Digby: Why can't Bush admit he sent Gonzalez to a sick man's room for a coerced signature?

[BurtWorm]

Is he ashamed or something? *Him?*


http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/i-know-you-are-but-what-am-i-by-digby-i.html

I Know You Are But What Am I

by digby

I was going to mention this too, but I see Atrios got there first:

Back in those happy days in the 90s, if Clinton had refused to answer a question like this a shitstorm would've erupted. Ted Koppel would've put up a "17 days and still no answer" clock. Tweety would have had 37 blond conservative lawyers on every night to demand "accountability." etc... etc...


Bush's answer (like most of Gonzales' ) is entirely unresponsive and should be greeted with howls of protest from the press and relentless pounding from the punditocrisy. This isn't some "investigation" about which Bush has "promised" not to comment, as he has claimed with previous scandals. This was a direct question about whether he ordered Card and Gonzales to go over to Ashcroft's room in the ICU to get him to sign off on a program that he had already said he would not sign off on.

That's key, you know, as to just how despicable this gambit was. Ashcroft had made it known that he would no longer sign off on this (or these) programs before he got sick. They were trying to get the man to sign something with which he disagreed while he was under heavy sedation in the ICU. And according to Comey, it was his impression that Bush had personally called Mrs Ashcroft to get her to let them in the room. How low is that? (And how important it was to them that they would even risk it for what would surely be a short period --- after all, Ashcroft would recover, and presumably would resent the fact that they had done this thing.)

In any case, Bush was deeply involved. He met with both Comey and Mueller on the issue after they all said they'd resign. The spinners are trying to say that their Dear Leader finally overruled others who had nefarious intentions , but his refusal to answer the question today should put that to rest. There's no reason for him to launch into such outdated 2003 gibberish about enemies lurking who "would like to strike" if he didn't order it. It's obvious that he did.

It would be nice of all the "Democratic strategists" pushed this today when they appear on the gasbag shows. Bush is personally on the run, now. They should chase him.

[pansypoo53219]

1. georgie is 'special'

can't pick on the retard. that's mean.

[man4allcats]

2. Ball-less fuck that he is, Bush isn't even man enough to admit

that he slept with Condi much less admit to something of this gravity! And Condi would never admit she slept with Bush because, whore though she is, she still knows it was beneath her dignity.


Impeach the Bastids!

[kurth]

3. "Bush does not deny ordering Card & Gonzales to get signature from delerious Ashcroft"

- Proposed headline from poster on digby.

[enough]

4. k&r

[salin]

5. I bet that the emphasis of any ongoing coverage will be about

the "uncouthness" of the late night visit (and maybe even be critical of busch)

and spend little time asking about just what was going on with the program - for years - that was so awful that the head of DOJ, FBI and lots of DOJ top folks would resign.

[ananda]

12. Bush grammar and spelling police say..

.. it's uncouthiness. ;-)

[Nunyabiz]

6. Because it would be admitting

to what is without question an Impeachable offense.
Not that it really matters since he has already admitted to several other Impeachable offenses and has at least 25 on his list right now and Democrats refuse to do their Constitutional Duty.

[mwb970]

7. It is also the duty of the Republicans to impeach.

...Democrats refuse to do their Constitutional Duty.

The Constitution requires that a president who commits "high crimes and misdemeanors" be impeached and tried. It does not mention that this need be followed only by members of the opposition political party. It applies to Congress as a whole.

[Nunyabiz]

13. True

but these rethuglicans are crooked beyond description they will only vote for it when about 150 Million boot heels are on their throats forcing them to.

[KharmaTrain]

8. Where's CBS & ABC On This Story????

Media Matter reported that neither network could have been bothered with Comey's testimony. I guess they had to promote another "winning hearts & minds in Iraq" story or the chase for another dead blonde. They couldn't be bothered with this ghoulish and desperate act from a regime that has shat upon our Constitution from the moment they seized power.

Don't these fucks know what was at stake here? It wasn't some sleezy blowjob, but the ability to eavesdrop on their phone conversations, read their email and gather all sorts of other information that has nothing about social "terrorism", but sure could be used for economic terrorism. And if these asshats don't think this regime would be mining all that information to get the dirt on their political opponents, they need to quit right now and sell shoes.

ABC & CBS should be shamed as to missing this story. They need to explain why this major testimony (that many of us here knew about 2 plus years ago) wasn't covered and why. What did they see that made this story non "newsworthy". I think that will tell you a lot about where our corporate media is.

It's easy to say "If this had been Clinton"...but I think we're beyond that now. This regime has intimidated its way to a free pass that has paralyzed the corporate media into sheepish complicity. And how does the corporate media attempt to regain credibility that it's lost on all side? It attempts to downplay criticism as "if they weren't bitching, we wouldn't be doing our jobs". Bullshit. It's time to demand the corporate media report ALL news, not just what they want us to believe is "news" that is a thinly disguised commercial for one of their other corporate enterprises.

[malaise]

9. Has any President violated more laws

in history? I M P E A C H!

[jhain]

10. * goes to bed at 8:30pm

He was drugged up and tucked in well before any of this went down that night.

He doesn't know his ass from a daisy cutter landing zone.

[BurtWorm]

11. Au contraire.

He called the Ashcrofts in their hospital room to tell them he was sending Gonzalez and Card with the papers. Someone may have dialed the phone and given him every word he said, but it was he who did it.

[jhain]

14. Well, well, well.

The sick plot thickens more and more. Be a trip, wouldn't it, if all along Georgie had been pulling Dick's chain?

More on the subject:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=914030&mesg_id=914030