not on their past affiliations?

In the late 70's New York elected a man who worked closely with President Nixon in his White House. He was also the Ambassador to India under Nixon. Obviously using today's standards we New Yorkers shouldn't elected him.
















IMNHO... Daniel Patrick Moynihan was a good Senator

[ReRe]

21. Well... this thread went straight to Hell, didn't it?

Ostriches. Stick your head in the sand... real deep.
Have a nice nap or whatever you do with your heads buried.

[Cha]

30. Well since you're the one calling others "Ostriches".. then I

say to you.. look in the mirror, ReRe. "Straight to hell", because other posters are looking at the whole picture and not just some kneejerk headline? Really?

Your personal attacks aren't helping anything but maybe making you feel better about yourself?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

62. They cook better that way.

I always saw Comey as one of the few folks with integrity.
That is about as mch as we can ask for when going bipartisan.

[warrprayer]

22. Oh good Christ...

[blkmusclmachine]

180. Never fails. The apoligists swarm in to protect Obama's terrible choices, of which there are MANY.

Obama: My beliefs are mainstream 90's Republicanism. That's how I roll.

[lamp_shade]

28. Good move.

[blkmusclmachine]

181. Horrible move.

[DCBob]

29. I despise Bush as much as anyone on this board but..

I dont believe every single individual in his admin was evil. This guy sounds reasonable and its good to reach across the aisle in certain situations.

[rhett o rick]

34. But the Pres always chooses conservatives. This isnt the first Bush buddy

he has nominated.

[DCBob]

43. Always??

[rhett o rick]

140. Statistically, always.

Do you want a list? Some how I doubt that it matters to you. You are ok with the poverty level and drone kills and the domestic spying and the Patriot Act and pardoning Bush and Cheney.

[DCBob]

205. Clearly you dont have a clue what an actual conservative is.

[karynnj]

212. Always is very easy to reject - all we need is one - try Hilda Solis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilda_Solis


Not the only one, but in this case you are so wrong that EVEN you should be able to see it.

[rhett o rick]

213. "Even I" should be able to see it? Plez

So state your point. Pres Obama doesnt nominate only conservatives. And you found one and I am sure you can find another. So what's your point. Many are Bush's appointees. Seems to me the president is looking on the wrong side of the isle.

Tim Geitner, Lawrence Summers, Ben Bernanke, William M. Daley, Jeff Immelt, Alan Simpson, Dave Cote, Jeb Bush, Robert Gates, Gen Stanley McChrystal, Jacob Lew, Rahm Emanuel, Jeremiah Norton, Gen Petraeus, John Brennen, Chuck Hegal, Michael Taylor, and the DINO Penny Pritzker.

On edit - The snark isnt needed if you have a good argument

[karynnj]

214. Do you know the meaning of "always"?

Every administration has holdovers and most of Obama's were for Defense or National Security. Many on the list are long time Democrats - even if you do not like them. Some are the Republicans from BIPARTISAN committees.

I have no idea why you include Jeb Bush.

[cstanleytech]

55. Gee, I didnt know that Kerry and Hillary before him were conservatives. nt

[TransitJohn]

99. They are conservative Democrats.

The Democratic Party, by and large, is a center-right political party. There is no major left party in this country.

[karynnj]

130. Neither of those charts is a gold standard for saying where someone is on the political spectrum

Last edited Thu May 30, 2013, 09:52 AM - Edit history (2)

In US politics, John Kerry is a liberal Democrat. Hillary Clinton is a pretty mainstream Democrat, to the right of Kerry, but to the left of people like Max Baucus.

The problem with your graphs is that the lines that divide left from right divide the space such that probably as many as 90 to 95% of the people are put on the right. This is arbitrary - and reflects the questions used and the metric then used to plot them. (It also ignores that nearly everyone on the left (or right) if they are serious about passing legislation, propose things to the center.)

Do you seriously see Dennis Kucinich as a likely Obama appointee - for anything? The Fox News guy?

