Can anyone clarify if Specter has the authority to speak for the SJC? He's not the chairman anymore.
I understand that he is floating a trial balloon, and perhaps with permission from the committee.
Sure would like to know if Judiciary Comm. backed him up on this.

There is absolutely no reason to compromise! Why is Specter putting forth a compromise position when the WH has not said anything? Better yet -- why should anyone in the WH be held to any lower standard than anyone else? We would have to swear an oath.

I am sick and tired of this crap, and I know a lot of other people (Rep and Dem both) who are as well. The Republicans had better get busy and goad the WH into giving up the goods so this mess can get finished.

They were the ones who elected this idiot and his sidekicks to office. If they want to survive as a party, they had better find a way to control him. I hear the fat lady testing her tonsils in the practice studio...

There is absolutely no reason to compromise! Why is Specter putting forth a compromise position when the WH has not said anything? Better yet -- why should anyone in the WH be held to any lower standard than anyone else? We would have to swear an oath.

I am sick and tired of this crap, and I know a lot of other people (Rep and Dem both) who are as well. The Republicans had better get busy and goad the WH into giving up the goods so this mess can get finished.

They were the ones who elected this idiot and his sidekicks to office. If they want to survive as a party, they had better find a way to control him. I hear the fat lady testing her tonsils in the practice studio...

Just send the Sergeant-at-Arms to the White House already, armed with a subpoena, a six-shooter, and some back-up. Roll the cameras so we can all see that the White House is blocking the issuance of a Congressional subpoena by force of arms.

That's the visual this country needs to see, and the White House is playing perfectly into our hands if we just take them up on their challenge. Rove won't be able to leave the White House, so we'll get to see Mrs. Rove bringing him bologna sandwiches, Fritos and Snapple every morning, along with a clean shirt and the new Readers' Digest.

We have in our grasp a visual demonstration of White House lawlessness. Can we not seize it?

To paraphrase Senator Feingold - It is time to begin using the Congressional Power of the Purse!

Congress must insist on sworn, public testimony. We can all see how Democratic attempts to get at the truth are going. All Congressional business should be brought to a standstill until Bush gives in on this issue.

The poll out today showing a 23% approval rating for Congress shows where the Democrats are getting by playing a civilized game with unashamed criminals. It is time to get tough in the Senate, or out with Harry Reid.

By the way, how about starting with booting Joltin'Joe from his committee positions. After his vote to uphold the Republican filibuster on Gonzales, no one can have any doubt which side of the aisle he's really on. It is the duty of the Democrats to appoint committee chairmen who represent the will of the voters. Joe is about as far from that as Osama Bin Laden. Out with him, and damn the results of acting in accord with our positions.

i just want to know one thing: why does bush continue to get everything he wants all the time?

why?

what is his secret potion?

bill clinton, one of the most polished and persuasive president in american history, got almost NOTHING he wanted. ever!

bush, the most idiotic and clueless dolt of a president we've ever had, gets everything he wants.

who can explain this conumdrum?

Wait, is it the *same* crime to lie to investigators under oath and without it? If so, why would they resist the oath if it's still illegal to lie? Might they be able to loophole out of any problems by relying on this distinction?

Must be under oath, and must be a transcript. They can hold the hearing privately in Port-a-John for all I care...as long as I get to read the transcript.

Someone has told Specter he's not Chairman anymore, right?

Frankly, at this point, when multiple officials have testified and been extremely less than forthcoming, if not outright misleading, I think we can't be so compromising. It's not like we'd be saving the White House any embarrassment; anyone who could express confidence in Alberto is beyond embarrassment.

I'm not interested in court cases either, but it's time to cut the crap. The White House sees offers of compromise as weakness. Congress must get tough with them before they'll pay attention.

Arlen is a menace. Every time that he tries to broker a deal, he is actually shilling for the WH.

These kinds of people should testify in the open, under oath. I'm very interested in hearing from those who have subverted our once beautiful America. Scoundrels!

