What Happens in Vegas: Jon Ralston Talks About John Ensign Scandal

Here's a little local look at a national story. You know about former Senator John Ensign's little sex scandal and BIG coverup. But outside of The Rachel Maddow Show which has followed the story since the beginning, I don't think the story is getting a lot of national attention. Larry Semenza and Sam Hunterton, two former United States Attorneys, were interviewed by our local Las Vegas politico, Jon Ralston on Face to Face on Friday night. Ralston's style is kind of interesting, and the conversation is one you're unlikely to hear on FOX "News."

Revelations from Karl Rove's and Harriet Miers' Testimony

Image from source, Raw Story

I'm quite past believing that my wishes and dreams of Karl Rove being frog-marched out of the FOX "News" studios in shackles will ever come to pass. Though it is a sweet dream that is hard to abandon. But I'm glad to see Turd Blossom actually having some mud that sticks to him. So while they probably aren't going to nail him with something illegal, the ethics and morality of this stink, and that is the legacy he should be left with.

[Excerpt]

White House emails, Bush aide implicate Rove in firing of US Attorneys

The House Judiciary Committee released thousands of pages of new documents concerning the firing of nine US Attorneys under the Bush Administration — and they heavily implicate the office of onetime Bush adviser Karl Rove. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Karl Rove to Be Questioned by Prosecutors

Image from source, RawStory

I hope these prosecutors live up to their title. Prosecute!!!

[Excerpt]

Rove to be questioned by prosecutors on US attorney scandal

Karl Rove, former political adviser to George W. Bush, will be interviewed Friday by prosecutors as part of an ongoing investigation into the politically motivated firing of U.S. attorneys during the Bush administration.

“He will be questioned tomorrow by Connecticut prosecutor Nora R. Dannehy, who was named last year to examine whether any former senior Justice Department and White House officials lied or obstructed justice in connection with the dismissal of federal prosecutors in 2006,” reported The Washington Post. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Karl Rove and Harriet Miers to Testify--With Conditions

Photo from source, Think Progress

It's not all we hoped for, but it's something. Now, let's just hope that "perjury" thingy comes to pass. . .

[Excerpt]

House Judiciary Committee secures Rove, Miers testimony on U.S. Attorney scandal.

After months of ignoring congressional subpoenas to testify, Karl Rove and Harriet Miers have apparently agreed to discuss the firing of nine U.S. Attorneys with the House Judiciary Committee, the Committee announced this evening. Rove and Miers will submit transcribed depositions under penalty of perjury, and the Committee has reserved the right to have public testimony from the two former Bush aides. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

Jonathan Turley on Karl Rove's Latest No Show

Alison Stewart sat in for an ailing Rachel Maddow tonight, and did a pretty good job. The spot that stood out the most for me was her interview with Constitutional expert, Jonathan Turley. They talked about Karl Rove, and his latest refusal to appear before Congress, even though he has been subpoenaed.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Send Karl Rove to Jail (Please?)

Image from source, RawStory

If anybody else pulled this crap, they'd be escorted to jail. And there is almost nobody in this country who would have a problem with that. I've got to wonder if Karl Rove has got dirt on somebody, or several somebodies. What other reason could there be? He's never been elected to office. He isn't some kind of foreign diplomat with special immunity. He's an slimy little dweeb, who had a shaky case when he had a compliant administration to work with. What is saving his butt now?

[Excerpt]

Rove skips House testimony for third time

Karl Rove did it again. Or rather, he didn't do it again.For the third time, the former Bush official – and newly crowned king of D.C. Twitterers – failed to appear before the House Judiciary Committee to testify about his alleged involvement in the firing of U.S. Attorneys and the alleged political prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman. . .

Read more at: RawStory

Why Would Obama Seek to Help Karl Rove?

Photo from source, Raw Story

I've been reluctant to overly criticize Barack Obama, and to give him some slack in these early days of his Presidency. While I did vote for him, I'm not lock-steppy in my allegiance. I want him to succeed, and I want him to fix the problems created by too many years of conservative rule. But it is mighty difficult to get behind this decision.