[DCBob]

204. +1

[cstanleytech]

218. "Do you seriously see Dennis Kucinich as a likely Obama appointee - for anything?"

Considering that any appointee has to get past the senate? Hell no as the Republicans would stonewall such a nomination in a heartbeat which I am sure Obama well knows which is probably why he hasnt tried to appoint Kucinich or anyone like him to an office.

[merrily]

170. Hillary is a DLC co-founder and Kerry a member of the Senate New Democrat Coalition.

(Don't blame me. That's what they named it, New Democrat Coalition, same name Karl "ratfucking" Rove would have given it, if he had had the power to name it. )

[karynnj]

211. Kerry joined people like Gary Hart who was one of the first New Democrats

His voting record was ALWAYS closer to Kennedy's than the cluster of DLC Democrats. You may remember that Kennedy, who was as clear a liberal Democrat as there was, endorsed Kerry for President in 2003 and in 2005/2006 repeatedly said that he was still for Kerry. This changed ONLY when Kerry announced he was not running.

You may want to consider that Kerry worked with Kennedy on many issues including a bill Kerry/Kennedy that was a precursor to Kennedy/Hatch's SCHIP, he also worked on many mental health parity bills and was the sponsor through three Congresses of a bill to set up a fund for affordable housing that was incorporated into the 2008 banking bill.

[MotherPetrie]

38. So what has Obama's "reaching across the aisle" EVER gotten DEMOCRATS?

NOT ONE FUCKING THING.

[DCBob]

41. I think its more about whats GOOD for the COUNTRY..

than whats good for DEMOCRATS.

[MotherPetrie]

44. God forbid Obama EVER do anything good for DEMOCRATS! Not while there are Republicans

to waste time and effort sucking up to!

[DCBob]

51. In most cases it should be the same..

although it may not be obvious to those who refuse to see the big picture.

[Doctor_J]

69. Appointing Bush administration officials is good for the country?

Thanks for clearing that up. I remember what a thundering success 2001-2008 were.

Seriously, what would be good for the country is

1. Appointing Dems
2. Prosecuting Bushies

Are you going to switch parties or something?

[DCBob]

118. in this case it could.

this country needs to come together somehow or we are doomed.

[zeemike]

137. That is the same as saying that DEMOCRATS

Are not good for the country.
I guess that is what Obama thinks too....and many here seem to agree with that.
So yep, we are being herded like sheep with a cattle prod to move to the right.

[DCBob]

198. NO. Its simply a matter of showing some basic bipartisanship.

not that complicated.

[zeemike]

200. You can't be bipartisan by yourself.

And while we are being bipartisan the GOP is not...which moves us father right...just like they want...we give and they take is not bipartisanship.
And that is not complicated ether.

[DCBob]

202. But we also cant give up on it otherwise I fear this country is doomed.

imo.

[zeemike]

206. And I agree with that.

But if we fail to take back the parties from the good cop, bad cop dynamics we will become a neo feudalistic state run by oligarchs.

[markpkessinger]

153. And God knows the other bipartison lovechild, the sequester . ..

. . . has been just a GRAND thing for the country! n/y

[stillwaiting]

199. What's good for the country is destroying the Republican Party politically.

Obama enables them, props them up, and legitimizes them like its his JOB.

It should be so very easy to expose the Republicans for the Anti-American bullshit they do, but too many Democrats have been doing the same stuff that ALL of the Republicans do.

The destruction of the middle, working, and poverty classes continues as it has for the past 3 to 4 decades. If the elite continue to amass more and more of the nation's wealth and income while the 99% continue to lose more and more of their economic security then the class war continues to be won by the wealthy elite, and our nation needs a political party that can speak (and act) legitimately on reversing this trend. Enabling and legitimizing the Republican Party (especially with how corrupt they are) HURTS the country if your definition of the country's well being includes the health and well being of average Americans.

We need to delegitimize the Republicans so they won't be able to secure majorities in Congress for decades, and if the Democratic Party weren't corrupt as well then this would be an easy feat.

