(I'm just shaking my head at this Administration... - promoted by poligirl)
Among the many events happening today in Washington DC is the hearing on whether the legislative branch of our government has any power over the executive branch. In the instant case, the issue is whether the White House must comply with subpoenas issued to White House staff (former counsel Harriet Miers and CoS Josh Bolten) to appear before the House Judiciary Committee to testify regarding the nine fired U.S. attorneys.
ETHICS -- WHITE HOUSE TO ARGUE IT IS IMMUNE TO SUBPOENAS: Today, the refusal Bush administration's to honor House Judiciary Committee subpoenas compelling White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former White House Counsel Harriet Miers to testify, will be considered today in federal court. The committee is seeking information into the 2006 dismissal of nine U.S. attorneys, but the White House claims that executive privilege allows the White House to ignore subpoenas, asserting that the executive branch has "absolute immunity" to congressional subpoenas. The House will argue that the Bush administration "is seeking to expand presidential power in a dramatic fashion, one that cannot go unchallenged by Congress." An array of "former U.S. attorneys, watchdog groups, congressional experts, and current and former lawmakers" have filed briefs supporting the House's position. The lawsuit came after Attorney General Michael Mukasey ordered the Department of Justice to ignore the House's contempt citations. Oral arguments today come just two days after Bush again asserted executive privilege, this time in refusing to hand over documents related to an investigation into whether the administration has "pressured the Environmental Protection Agency to weaken decisions on smog and greenhouse."
So, on top of getting the House to cave on immunity for the telecoms in the FISA bill and to protecting Americans from government invasion of privacy, the White House continues its unrelenting march to dismantle even the most basic checks and balances against executive power.
To all of us (including myself) who continue to call George W less than brilliant or worse, he has in fact done a superb job of creating an imperial Presidency -- something no other president has tried or at least accomplished to this degree in over 225 years.
