New Book Details Cheney Lawyer's Efforts to Expand Executive Power

[sabra]

Source: WP

Vice President Cheney's top lawyer pushed relentlessly to expand the powers of the executive branch and repeatedly derailed efforts to obtain congressional approval for aggressive anti-terrorism policies for fear that even a Republican majority might say no, according to a new book written by a former senior Justice Department official.

David S. Addington, who is now Cheney's chief of staff, viewed both U.S. lawmakers and overseas allies with "hostility" and repeatedly opposed efforts by other administration lawyers to soften counterterrorism policies or seek outside support, according to Jack L. Goldsmith, who frequently clashed with Addington while serving as head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel in 2003 and 2004.

"We're going to push and push and push until some larger force makes us stop," Addington said at one point, according to Goldsmith.

Addington, who declined comment yesterday through Cheney's office, is a central player in Goldsmith's new book, "The Terror Presidency." It provides an unusual glimpse of fierce internal dissent over the legal opinions behind some of the Bush administration's most controversial tactics in detaining and interrogating terrorism suspects.

...

Goldsmith accused Bush in his book of being "almost entirely inattentive" to factors that would have brought him greater success, including the need for consultation, deliberation, "the appearance of deference," and publicly expressed support for constitutional and international values.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/04/AR2007090402292.html?hpid=moreheadlines

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

1. From "push and push until some larger force makes us stop," Addington said

To "Addington, who declined comment yesterday "

I liiike it! K&R!

[rodeodance]

3. that Larger Force can and only will be "we the people"

[aquart]

2. He was a central player in the Plame case, too, wasn't he?

Little vonce.

[Supersedeas]

4. listen for the WH talking point -- disgruntled former employee

[Up2Late]

5. Terry Gross (WHYY's "Fresh Air") did an excellent interview with Jack Goldsmith today, link here...

<http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14236608>

This interview, and the one from Wednesday's show, with Boston Globe reporter Charlie Savage <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14181701>, are both "Must Hear" interviews.

If you don't fully understand what the "Justice" Department's Office of Legal Counsel does, and you have the time, you might want to listen to the Charlie Savage interview first.

And if you can't quite remember who Charlie Savage is, he's the same Boston Globe reporter that won the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on Bush's usage of "Presidential signing statements" a few months ago.