[DCBob]

203. One could argue these bipartisan efforts by Obama are damaging the GOP.

Last edited Thu May 30, 2013, 12:36 PM - Edit history (1)

It makes them look even more like hyper-partisan obstructionists because they refuse to compromise with the President on anything.

[OKNancy]

54. How do you know what party he is.

Maybe Bush is the one who "reached across the aisle".

Republicans don't like him for what it's worth.

[Doctor_J]

71. Here ya go. I know reading is hard, but try just a couple sentences

Comey, 52, is registered to vote as a Republican at his home in Westport, Conn. However, a town official said Wednesday he has not voted since registering there in 2010.

Comey donated to Sen. John McCain’s bid for president in 2008 and to Mitt Romney’s campaign in 2012, Federal Election Commission records show.

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/james-comey-fbi-92010.html?hp=r1

This guy voted for Palin for god's sake

[OKNancy]

123. Thanks for the information, no need to be a jerk about it though.

[moonbeam23]

85. Ain't that the troof

[merrily]

161. Certain situations? Yeah, a rare Republican and/or corporatist nomination by Obama.

Mostly males, too.

Just what I would expect from a Democrat who ran on change.

[MotherPetrie]

36. UNFUCKINGBELIEVABLE. Still bending over for "bipartisanship" and screwing his own party.

[warrprayer]

40. How quickly some forget....

[blkmusclmachine]

182. Obama's doing "his" Party just fine. The DEMS, on the other hand ...

[meanit]

37. So,

there wasn't ONE Democrat that Obama thought was up to the job?

But at least we're getting a Republican that isn't a treasonous, lunatic, son of a bitch, right?

" Oh yay !"

[warrprayer]

39. welcome to R. ... er, D.U.

sorry it has to be on such a note...

[moonbeam23]

87. Thanks for the laugh!

[SummerSnow]

42. Damn , leave Bushs' cronies alone

[Cha]

47. If you read the whole story you'll see James Comey wasn't exactly a

"crony".

In the 2004 hospital episode that defined Mr. Comey’s time in the Bush administration, the White House counsel, Alberto Gonzales, and Mr. Bush’s chief of staff, Andrew H. Card Jr., sought to persuade Attorney General John Ashcroft — who was ill and disoriented — to reauthorize the administration’s controversial eavesdropping program.

Mr. Comey, who was serving as the acting attorney general and had been tipped off that Mr. Gonzales and Mr. Card were trying to go around him, rushed to Mr. Ashcroft’s hospital room to thwart them. With Mr. Comey in the room, Mr. Ashcroft refused to reauthorize the program. After the episode, Mr. Bush agreed to make changes in the program, and Mr. Comey was widely praised for putting the law over politics.

[SummerSnow]

52. I stand corrected...but I wish he would...

pick someone not associated with Bush.

[Cha]

45. I read the whole story.. James Comey sounds like someone who puts the law above politics..

Mr. Comey, who was serving as the acting attorney general and had been tipped off that Mr. Gonzales and Mr. Card were trying to go around him, rushed to Mr. Ashcroft’s hospital room to thwart them. With Mr. Comey in the room, Mr. Ashcroft refused to reauthorize the program. After the episode, Mr. Bush agreed to make changes in the program, and Mr. Comey was widely praised for putting the law over politics.

[sheshe2]

60. Reading is hard work, Cha!

So much easier to bash the President it seems~

[Cha]

63. And, Sooo much easier to implode one's head,

she.

[DefenseLawyer]

72. And there are no qualified Democrats who "put the law above politics"?

That's his qualification, that he's not the worst actor to have served in the Bush Administration? I've got news for you, there are tens of thousands of lawyers in this country who would have done the exact same thing, yet would never in their lives willingly to be a member of the same party as Dick Cheney.

[Cha]

75. You don't know.. maybe he's really f^^^^^^ good

at his job.

[DefenseLawyer]

77. Of course, only a Republican can head the FBI

There are simply no Democrats that can handle the job. It's sad really, but hey, what can you do?

