Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on NOW!

[originalpckelly]

http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=1987

[RSchewe]

1. They finally put Gonzalez under oath. n/t

[Greeby]

3. Means little, Bushco operatives can commit perjury with impunity

:eyes:

[The Witch]

2. Isn't anyone watching this?!?

K&R!!! I need a synopsis while I am stuck on the phone - and someoone tell me when Feingold gets up!

[Deb]

4. Thank you!

I'm watching on cspan3.

[Mandate My Ass]

5. specter asking Gonzo if he is considering prosecution of

journalists who wrote about NSA spying.

Gonzo saying they prefer to convince journalists not to "leak."

Specter saying that's a non-answer.

[Mandate My Ass]

6. specter asking if NSA spying program is only domestic spying

program.

Gonzo: Highly classified. We are currently discussing with admin what we can divulge.

SO is he saying there are other programs? methinks yes.

[cspanlovr]

7. Thanks for the heads up! Specter is up now, and he does seem

pissed off, whatever good THAT will do.

[cspanlovr]

12. Leahy: Why do you oppose justice for Americans? (re: torture

lawsuit from 91 war) I love it.

[Mandate My Ass]

8. specter: shield does not apply if national security breached

we had Judy Miller affair. Should reporter shield be available if there's a perjury or obstruction of justice charge?

Gonzo: information we need to move forward. We make accommodation for confidential sources.

Shield not appropriate. Any reluctance of media to publish stories of classified nature. We have good procedures in place.

[The Witch]

9. Specter did some grillin'... not that I think he will do anything about it

[The Witch]

10. Leahy: yes or no, biyotch?

Oh, this is good.

[Mandate My Ass]

11. Leahy up now

asking about SCOTUS decision. We should just ratify what SCOTUS struck down? Is that the admin position?

Gonzo: don't believe admin has a position.

Leahy: If an American was accused of spying by another country, evidence collected by sleep deprivation etc., exclude defendant from discovery, then permit the death penalty, handpicked appeals panel, would you have objections?

Gonzo: I would have many objections.

Now he's bashing Hussein's atrocities.

[Mandate My Ass]

13. Leahy asking why admin blocking lawsuits

re torture in 1991. Gonzo doesn't answer.

[RSchewe]

14. As ususal Cornyn will try to reinforce the administrations views....

and ask no critical questions.

You get those types of questions that say:

Torturing is good right?

Specter, regardless of whether he will get anything done has at least put some issues out there and on record. The rest of the Republicans will do nothing but indirectly defend Gonzalez with lead-in questions and criticizing the Democrat's questions and reframe them.

[Ian David]

15. Tuning in now. n/t

[RSchewe]

16. Repubs may as well ask Gonzalez how they can create laws to legalize...

all of the illegal activity he is allowing.

This is what burns me up about these hearings. Republicans are there to defend their guy and the Democrats and Specter are the only committee members asking some critical questions.

Oversight? What's that?

The Republicans show that they have no doubt at all about the validity of any of the legal activities of the Justice Department and the Bush administration.

[Ian David]

17. Gonzales says that obeying Congress violates Bush's Constitutional rights!

Can anyone believe this shit!