For what possible reason would Obama have to go easy on Karl Rove? What political calculation could come out with an equation that would favor such a thing? The number of people in this country who are in Rove's corner wouldn't fill a small town. And the number of the President's supporters who will be aggravated by such an action couldn't be held in Mile High Stadium.

[Excerpt]

Obama, not Bush, now seeking delay of Rove deposition

Former Bush Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove has a new president urging Congress not to force him to testify next week.President Barack Obama. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Karl Rove Reportedly Will Not Plead the Fifth

Photo from source, Raw Story

Ah, so he's just going to lie then, I take it?

[Excerpt]

Rove not covered by executive privilege in political prosecution case, lawyer says

Representatives of the Bush White House are no longer advising former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove that he is protected by executive privilege as regards testimony about the alleged political prosecution of an Alabama governor. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Karl Rove to Cooperate with Department of Justice?

Photo from source, TPM Muckraker

Did that headline give you a Scooby Doo "Huh???" moment, like it did me? Karl Rove? Cooperating with the Department of Justice? Really? O. . .K. . . Watch out for this guy, fellas, he's slippery.

[Excerpt]

Attorney: Rove Will Cooperate With DOJ Probes

Karl Rove will cooperate with a federal criminal inquiry underway into the firings of nine U.S. attorneys and has already spoken to investigators in a separate, internal DOJ investigation into the prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, his attorney said in an interview. . .

Read more at: TPM Muckraker

Attorney General: Not all Illegal Activities are Crimes

Photo from source, Raw Story

Really? Maybe Attorney General Michael Mukasey should release a list of laws that are "OK" for us to break, so that we'll know for future reference. Honestly, are Republicans still going to try and pretend that they are the "law and order" party? If there were ever a clearer sign that IOKIYAR (It's OK If You're a Republican), I haven't seen it. And they're still aghast that Bill Clinton lied to Congress about sex? Do we really have to continue taking them seriously?

[Excerpt]

Mukasey: No prosecutions in Justice hiring scandal

Former Justice Department officials will not face prosecution for letting improper political considerations drive hirings of prosecutors, immigration judges and other career government lawyers, Attorney General Michael Mukasey said Tuesday. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Former US Attorneys: Congressional Subpoenas OK

Photo of Rep. John Conyers from source, TPM Muckraker

Part of the reason I'm so sick of the current Democratic Presidential primary contest, is that Hillary Clinton seems to be running on sheer force of will. She and her husband both seem to think that merely saying a thing makes it true. She is winning by "any measure," they say. Uh, no. Only by a very specific, largely irrelevant measure.

This echos the standard operating procedure of the Bush White House over the last 7+ years. Say a thing (usually often, and with many members of the Administration actually using the same exact words), and it must be true. Worse, the thing often becomes conventional wisdom--at least among the loyal Bushies.

One of the big whoppers they've been trying to sell over the last couple of years is "executive privilege." They use it as an excuse to have Administration officials--current and former--just flatly refuse to appear before Congress. But maybe, just maybe, this particular thing won't become true.

[Excerpt]

24 Former U.S. Attorneys Say Congress Can Subpoena White House

In the legal standoff between Congress and the White House, a group of 24 former federal prosecutors is siding with Congress.

The attorneys joined in a friend-of-the-court brief arguing that Congress should be allowed to issue subpoenas to White House aides to investigate political influence at the Department of Justice. . .

Read more at: TPM Muckraker

Karl Rove Subpoenaed!!! Frog-march Clock Starts

Photo from source, Raw Story

I've been covering Congressman John Conyers' attempts to question Karl Rove for some time. And I've long held a dream that Rove be held accountable for his many, many crimes against America. All while Rove quietly slunk out of the White House, and over to FOX "News" (essentially a job transfer), to become a highly lauded (by FOXbots) political commentator.

There is frankly to much sleaze to wade through about Rove, if you don't know much about him. Go to the library and borrow Bush's Brain, which will bring you up to speed. Suffice it to say, liberals who follow politics, like me, would rather see Rove skewered than just about any other Bush Administration member, with the possible exceptions of Dick Cheney and George W. Bush himself.

Go get him, Mr. Conyers, you're our only hope!