[Doctor_J]

76. The president prefers Repukes to Dems

He doesn't like Dems, and he absolutely detests liberals (despite the fact that they all voted for him).

Obama is an unmitigated disaster. Impeachment wouldn't be the worst thing for the party or for the country.

[blm]

46. Fock that!!! Why does head of FBI always HAVE to be a Bush loyalist?

Same with CIA. Poppy Bush must have gathered an extensive photo collection over the decades.

[John2]

53. I totally agree with

you people now. So how many Republicans does he has to appoint to appease the Right? It is the same with the IRS, regime change, pulling all forces out of Afghanistan and Entitlements. So tell me when he makes a stand. He is consistant. The Drone Policy is the Republican Policies also, as well as Guantanamo. Then he goes to an African American male college and lecture to them about personal responsibility. Let me know when he takes a stand?

[Cha]

64. Did you read the whole story, John?

In the 2004 hospital episode that defined Mr. Comey’s time in the Bush administration, the White House counsel, Alberto Gonzales, and Mr. Bush’s chief of staff, Andrew H. Card Jr., sought to persuade Attorney General John Ashcroft — who was ill and disoriented — to reauthorize the administration’s controversial eavesdropping program.

Mr. Comey, who was serving as the acting attorney general and had been tipped off that Mr. Gonzales and Mr. Card were trying to go around him, rushed to Mr. Ashcroft’s hospital room to thwart them. With Mr. Comey in the room, Mr. Ashcroft refused to reauthorize the program. After the episode, Mr. Bush agreed to make changes in the program, and Mr. Comey was widely praised for putting the law over politics.

Just wondering?

Oh, and PBO has every right to talk about personal responsibility.

[John2]

109. OK, you

got me on this one, after seeing Maddow's little presentation. He has gained my confidence. That is twice now I have approved a Republican's actions. I always reserve the right to change my opinions. Carry on.

[Cha]

116. That's good to know.. so what did Rachel say?

thanks, John

[okaawhatever]

132. Rachel showed his testimony before congress and explained the Ashcroft hospital room incident. He

created the situation, he wasn't there as a spectator. When Ashcroft was sick he was acting atty general. The spooky types in the Bush admn came to him to certify that the wiretapping program was legal. He said, "not only no, but heellll no". He found out that Card and company went to Ashcroft's hospital room (how f-ed is that?) to either get it certified or get Ashcroft to pressure Comey. Comey found out and met them there for a showdown. He said he'd resign if Ashcroft certified it, and Ashcroft backed off. Comey went to the white house and talked to Bush and apparently Bush changed the program (or maybe stopped it). After he left that job, he hasn't been involved in politics (the gop think he's a traitor). I don't think for a second Comey is a pick to appease the right. He is a middle finger to the right. They think Comey's a traitor, how is it not awesome that he's now going to have the job the gop wouldn't give him in a million years after he stood up to Bush et al. Plus, he supported gay marriage when no one was looking so he clearly isn't as republican as most these days. Who knows, maybe Obama will turn him. We've had a little of that lately. lol

I don't support appointing republicans, but this guy does have experience in the position and is a slap in the face to the bushies. Heck, maybe Obama will get Comey to tell him all the dirt on Bush.

[Cha]

134. I just saw it online, okaawhatever. Was glad for the headsup!

That was quite interesting.

Rachel's excited about the Confirmation Hearings!

[Cha]

131. thanks for the heads up for Rachel's program on James Comey, John.. I

just saw it online..

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/vp/52040343

If anyone is interested I recommend it to get a much better look at James Comey.

Rachel's Excited about the Confirmation Hearings

[24601]

81. There's absolutely no evidence that his motivation was to appease anyone. How about the premise

that the President wanted someone with a track record of standing up to power in order to uphold the law. His actions are certainly better than Holder's.

After the IRS shit, we don't need any more yahoos who think their job is to gain political advantage.