I agree fully with Sojourner & On the Clock - time for Congress to go ahead and tell TurdBlossom "Go ahead and make my Day " The only remaining question is when - My "cheap seats vantage point " tells me that the Dems need to run the track on getting Meir & Sarah under oath.
I am still betting the Democrats have other " already answered questions" to be asked before we go & collect the "evil Doers" .That is we may need to let the Confrontation with The WH be made at the most advantageous time.
I wonder if they already are about to indict other high ranking Republicants - Conyers , Leahy & Schumer are smart prosecutors _ I am still betting we are just on the Cusp of the Final Smackdown with the Busheviks...

I understand the theory of Executive Privilege to some modest extent, but given that Miers and Taylor no longer work at the White House, exactly how can Bush, in a practical sense, protect them from having to testify?

Seems that you set a date and a time, and if they don't show up, you send the House Sergeant-at-Arms around to bring them in.

If this were the sole crime of BushCo I would be a bit more enthusiastic with Congress spending its precious resources and time investigating thios matter, however, te Iraq ware wages while this administration in an unfettered fashion reviews the e-mails and cell phone conversations of millions of US citizens without a warrant issued by an indepedent judiciary after having determined that probable cause exists under the Constitution.

The investigation of the DOJ, Alberto and his cast of repub automotons will result in nothing. Mark my word. Because of no real results will follow, this will be and is colossal Congressional failure and a grand waste of time, although it gives this blog and many others a chance to toss the word salad on a daily basis.

By the way, what is the status of the investigation of the administration's warrantless intrusion and search of millions of e-mails and cell phone calls of US citizens? The answer, nowhere, all while they waste time on this with no results to date and nothing but court challenges to merely get testimony for the next year at least

FAILURE!

Arlen S is a sell out and he doesn't need to be floating and balloons to check the W.H. temp!

There is(was) a consitution and Mr Spector for once We The People want it Followed!

The politicalization of the DOJ is a horrible abuse of power and an attack on our Constitution. However, it is not one of the issues most voters wanted investigated when they put the dems back in control of Congress. That is why their approval rating is now lower than for Dubya.

People want to know if this administration lied its way into an unnecessary invasion of Iraq. They want to know about the no-bid contracts for Halliburton and other "friends of George & Dick." They also want to know what happened with FEMA and New Orleans. They want to know which oil company executives met with Cheney and what they talked about and why the oil companies are being allowed to benefit from the excess profits and tax cuts that they have done nothing to earn and are unjustified.

Wow! just like when we were kids and knew we were telling a fib. We just put one hand behind our back and crossed our fingers. That made it all ok.

Are we forgetting that if the ex-staffers are subpoenaed, and the White House says “no”, it doesn’t matter? It’s not the White House that can be placed in cuffs and hauled into court… it’s the ex-staffers.

And that is how it SHOULD play out! For Congress to allow it to happen, and then sit there after Bush “forbids” the ex-staffers to appear, and grouse about their options, is to acknowledge that Bush even has the authority to do that!

What is the White House going to do… send Secret Servicemembers over to the ex-staffers’ houses, throughout Virginia and Maryland, to prevent the marshals from arresting them?

Okay, fine. Bring it on, then. BUT DON’T CEDE THE BUSHIES THIS AUTHORITY. Permission is not necessary. Just grab ‘em and toss ‘em in the can.

And don’t let that fuck Specter broker a so-called “compromise” with witnesses! What's to "compromise"? SPECTER IS NOT IN CHARGE! (Allegedly... WE are!)

Just enforce the damned law, and go home. That’s what we sent you there for, guys ‘n’ gals.

I am not a lawyer, but Specter's contact of the president's lawyer, after subpoenas were issued, is not legal. I have just called Leahy and Whitehouse and tried to call Kennedy and Durbin. Congress's poll numbers are in the toilet because they won't indict for perjury, violations of the Hatch act, and election fraud. May they go ahead with that, but I am not at all confident. Specter himself needs to be investigated.

The Bushboys are going to play out their problem with the Congress as long as they can.