[Excerpt]

Conyers subpoenas Karl Rove over Justice Department scandal

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) issued a subpoena Thursday to former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove for testimony about politicization of the Department of Justice (DOJ), including the case of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman, who was jailed for bribery in what was widely seen as a political prosecution. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

House Files Suit for Contempt by Miers, Bolten

Photo from source, New York Times

Can I get a woo-hoo? In a rare move, Congress did not drop the ball, and followed through with their threat to file suit. If they hadn't, any future Congressional subpoenas would be effectively meaningless. The White House, of course, is balking. But tell me, if they've got nothing to hide, what are they afraid of? Isn't that the line they're using on us, regarding domestic spying?

[Excerpt]

Panel Asks Judge to Rule in Contempt Case

The confrontation between the White House and Congressional Democrats escalated on Monday as the House Judiciary Committee asked a federal judge to force Harriet E. Miers, former White House counsel, and Joshua B. Bolten, White House chief of staff, to provide information about the dismissals of federal prosecutors in 2007. . .

Read more at: New York Times

Cheney Won't Turn Over Documents

Photo from source, RawStory.com

Being a high-ranking government official shouldn't mean that you get to make up your own rules. That should go without saying, particularly after Nixon, and his infamous quote, "when the President does it, that means it is not illegal"

I don't care what your political allegiances are, this has simply got to stop. If you don't agree, can you explain why you feel that way?

[Excerpt]

Cheney has warrantless wiretapping documents, won't turn them over

Vice President Dick Cheney's office has in its possession more than 50 documents related to a congressional investigation of the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping program, but Cheney's lawyer on Monday refused to hand over the documents in response to a subpoena.

In a letter sent to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the vice president's lawyer, Shannen W. Coffin, identified dozens of presidential authorizations of the program and Justice Department memos on its legal justifications in Cheney's possession. Coffin refused to hand over the documents, citing a president's right to keep deliberations with his advisers private. . .

Read more at: RawStory.com

White House Violating its Own Email Policy

Photo from source, RawStory.com

Oh, come on, like we're even capable of being surprised by that. Of course they're violating their own policy. The Decider/Commander Guy obviously doesn't believe in rules of any kind.

[Excerpt]

Aide's testimony shows White House violating its own e-mail policy

Jennings, who serves as Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Political Affairs in the White House, went on to say he continues to use his RNC e-mail account heavily for a variety of official business, such as hiring and firing US Attorneys.

"I use my RNC account for many matters, including [US Attorneys-related issues]," he said.
Jennings' remarks came after a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform report from June identified him as a heavy user of an RNC e-mail account that was not properly archived.

"The RNC has reported that the first available e-mail for Scott Jennings is dated January 1, 2003," the Oversight Committee report observed. "However, the RNC has only preserved four of Mr. Jennings’s e-mails dated earlier than August 2006. In contrast, the RNC has over 35,000 e-mails sent and received by Mr. Jennings during the nine months between August 2006 and April 2007."

Read more at: RawStory.com

Rove Refuses to Testify

Picture from LowCulture.com

That pig. Seriously.

[Excerpt]

Rove refuses to testify on role in prosecutor firings

White House senior adviser Karl Rove has rebuked a Senate Judiciary Committee subpoena and will not appear Thursday to testify about his role in the firing of nine US Attorneys, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said late Wednesday.

The Senate Judiciary chairman chided the White House for allowing Rove to give public speeches about the attorney firing scandal but not permit his testimony under oath.

Read more at: RawStory.com

The Bush Hits the Fan

Photo collage from source, HuffingtonPost.com

It's often said that this Congress was elected in November to end the war in Iraq. That's part of it. For me, another big part was two magic words: subpoena power.

Even the most hard-core right-winger would have to admit that during the previous years of the Bush Administration, there was precious little oversight. Congress ceased to be a separate but equal division of government--they were just a rubber stamp for anything the President wanted. When Democrats in the last Congress thought something was awry, they had absolutely no power to do anything about it. They couldn't even hold hearings in the Capitol, unless it was in a friggin' storage room in the basement.

So yes, a big part of the appeal of a Democratic Congress was the return of subpoena power. And that power is finally bearing fruit, or at least the promise of fruit. Tony Snow can rant and rave all he wants, this was overdue, and it is the "people's business."