[blm]

201. Shulman and Lerner were 2 stinkbombs planted at IRS by Bush and

likely being used to CAUSE problems at IRS down the road so that GOP can further target the IRS for their fascist version of 'reform'.

[24601]

225. The facts make your speculation implausible Ms. Learner is a career civil servant (as am I)

and we just don't get political placement like that afford to GS-15 & below Schedule C employees and non-career SES appointees.

Douglas Shulman was nominated IRS Commissioner in November 2007 and received unanimous Senate Confirmation for a 5-year term in January 2008. Shulman was appointed by President George W. Bush even though he donated $500 to the Democratic National Committee in the month prior to the re-election of President Bush in 2004.

"In August 2009, he persuaded Switzerland to turn over the identities of 4,450 Americans with secret BUS bank accounts."

Meanwhile, "publicly released records show that embattled former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman visited the White House at least 157 times during the Obama administration, more recorded visits than even the most trusted members of the president’s Cabinet."

So your fascinating premise is that Bush had the insight to nominate a DNC financial supporter who went after Americans with Swiss bank accounts and was a favorite visitor in the Obama White House? How does that track with the capabilities generally attributed to Bush on DU.

Sorry, your conspiracy theory is an epic fail.

[link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Shulman|

[Safetykitten]

49. And kids, we are surprised why? We should know that Democrats can't do all that complicated stuff.

[roamer65]

50. Probably better than J Edgar Hoover

...I guess...yay.

[southernyankeebelle]

56. Well heck, that's putting the fox in the hen house.

[bitchkitty]

57. So shocked. Shocked, I tell you. n/t

[blkmusclmachine]

183. Just put on a pair of Centristic rose colored glasses. It makes all the betrayals go away.

[Crow73]

59. ...

[DCBob]

61. here's more from WaPo..

"When he was deputy attorney general in the Bush administration, Comey was a key player in a hospital-room drama in 2004, when White House officials tried to persuade then-ailing Attorney General John Ashcroft to reauthorize a warrantless eavesdropping program. But Comey rushed to the hospital and stopped the effort. He later threatened to resign over the administration’s authorization of warrantless wiretaps on Americans."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/comey-in-line-to-become-fbi-director-officials-say/2013/05/29/7a730b0a-c8af-11e2-9f1a-1a7cdee20287_story.html

Not such a bad guy after all.

[nobodyspecial]

66. If he's not a Dem, he's not qualified

according to some here.

I would rather have a person like this than a partisan hack, regardless of the letter behind his name.

[Skittles]

110. not just that he is not a dem

he served someone who STOLE the presidency and TRASHED America

[Carolina]

219. Touche, Skittles!

eom

[zeemike]

139. And that says.

That you think there are no Dem's that are not partisan hacks.

The point is that there are Dem's that are qualified...but they were not chosen to try to appease the right wingers...and we all know how well appeasement works.

[merrily]

159. Gee, no Democrat would ever have done anything like that, so obviously

Obama just had no choice.

BTW, didn't Ashcroft refuse? Maybe Obama can appoint him, too.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

65. Why not, he never saw a former Bush official that he didn't like.

[Corruption Inc]

67. Comey, a registered republican, donated money to McCain and Romney

"Comey, 52, is registered to vote as a Republican at his home in Westport, Conn. However, a town official said Wednesday he has not voted since registering there in 2010.

Comey donated to Sen. John McCain’s bid for president in 2008 and to Mitt Romney’s campaign in 2012, Federal Election Commission records show."

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/james-comey-fbi-92010.html?hp=r1

[Doctor_J]

70. The president continues to schmooze those who detest him

and to despise those who voted for him. He is deeply in need of psychological help.

[blkmusclmachine]

184. They don't "detest" him out on the golf course.

It's all a sham. Open your eyes to the Truth.

[Rain Mcloud]

74. What could go wrong?

That old Obama,always trying to kick that football and then just when runs to it and pulls his leg back for the kick..........................
[link:

|.

[Doctor_J]

78. Not one single qualified Dem in the entire country

I am starting to really hate the president. I now find him disgusting.

