WH denied Brownie executive privilege

[Oilwellian]

Oh boy...do ya have your popcorn ready? :D

Michael D. Brown, the former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was rebuffed in his request for a claim of executive privilege and plans to testify to a Senate panel today about his calls and e-mails to President Bush and top White House aides in the Hurricane Katrina crisis, Brown's lawyer said yesterday.

White House Counsel Harriet Miers declined to offer Brown a legal defense for declining to testify or respond to a Feb. 6 letter advising that without such protection Brown "intends to answer all questions fully, completely and accurately," said Brown's lawyer, Andrew W. Lester.

Lester wrote that Brown will testify if asked about communications with Bush, Vice President Cheney, Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr., Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove, Deputy Chief of Staff Joseph Hagin, domestic policy adviser Claude A. Allen and national security adviser Stephen J. Hadley.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/09/AR2006020901983.html

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

1. Lessee... Harriet doesn't get to the Supreme Court, Brownie gets canned..

Is there something in Muddville tonight?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

4. My guess:

Freed from the restraints of being a Chimp toady, Brownie "testifies."

"The Chimp was awesome," gushed Brownie. "I wish I hadn't failed him."

Page 14, paragraph 2 of the playbook.

[DemInDistress]

2. sounds like "heckofajob brownie" doesn't like living...lol

others have met a grim death threatening with less info than brownie..will it be classified a suicide?

[Wilms]

7. Just classified.

To reveal the cause of death would tell our enemies too much about out tactics.

[DemInDistress]

16. rotf....^5 thanks for the chuckle will brownie rat ?? hm nt

[Erika]

3. Ah, by Harriet Miers, the sub plots of this misadministration

should be most interesting.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

6. Agatha couldn't have come up with this....

[saltpoint]

5. In most films you can root for someone who represents 'good' and

a decent, principled path.

That's a doomed commitment when it comes to this administration.

Michael Brown should never be trusted to muck stables, let alone be in charge of emergency management.

I hope Brownie puts on a desperate and splashy show that makes red voters in Cincinnati realize what a shit manager Bush really is.

[thefloyd]

8. May or May not be relevant but

Claude Allen resigned either yesterday or today. Just a coincidence? I think not.

[Oilwellian]

12. Oh, didn't know that

Don't know anything about the guy but perhaps will learn more tomorrow. It's interesting that Hadley's on Brownie's list of contacts. :D

[global1]

9. Rove Is Preparing * For The "He's A Disgruntled Employee.....

defense".

[Erika]

11. But Brownie did one heck uv a job

We all heard the W say that.

[Greeby]

10. Popcorn?

Right here :popcorn:

[Erika]

14. This is so fun

Harriet Myers, rejected by the neocons, is offering no protection to "heck uv a job Brownie." Brownie guarantees to squeal without this protection.

Rove, the champion of the neocons, calls Brownie a disgruntled employee and attacks him. Rove is hoping not to be indicted on his own charges.

In the meantime, Libby is squealing on Cheney. Libby doesn't really need the money, he's got a very dirty sex book selling on the market.

Ah, the heart and soul of the GOP. Corrupt and cheap.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

24. with sprinkles!!!

:)

[Fridays Child]

13. Will Brownie make it to the hearing, tomorrow?

Or will there be an unfortunate accident/tragic suicide? :scared:

[Erika]

15. Or another national security alert n/t

[raysr]

17. These pricks have gotten

away with so much they're probably still laughing at someone so naive as to think they can be brought down.

[Bluestar]

18. Can You Say John Dean???

Nobody thought we would ever get to the bottom of the Watergate mess. Little articles ran in the back pages of the newspaper for at least 2 years about this little break-in. I'll never forget when I saw John Dean on TV testifying before the committee. He was respectful and self-effacing. He was charming and talkative and apologetic for his role in the cover-up. He was digging Nixon a hole that he could never climb out of. I'll never forget my euphoria when I heard the words coming out of his mouth--a total surprise to everyone who was tuned in that day.

You never know who might be the one to crack first--old "heckuva job Brownie" might be the small leak that breaks he dam wide open.

[Sydnie]

19. Life is like a box of Chocolates, Brownie

You never know what you're gonna get. :rofl:

[lies and propaganda]

20. i dont get how we can just let him blackmail

He just outright said it, help me or im telling.

Granted, I want those levees to break as well, i just dont get how we can allow someone to nonchalantly tell us they will/have/do lie if they dont get what they want.

[fishwax]

21. where did he say he would lie? n/t

[lies and propaganda]

22. he implied it by stating he would discuss hsi communications

with Bush during Katrina UNLESS they provided him with counsel; in a letter to harriet Miers.

its bonechilling, imho.

[fishwax]

26. I still don't see where the lie is

He's basically saying: unless I have the cover of executive privilege, I will have to testify about these matters. If I have to testify, I will tell the truth.

The bush administration has systematically abused executive privilege on every possible front in the past several years. I don't get why they wouldn't try to get brownie covered with it too ...

[laheina]

23. Well

He said that he would testify unless...and a lie of omission is still a lie.

[fishwax]

25. it wouldn't be a lie of omission if he didn't testify at all though

it would be an outrage, but I don't see how one could accuse him of lying if he took advantage of the cover of executive privilege, were the white house to extend it to him. (Frankly, I can't understand why the administration wouldn't try to extend that to him, but I definitely hope they don't and that he winds up testifying.)

[laheina]

27. I don't know why they wouldn't extend it either.

The whole political climate of the past few weeks has been odd. I'm kinda exhausted from trying to guess what's going on.

I just hope that he does testify and speaks some truth. We shall see.

[Nothing Without Hope]

28. From Brown's comments in the new NYT article, I expect him to say

that the fault is in the ORGANIZATION and push the WH's agenda on giving the President military control in emergencies:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x377040
thread title (2-10-06 GD): NYT: WH knew early about levee breaks - and BUSH POWER GRAB ALERT!