Saturday, May 25th
Last update12:06:31 AM GMT
Political Glance
Voters in two Vermont towns approved measures Tuesday calling for the indictment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney for what they consider violations of the Constitution.
More symbolic than anything, the items sought to have police arrest Bush and Cheney if they ever visit Brattleboro or nearby Marlboro or to extradite them for prosecution elsewhere — if they're not impeached first.
Let me repeat this last principle of Neo-Conservatism because it plays into the “believability factor” when considering claims made by people who accuse the Bush administration of unconscionable actions: “The leader of the state must stick to the good so long as he can, but, being compelled by necessity, he must be ready to take the way of the evil.” These people believe that evil is acceptable and necessary at times!
Even if Bush used e-mail, it might get lost in the problem-plagued White House computer system.
"I don't want you reading my personal stuff," the president explained to newspaper editors three years ago on why he doesn't send electronic messages.
On Capitol Hill and in federal court, a congressional committee and two private groups are pushing for information on how the White House has handled its e-mail for the past six years and whether officials there complied with records-retention laws.
The picture emerging from testimony and court filings is one of disregard for fundamental principles that well-run private companies adhere to routinely. By one estimate, over 1,000 days of e-mail are missing from various White House offices.
United States attorneys are supposed to be nonpartisan and beyond favoritism. But we have already seen how federal prosecutors appointed by the Bush administration used their offices to help Republicans win elections. Congress needs to ensure that they are not using their positions to throw patronage to friends and political allies.
President Seems To Have Hard Time Abiding By Law
By his deeds you shall know him; preemptive war, torture and wiretapping, for starters.
He has governed with threats -- and by nourishing fear in the American people.
But it is no joke that he has found ways to circumvent the constitutional restraints of his office with signing statements and secret directives.
Bush also has been able to execute his power grab by playing the fear card -- and with hardly a peep from a cowed Congress.
Tennessee's next trial court judge might be a prison company executive who has less courtroom experience than most inmates.
Puryear has spent the bulk of his legal career at the Tennessee-based Corrections Corporation of America, the nation's largest private prison company. As its general counsel since 2001, Puryear has made millions of dollars working for a company that profits from the country's incarceration boom, particularly through his recent sale of more than $3 million worth of the company's stock.
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