[SidDithers]

125. Starting to?...

Sid

[WillyT]

82. Has Anybody Informed The President That HE WON The Last Election ???

[AAO]

90. Has anyone informed him he's a Democrat??

[blkmusclmachine]

185. He still thinks he's a Republican. He also still thinks it's the 90s too, I bet.

[hrmjustin]

84. Not a good thing IMO! Were there no good democrats for the job Mr. President?

[cstanleytech]

94. Odd, I would think putting qualifactions first over political party would be the better way

nominate a candidate.

[hrmjustin]

97. Oh I understand that he is qualified and a good man but I still wold have prefered a democrat.

[Doctor_J]

112. By all means. Nominate a Republican to every office in the executive branch

we all know that

1. there are no qualified Dems, and
2. this will make Issa love him

[Pragdem]

88. Excellent choice. Seems like a principled guy that will help avoid an unnecessary battle...

As the war for the D.C. Court of Appeals is waged.

[Hawaii Hiker]

122. President Obama might nominate Miguel Estrada to DC Circuit to make repukes happy

Sometimes i think President Obama is more concerned about being liked by Republicans than doing something for Democrats, you know the people who donated, voluntered, and voted for him....

[MotherPetrie]

129. That's certainly the impression Obama takes pains to give

[blkmusclmachine]

186. At some point you have to look past the "D" and look at Obama's ACTIONS.

Obama's constant capitulating under the disguise of phony "bipartisanship" isn't so much pandering as it is fulfilling his desire to see Republican policy enshrined as "Democratic" policy.

Obama is a 90s Republican. He's said as much himself.

1 Party, 2 Faces

[MotherPetrie]

222. I think you nailed it

[moonbeam23]

93. In all fairness to President Obama

perhaps they thought that the ONLY way to get ANYBODY confirmed with those GOP assholes obstructing every fucking thing is to nominate one of them...agreed that this guy might be one of the better rethugs...however:

Obama has burned up all his capital with us flaming liberals by now, starting with his horrendous pick of Emmanuel, Geitner, and Summers that he made on Day 1 of his administration...and it has been one horrible pick after another (except for the Supreme Court), ie. the creep from Monsanto and all the Wall Street pigs...

Don't blame us if we are not willing stand up and applaud...

What GOOD does it do to WIN ELECTIONS if those wins are made meaningless by constant pandering to the other side??? If Romney had won i can guarantee you that his administration would not be full of Democrats!

[Lasher]

191. His SCOTUS nominations haven't been great either.

Both are centrists. We needed liberals to balance out the right wing Supreme Court. We didn't get them.

[TransitJohn]

95. Chess Move®

He has to do it so he can get who he wants in there in his 3rd term.

[blkmusclmachine]

188. Who's being Played?

Look in the mirror, folks.

[onehandle]

100. I'm ok on this guy based on the video that Rachel is showing. nt

[truthisfreedom]

117. Oh yeah. He's rubbing the repukes' noses in their own shit.

This is one of the good guys who stopped bush and cheney from doing illegal shit. Very good story about this... take a look here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_B._Comey

"In early January 2006, The New York Times, as part of their investigation into alleged domestic surveillance by the National Security Agency, reported that Comey, who was Acting Attorney General during the March 2004 surgical hospitalization of John Ashcroft, refused to "certify" the legality of central aspects of the NSA program at that time. The certification was required under existing White House procedures to continue the program.[6]
After Comey's refusal, the newspaper reported, Andrew H. Card Jr., White House Chief of Staff, and Alberto R. Gonzales, then White House counsel and future Attorney General, made an emergency visit to the George Washington University Hospital [4], to attempt to win approval directly from Ashcroft for the program.[6] According to the 2007 memoir of Jack Goldsmith, who had been head of the Office of Legal Counsel at the time, he went to the hospital to give Ashcroft support to withstand the pressure from the White House.
Comey confirmed these events took place (but declined to confirm the specific program) in testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee on 16 May 2007.[7][8][9][10][11][12] FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III, like Comey, also supported Ashcroft's decision; both men were prepared to resign if the White House ignored the Department of Justice's legal conclusions on the wiretapping issue. FBI director Mueller's notes on the March 10, 2004 incident, which were released to a House Judiciary committee, confirms that he "Saw [the] AG, John Ashcroft in the room. AG is feeble, barely articulate, clearly stressed."[13] Comey withdrew his threat to resign after meeting directly with President Bush, who gave his support to making changes in the surveillance program.[14]"

