dKos: "Important development In Gonzales hearing"

[understandinglife]

by Welshman
Mon Feb 06, 2006 at 12:09:06 PM PDT

During the first morning of Gonzales' testimony to the Congressional hearing on the wiretapping issue, a critical sleight-of-hand has been allowed to occur that has not been challenged.

It is making a nonsense of the whole hearing and allowing the answers of Gonzales to deny aspects of the programme that the Democrat Senators believe they are discussing and certainly what all of us on DKos believed these hearings were about.

It is all contained in the key words that Gonzales has been careful to continously repeat "the programme that we are discussing today"

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Please, please telephone the offices of the Democratic Senators and ask them to demand what other programmes exist and why these are not also being addressed at these hearings.

This is not Gonzales answering hypotheticals, using mincing words or obfuscating. Gonzales has been allowed to define what is being discussed and is a deliberate - and maybe successful - diversion of the subject matter of the hearings.

I believe that the game was almost given away (and would have been if someone had been sharp enough to pick him up on it) when Republican Sessions intriguingly began to ask, before checking himself: "But when you do domestic...but I won't go into that".

Much more at the link -- including important comments:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/2/6/1496/16402

Anyone here with access to one of the Dem Senators or their staff -- PLEASE GET THIS dKos THREAD TO THEM.


Peace.

[Atman]

1. All due respect, but DU trounced KOS on scooping this one!

In fact...I think I made the scoop! LOL!

But you're/KOS is right. Ali G is discussing one thing, but the senators seem to be asking about another.

[understandinglife]

4. The ONLY REASON I posted this here ...

... was not a matter of keeping score between Kos and DU -- it was a matter of drawing folk attention to the issue and the comments. If you want me to delete the thread, just say so.


Peace.

[Atman]

5. No, not at all...thanks for the post!

I'm not talking about keeping score, either. Just pointing out that the KOS poster might be checking up on DU! Don't delete the thread. The more exposure the better.

[understandinglife]

11. Feingold is apparently onto the "program(s)" issue ...

RF: Are there any other programs we should know about that are not before the committee today that the Administration is conducting or has conducted that raise questions under FISA? AG: Can’t answer that.

http://firedoglake.blogspot.com/2006_02_05_firedoglake_archive.html#113925552398441428

torture boy is such a criminal ....


Peace.

[BushOut06]

9. Is there a rivalry of sorts between KOS and DU?

I really don't frequent KOS unless someone posts a link to an article over there, so I really don't know. Is there a friendly sort of rivalry between these two sites? :hi: :toast:

[Atman]

10. None that I know of.

Read 'em both. You can't be too informed.

Actually...maybe you CAN be "too informed." For example, the more informed I become re: BushCo, the more sick to my stomach I become.

[fooj]

2. Doesn't Jane Hamsher have some sort of access to Kennedy?

She may be able to help get this to him. Did you post this at her website?

Peace.

[debbierlus]

3. It does't matter

Gonzalez is not going to answer or give any info on these programs...

They can't even get him to answer questions about this one.

All he would say - I am not at liberty to talk about classified programs.

The only thing that would out those programs is more leaks.

Not, trying to get Gonzalez to confess.

[bigtree]

6. I think what he is mainly trying to do is insulate Bush from his 2004

statements about wiretaps having court authorization. He made the distinction that Bush was supposedly just talking about roving wiretaps, even though Bush qualified the statement and made it a general reference aside from what he was discussing.

That was that and this is this, blah, blah, blah . . .

[blm]

7. That's how I take it, too.

.

[savemefromdumbya]

8. Democrats should have FORCED him to answer THEIR questions

[KittyWampus]

12. Um, without the use of truth serum, how do they do that? Leahy

REPEATEDLY asked a question over and over that required a Yes or No... and the schmuck wouldn't answer.

[Wordie]

13. K&R

[banana republican]

14. It was the questions that he didn't answer that

are the most revealing.

Such as the senator asking him if he knew of any other examples of * breaking the law or spying on mericans

[BuyingThyme]

15. kcik

[EFerrari]

16. kick

[KoKo]

17. I gave UP on the hearings when I saw that the Dems were boxed in

and weren't allowed to ask Gonzales about the "scope" of their "illegal spying." The whole issue just was a "round and round" about "wiretapping" when we know it was more than that from reports from the Right Wing NYT's and WaPo and others, fgs!

Only Leahy and Finestein (gasp*) really asked the proper questions and Gonzalez refused to answer.

I gave up about an hour after they came back from "lunch break." I'd had enough....:-(