Glenn Greenwald: The Bush/McCain/Palin contempt for subpoenas and the rule of law

[babylonsister]

Glenn Greenwald
Friday Sept. 19, 2008 08:19 EDT

The Bush/McCain/Palin contempt for subpoenas and the rule of law

snip//

It is illegal in the State of Alaska to fail to comply with legislative subpoenas. But Todd Palin has announced he will do exactly that which the law prohibits for one simple reason -- because nothing can be done about it until after the election, and even then, it's unlikely much will be done to punish him for breaking the law. Sarah Palin has similarly ordered all of her aides to refuse to comply with these subpoenas even though doing so is illegal, because she, too, doubts there will be consequences for this illgeal behavior. Or, as Bill O'Reilly put it in his righteous Rule of Law tirade: "I'm going to do it anyway. I dare you to come get me."

There is no doubt that the Legislature has the right to investigate and that these Subpoenaas are lawfully issued. Before Palin was selected as Vice President, virtually everyone in Alaska -- including her -- agreed that the Legislature could and should investigate these allegations. From The Anchorage Daily News, July 29, 2008:

"The governor has said all along that she will fully cooperate with an investigation and her staff will cooperate as well," Leighow said. . . .

Supporters as well as detractors of the Republican governor generally agreed the legislative investigation is needed into the circumstances leading up to Monegan's dismissal. . . .

Sen. Gene Therriault of North Pole, leader of the small Republican Senate minority that generally has backed Palin's policies, said he expects the governor will cooperate, and if she's cleared, the investigation could strengthen her. . . . Senate President Lyda Green, a Wasilla Republican and member of the Legislative Council, said the investigation is "absolutely" needed.

In August, Palin even praised herself for only suspending, rather than firing, one of her top aides who demanded -- in a recorded telephone call -- that the Police Commissioner fire her ex-brother-in-law by making this argument: "While he is a state employee the governor can direct him to cooperate with , fulfilling her pledge that the administration will cooperate fully with the investigation," McAllister said.

But now, with the heavy involvement of the McCain campaign, Gov. Palin has embraced core GOP "principles" -- political officials can unilaterally exempt themselves from the rule of law and the people, through their elected representatives in the legislature, are powerless to learn what their political leaders have done. That, of course, has been the guiding principle of the Bush administration -- as one Bush official after the next has simply refused to comply with Congressional subpoenas as part of investigations into serious allegations of lawbreaking and other wrongdoing -- and the McCain campaign and the Palins are leaving no doubt that they are full-fledged believers in these corrupt and lawless prerogatives.

more...

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/09/19/palin/

[hisownpetard]

1. Poor Laura. How could Bush not be simmerin' for Sarah, a female clone created in his exact image,

right down to the smirk, the wink and the refusal to be held accountable.

He must be totally besotted.

[olegramps]

2. Their contempt for the rule of law must be exploited

The Obama campaign must link the Palin's contempt for the rule of law to the same disregard for law that allowed white trash's lynching of Blacks. Her outright contempt for the rule of law has become the hallmark of the modern Republican Party that started with Nixon, exploited by Reagan in his Iran-Contra dealings, Bush 41 in his using the American hostages as political fodder and this administration's outing of covert CIA agent to only mention a few examples. The unequivocal charge must be made that her calloused disregard for law that our forefathers sacrificed their lives for in establishing this Republic in which NO MAN IS ABOVE THE LAW has made her an enemy of the Constitution and all that it stands for.

[babylonsister]

3. Welcome to DU, olegramps! You are so right; I think if the parallels

were made between Palin's/McCain's current actions and Bush's total disregard of the Constitution for 7 years, that would be a winner. I hope they don't just get away with this.