[mrdmk]

135. Funny, for some reason, Bush and Cheney did get away with illegal acts of wiretapping & surveillance

To tell the truth, after Patrick Fitzgerald got through with his investigation, nobody went to jail.

[Skittles]

144. can you BELIEVE these people?

THEY WILL BELIEVE ANYTHING!!!!!!!!

[lofty1]

101. Order taker

President Obama is so weak, but apparently follows orders well.

[Tace]

105. Nobody Has Mentioned The Bankster/FBI Connection

From NYT story: Comey, "most recently served as the general counsel for the large Connecticut hedge fund Bridgewater Associates."

From Wikipedia: On February 1, 2013, after leaving Bridgewater, he was appointed by Columbia University Law School as a Senior Research Scholar and Hertog Fellow on National Security Law. He was also appointed to the board of HSBC Holdings plc (huge bank) in London. Since 2012, he has also served on the Defense Legal Policy Board.

Now this could be viewed different ways: He could be viewed as a financial insider who will continue the administration's shameful, dare I say odious, record of not prosecuting anyone involved in the ongoing bankster control fraud.

...or I suppose, one could view him as someone who knows where the skeletons are buried and will enforce the law.

Somehow, based on Obama's track record, I doubt the latter.

p.s. I voted for Obama.

[okaawhatever]

146. I posted an article in General Discussion titled 7 reasons... It discusses his prosecutions of a

couple of bank types. He was behind ImClone, Adelphia and others. There are also links for more. Also, one of the articles I cite has him listed as something other than a regular board member of hsbc. I'll have to review but you might read it before I have a chance to go back to. Also, it mentions other cases like prosecuting the Blind Shik and the Gambino family.

[blackspade]

108. NNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

Not again!

[mc51tc]

115. Bush III

By 2016, we will have had 16 long years of George W Bush policies. President Obama has continued most of W`s policies for 5 long years. Very disappointed in this latest selection, but par for the course.

[cstanleytech]

121. Its far more accurate to say that the republicans in congress and the senate

forced those down his throat just as they would of any democratic president as the republicans are still trying to actively redeem his and thus their own legacy because everyone knows Bush was one of the worst if not thee worst president the US has had for the past 100 or more years.

[mc51tc]

210. 11,000 plus posts makes you superior?

Thank you for your warm welcome to Democratic Underground. In your 11,000 posts, how many new members have you run off in your tenure here by the way? I plan to stay, keep reading, and responding when necessary.

[Carolina]

220. Welcome to DU

And I agree with you. Apologists can't stand the truth.

[mc51tc]

221. Thank you! It is great to be here:)

[DeSwiss]

119. ....

- If you want a Democratic Party, you'll have to start one. There isn't one anymore.....

[blkmusclmachine]

187. Bipartisanshit:

Obama operates daily to obliterate any difference between the GOP and DEM Party, consciously shoving the Party to the Right.

[GeorgeGist]

124. Greed is Good.

[blkmusclmachine]

189. CHANGE! FORWARD! LIES YOU CAN BELIEVE IN!

[dflprincess]

127. Once again there were no Democrats or at least someone without ties to Wall Street available

So much for the 2nd term being different.

[kestrel91316]

133. WHY DOES HE KEEP DOING THIS?!?!?!?!?!?!

WHY????????????????????? Sweet Jesus, he ought to know better by now. Comey is just Hoover Lite, AFAIAC, as are all former Bush admin members.