My hope is that Congress remains steadfast, and builds upon this good start. Don't drop it, don't worry that the public isn't supporting you. Take these things to their conclusions, let the actual crimes and misdeeds be laid open. If you do that, you don't have to worry about public support. Once the string is pulled on this interconnected web of deceit, it will finally unravel, and it will not be difficult to attain that support. End of rant.

For a good rundown of some of what's going on right now, click here: Bush Crisis: Rove Subpoenaed, Senators Want Gonzales Perjury Probe, Contempt Of Congress at HuffingtonPost.com.

Docs Contradict Gonzales Sworn Testimony

Photo from source, HuffingtonPost.com

A great report from Keith Olbermann on MSNBC's Countdown program this evening, outlines clearly that Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez has committed perjury. Will my fears be borne out? Will they just let him skate?

[Excerpt]

Docs contradict Gonzales sworn testimony.

The "Gang of Eight", prominent congressional leaders of both parties, were briefed about the President's terrorist surveillance program immediately before it's intended expiration date, documents just exposed reveal.

The documents directly contradict the sworn testimony of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, heightening the questions of his credibility and fueling the rumours of perjury charges.

"A Gonzales spokesman maintained Wednesday that the attorney general stands by his testimony." according to the Associate Press.

More of this story, the complete AP story, and video from MSNBC available at: RawStory.com

UPDATE: More, from Huffington Post: Senators Consider Gonzales Perjury Investigation

Saturday Night Roundup

I was otherwise occupied for most of the day, and haven't had a lot of time to post. If I don't fall asleep in my chair, I may put up one or two more tonight, but I may just have to make up for it on Sunday. Beer + Sun + Pool = TIRED! So not much commentary this go-around. But how 'bout a few interesting links?

From RawStory: White House hit with 'enforcement' threat over Congressional subpoenas

From Huffington Post: Blazing Jeep Slams Into Glasgow Airport..."Britain Under Attack"...Two Arrests...Bystanders Tackle Fleeing Suspect...Photos: Smoldering Culprit Pinned By Police..."There Was A Man On Fire. It Was Terrifying"..."Suicide Belt" Found...Airport Chaos..."Baptism Of Fire" For New PM Brown

From the New York Times: For President Bush, a Reversal of Fortune on His Political Capital

And this entertaining story by Andrew Sullivan, by way of Wonkette: Fred Thompson Rumor Watch

That's it for the moment guys. I promise to have something entertaining, thought-provoking, or at least mildly amusing later tonight or tomorrow.

If the Government Has Nothing to Hide. . .

Dr. Robert Bowman is quoted as saying, “If the government has nothing to hide,then why are they hiding everything?” He said it about his belief that the government is withholding information about 9/11. But it would seem that it applies to almost everything this administration does. The most current example is George Bush's refusal to comply with Congress' subpoenas regarding the attorney-firing scandal.

Freepers will tell you that the US Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the president (sounds kinky), and so there is nothing to this scandal. Maybe not. But Alberto Gonzales lied about it. Why? Most people lie to save face or cover their collective behinds. Considering all the things that have been revealed so far, I'd say that this particular scandal has the ability to tumble the whole house of cards. It's not the crime (or in this case, action), it's the cover up.

WASHINGTON — President Bush, in a constitutional showdown with Congress,
claimed executive privilege Thursday and rejected demands for White House
documents and testimony about the firing of U.S. attorneys.

His decision was denounced as "Nixonian stonewalling" by the chairman
of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Bush rejected subpoenas for documents from former presidential counsel
Harriet Miers and former political director Sara Taylor. The White House made
clear neither one would testify next month, as directed by the subpoenas.

Presidential counsel Fred Fielding said Bush had made a reasonable
attempt at compromise but Congress forced the confrontation by issuing
subpoenas. "With respect, it is with much regret that we are forced down this
unfortunate path which we sought to avoid by finding grounds for mutual
accommodation." More at Huffington Post.

AND THIS:

"President Bush moved one step closer to a constitutional showdown with Democrats on Thursday, as the White House asserted executive privilege in refusing to comply with congressional subpoenas for documents related to the dismissal of federal prosecutors," the New York Times is set to report on Friday's front page. More at RawStory.