The Dems need not to overreach. If they do, then the Bushboys will have more time to play.

Of course the Bushboys will squeal like stuck pigs but only off the record, in those private conversations concocted for their media pals. Bush will just say, nope, sorry I can't do that without abdicating my responsibilities (are there really none? Sorry, I just had to lob that one into...) as doing what's best for the American people. I can just see the camera cut-ins (already agreed to by Bushboys and news show producers?) for his little homily to "the American people", intended to portray his critics as anti-American....

Bush is drowning in a world with which he has little if any contact anymore. It is pathetic. Glug, glug ...

I'm curious as to how Arlen Specter, creator of the "magic bullet theory" as a member of the Warren Commission, has become the spokesman for accountability. Further, in his position as the credible GOP senator who's now trustworthy for "checking" the president, he's not even actually doing it. He reminds me of McCain and the torture bill.

It's a complete smoke and mirrors show. The ironically named Specter is only putting forth an apparition of credibilty and an illusion of holding the president accountable to the laws of the land. Instead, he "compromises" by giving the president what he wants.

Also, the "it's illegal to lie to investigators anyway" line... What a complete slap in the face. Seriously, if it's "illegal" to lie to "investigators," what's the point of an Oath? How much less illegal is it to lie if you haven't sworn an Oath? And if there's no difference, why not just take the Oath?

If you want to know what's happening in our country and why these people we've "elected" are doing what they're doing, in Iraq, in Congress, in the Media, watch America: Freedom to Fascism. You can Google Video it.

Unfortunately, the truth is a commodity in D.C.

And as we've learned over the last 40 or so years, the GOPers prefer their commodities privatized, as far away from public access as possible.

How do we declare the stonewallers terrorists?

Sure, that was a tongue-firmly-planted-in-cheek suggestion on the surface, but I sincerely want to know how the American public can turn this around and frame this action of perpetually obstructing justice from the White House as a national security issue. How is it protecting the rest of us, this withholding the truth?

Another Spector sell-out. Trying to cover the asses of the White House and appear at the same time as "trying" to get to the truth.

Who in hell does he think he's fooling?

Keep in mind that it was his office in the first place that set up the proceedure to bypass the Congress.

You don't have to be a blind conservative not to see it, just an ignorant one to deny it.

"Am I missing something? Under what authority does the White House have to prevent private citizens from obeying a congressional subpoena?"

I was wondering the same thing. Both Miers and Taylor have resigned. They no longer work for Bush. What legal basis does the WH have for saying they cannot testify?

d

Feinstein kicks in at about the 42 minute mark about his doings at the DOJ

http://rules.senate.gov/hearings/2007/061307hrg.htm

Feinstein kicks in at about the 42 minute mark about his doings at the DOJ

http://rules.senate.gov/hearings/2007/061307hrg.htm

Von Spakovsky blames Schlozman -

He just gave legal opinions - didn't make decisions.. 2-I don't Recalls, 7-I don't remembers..

"Am I missing something? Under what authority does the White House have to prevent private citizens from obeying a congressional subpoena?"

I was wondering the same thing. Both Miers and Taylor have resigned. They no longer work for Bush. What legal basis does the WH have for saying they cannot testify?

Posted by:
Date: June 13, 2007 11:06 PM

Someone chime in if I'm wrong, but I think because they were attorneys acting as White House Counsel, anything they know about these matters "might" be considered (and this would be one of the myraid arguments for a courtroom) privileged. The attorney client privilege doesn't end when the relationship is terminated.

Patrick Leahy is the Chair of that Committee now.

Arlen Specter is "Magic Bullet" --
as dishonest as they come.

On one hand the Bushies place the bible above logic and the law and on the other hand... Well they won't place that one on the bible to testify why they put themselves above logic and the law.

If there is any compromise, it should be that those compelled to testify do so behind closed doors, under oath, and with a transcript. The time has come to end the three ring circus of public testimonies and get serious about determining whether there is sufficient evidence that crimes have been committed and to develop the evidence to prosecute them.

MarkusQ - you nailed it.