[merrily]

156. Hoover Lite? Maybe there's a connection.

http://harpers.org/archive/2009/07/barack-hoover-obama/

[OnyxCollie]

136. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[alcibiades_mystery]

145. Why not appoint Medea Benjamin? Huh? Huh? Huh? Oba,ma worshippers will accept ANYTHING!!!!

Even the appointment of a career civil servant with demonstrated integrity and respect for civil rights to take over the FBI!!!!!

What about Medea Benjamin????

Why can't Medea Benjamin run the FBI????

Medea Benjamin speaks truth to POOOOOOOOWER, that's why!!!!

Medea BEEEEEEEEEEEEENJAMIIIIIIIIIIIN For FBI Director!!!!!!!

[merrily]

150. Calm down.

[darkangel218]

158. lol!

[B Stieg]

147. If this guy is so friggin' great...

...then why is he a Republican?

He may be principled, but he's still wrong.

[merrily]

151. Obviously, too few Democrats are qualified to serve in the administration of

a Democratic President.

Yet, we keep mocking Republicans for being so dumb and also for voting against their own self interest.

That may not be cognitive dissonance, but it has to be close.

[temmer]

168. MUST READ: Comey's unsent 2004 letter to Bush (step down)

" target="_blank">

[merrily]

175. Gee, too bad no Democrats have integrity or qualifications, huh?

[blkmusclmachine]

176. The Corruption is Thick in DC:

And there appears to be a relatively small pool of corrupt politicos to choose from. It's like the Mob, really.

[Jamastiene]

190. Mercy

[davidn3600]

192. The more things change the more they stay the same

[PDittie]

197. Comey really isn't a bad pick

Remember he's the guy who stood up to Cheney, Yoo, et. al. on NSA when Ashcroft was in the hospital.

I criticize the president as much as anybody but he's triangulating effectively, with this on the heels of the DC circuit nominations. The GOP just can't bring themselves to be gracious about something like this, so even that works against them in the court of public opinion.

The GOP just cannot figure out whether to shit or go blind about Obama, and he doesn't make it any easier for them.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

207. Can he get any Democrat confirmed by the Republican obstructionist Senate? If so, let me know.

[DeSwiss]

223. ....

[Octafish]

209. What? Leura Canary was busy?

Ungrateful thing.

FWIW: Comey may be the best of the GOP affiliated scumbags, but he's still a GOP affiliated scumbag.

[TakeALeftTurn]

224. Obama's new FBI chief approved Bush's NSA warrantless wire tap

One of the biggest scandals of the Bush administration (which is really saying something) began on December 16, 2005. That was when the New York Times' James Risen and Eric Lichtblau were finally allowed to reveal what they had learned more than a year earlier: namely, that President Bush, in 2002, had ordered the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on the electronic communications of US citizens without first obtaining warrants from the FISA court as required by 30-year-old criminal law. For the next three years, they reported, the NSA "monitored the international telephone calls and international e-mail messages of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people inside the United States without warrants." The two NYT reporters won the Pulitzer Prize for that story.

To say that progressives and liberals bellowed sustained outrage over that revelation is to understate the case. That NSA program was revealed less than two months after I first began writing about political issues, and I spent the next full year overwhelmingly focused on that story, and also wrote my first book on it. In progressive circles, the NSA warrantless eavesdropping program was the pure symbol of Bush/Cheney radicalism and lawlessness: they secretly decided that they were empowered to break the law, to commit what US statutes classified as felonies, based on extremist theories of executive power that held that the President, as Commander-in-Chief, was entitled under Article II of the Constitution to eavesdrop however he wanted in the name of national security, even if it meant doing exactly that which the law forbade.

The FISA law provided that anyone who eavesdrops without the required warrants - exactly what Bush officials did - is committing a felony "punishable by a fine of not more than $10,000 or imprisonment for not more than five years, or both" - for each offense. Moreover, all three federal judges who actually ruled on the merits of the Bush NSA warrantless eavesdropping program concluded that it violated the law.

Read more at:-
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/30/james-comey-fbi-bush-nsa?CMP=twt_gu