Harriet Tells All
"As you know, members of the Senate have indicated their intention to seek documents about my service in the White House in order to judge whether to support me. I have been informed repeatedly that in lieu of records, I would be expected to testify about my service in the White House to demonstrate my experience and judicial philosophy. While I believe that my lengthy career provides sufficient evidence for consideration of my nomination, I am convinced the efforts to obtain Executive Branch materials and information will continue."--Harriet Miers' Withdrawal Letter
Yes, conservatives were unhappy with Harriet. Yes, they wanted more evidence of Scalia-esque dogmatism. But the real problem was in the Senate, and the issue there was, as Harriet said, access to documents.
The Bush Administration protects corporations, dividends, cronies...but, more than anything else, they protect information. One of the first things Albert Gonzales...another White House Counsel...did was lock up records from the Reagan-Bush White House. Documents due to be released. And, in so doing, they also locked up documents from Poppy's White House and Bill's Brothel.
What are they hiding?
In the case of Harriet Miers, she was privy to all the big stuff: the famous Presidential Daily Briefing--"Bin Laden determined to attack," the legal gymnastics employed by the White House's Torquemada torture team, the various legal issues around the case for war, the CIA leak scandal and the general traffic of legal justifications that this Presidency is built upon.
She is a fixer...has been since her time in Texas, and those documents she wrote of in her letter cannot be released, period. It could unfix four years of fixing. It could set the bad precedent of actually releasing documents pertaining to Executive decision-making. We can't have information like that flying around a functioning democracy.
It's all part of a pattern...from the Cheney Energy Commission to Judge Roberts' work on Iran-Contra. A panoply of Reagan-Bush people and Bush-Qualyle people were resurrected in this administration--even guys like Poindexter and McFarlane--and one of the benefits of returning to power is that you can use Executive Privilege to mask, obfuscate and, dare I say, cover up your past actions. Your past crimes.
The Bushies even put a lock on the documents relating Clinton's pardons! Remember Mark Rich, the "financier" who, evidence indicates, laundered drug money. Oh, that's why he needed a pardon. Rep. Dan Burton tried to investigate, but the Administration stopped it. Now they've locked up those documents. Why? A "quid pro quo" between golfing buddies?
It all comes down to information, who controls it and what we are allowed to know. We're all on a need to know basis...and, mostly, we don't need to know. Whether it's forged uranium documents or what Poppy knew and did during Iran-Contra, they have some red-hot information and we are not allowed to see it. Our elected representatives are not allowed to see it.
So, Senators looked for Harriet's paper trail, a trail that led back to the highest level of the White House. It's a trail laced with red herrings--stinking fish like Executive Privilege that stymies us as we track down the perps. Harriet saw that she wasn't going to be able to do her job...protecting her teen idol crush W.
Now she's done her job. And we will not see what she's seen. And the media has it's red herring...fish anyone?
Yes, conservatives were unhappy with Harriet. Yes, they wanted more evidence of Scalia-esque dogmatism. But the real problem was in the Senate, and the issue there was, as Harriet said, access to documents.
The Bush Administration protects corporations, dividends, cronies...but, more than anything else, they protect information. One of the first things Albert Gonzales...another White House Counsel...did was lock up records from the Reagan-Bush White House. Documents due to be released. And, in so doing, they also locked up documents from Poppy's White House and Bill's Brothel.
What are they hiding?
In the case of Harriet Miers, she was privy to all the big stuff: the famous Presidential Daily Briefing--"Bin Laden determined to attack," the legal gymnastics employed by the White House's Torquemada torture team, the various legal issues around the case for war, the CIA leak scandal and the general traffic of legal justifications that this Presidency is built upon.
She is a fixer...has been since her time in Texas, and those documents she wrote of in her letter cannot be released, period. It could unfix four years of fixing. It could set the bad precedent of actually releasing documents pertaining to Executive decision-making. We can't have information like that flying around a functioning democracy.
It's all part of a pattern...from the Cheney Energy Commission to Judge Roberts' work on Iran-Contra. A panoply of Reagan-Bush people and Bush-Qualyle people were resurrected in this administration--even guys like Poindexter and McFarlane--and one of the benefits of returning to power is that you can use Executive Privilege to mask, obfuscate and, dare I say, cover up your past actions. Your past crimes.
The Bushies even put a lock on the documents relating Clinton's pardons! Remember Mark Rich, the "financier" who, evidence indicates, laundered drug money. Oh, that's why he needed a pardon. Rep. Dan Burton tried to investigate, but the Administration stopped it. Now they've locked up those documents. Why? A "quid pro quo" between golfing buddies?
It all comes down to information, who controls it and what we are allowed to know. We're all on a need to know basis...and, mostly, we don't need to know. Whether it's forged uranium documents or what Poppy knew and did during Iran-Contra, they have some red-hot information and we are not allowed to see it. Our elected representatives are not allowed to see it.
So, Senators looked for Harriet's paper trail, a trail that led back to the highest level of the White House. It's a trail laced with red herrings--stinking fish like Executive Privilege that stymies us as we track down the perps. Harriet saw that she wasn't going to be able to do her job...protecting her teen idol crush W.
Now she's done her job. And we will not see what she's seen. And the media has it's red herring...fish anyone?
posted by Josophist at 1:09 PM
2 Comments:
I'm just glad she's withdrawn her nomination. That is the short-sighted view, yes. But we will never get past corruption in our pristine democracy. It's so old hat.k
Yes, Josophist, this administration loves secrecy. Of course its not that they have anything to hide. To think that would make one a "conspiracy nut"!
It's just that they're very shy, private people--these people who are running American and the world into the ground. Just trust them, Josophist. The mainstream media sure have.
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