Buck Naked Politics

Who Will The Pardoner Pardon?

by Damozel | Apparently, the power to issue presidential pardons is one more way Bush and his pals can make a bad job look even worse.  At The Politico, Josh Gerstein reminds us of Bill Clinton twelfth-hour pardoning frenzy and does a bit of speculation about what Bush might do.

Bush is...facing pressure from conservative allies, who see pardons of former Bush administration officials and some others as a more realistic possibility. At the top of their lists: Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff, I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, still under investigation for his role in a series of U.S. attorney firings. (via Memeorandum)

Pelosi Says She Supports Investigating Bush Admin. Officials

Last week, House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers released a 400+ page report detailing why the incoming Obama Administration should seek to hold certain Bush Administration officials accountable for alleged crimes and abuses of power. 

Paul Krugman also explained why Bush Administration officials should be investigated, and he  logically refuted the specious, sound-bite arguments against accountability.

Today, Politico repots that Nancy Pelosi seems to be of like mind:

Krugman on Why Obama Should Hold Bush Admin. Accountable (Updated: Comments from Conyers)

by Deb Cupples |  A few days ago, I blogged about the self-contradictory answer that President-elect Barack Obama gave during an ABC interview regarding whether he would hold investigations into the many abuses of the Bush Administration.  Some people seem to think the answer indicates a big, fat "No."

Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman explains, in some detail, why the Obama Administration should seek accountability:

Justice Dept. Lawyer Claims Bush Found (14 million) Missing Emails

by Deb Cupples |   In 2007, two groups (CREW and the National Security Archives at George Washington University) sued the White House, trying to prevent it from destroying emails that may give us taxpayers some clue as to how White House officials really conducted business.  Federal law requires that such emails be preserved.

For months, White House lawyers claimed that millions of emails had been lost. Perhaps  coincidentally, many of the purportedly lost emails were from time periods relating to the questionable invasion of Iraq and the likely illegal outing of ex-CIA agent Valarie Plame Wilson.

All of a sudden, just days before President Bush is to leave office, a Justice Department lawyer claimed in court that the White House (with help from an expensive private contractor) has found 14 million missing emails -- thus, CREW'S and the National Security Archives' lawsuits are moot.  How convenient.

Court Says Government Can Wiretap without Warrants?

by Deb Cupples |  The photograph is of the Watergate Complex in Washington, DC.  That's where the Democratic party's office was in 1972, when five men connected to the Nixon Administration got caught breaking into the DNC's office and attempting to tap phones.  When I think of potential for abuse, I cannot help thinking of the Watergate scandal.

What brought potential for abuse to mind?  An August 2008 court opinion that just became declassified (albeit with some text redacted): an opinion that seems to allow our government broad powers to tap Americans' phones and gather our emails without first getting a warrant.

If current technology had existed in the '70s, Nixon Administration officials wouldn't have been forced to employ such risky, easy-to-discover methods of spying on political enemies -- and Nixon might never have been forced to resign.

About the court opinion, the New York Times reports:

Judiciary Committee Releases Negative Report on Bush Administration

by Deb Cupples |  Yesterday, the House Judiciary Committee publicly released a most unflattering  report about alleged abuses of the Bush Administration.  For history's sake, it's good that someone has done it.  The executive summary states, in part, the following:

"This Report has been prepared at the direction of Rep. John Conyers, Jr., Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary.  It was drafted to itemize and document the various abuses that occurred during the Bush Administration relating to the Committee’s review and jurisdiction, and to develop a comprehensive set of recommendations to prevent the recurrence of these or similar abuses in the future....

Bush Admits to Approving Torture, Questionably Claims that Good Intel was Gained

Think Progress has a video clip of still-President Bush admitting during a Fox interview yesterday that he essentially approved the torture of "9/11 mastermind" Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and claimed that the interrogators got solid information from the torture sessions.

According to Think Progress's linky comments, that's not exactly true:

Yes, but Will He Hold Them Accountable?

During an interview yesterday, ABC's George Stephanopoulos asked President-elect Barack Obama a question that is on many Americans' minds: will Obama appoint a special prosecutor to investigate potential crimes of the Bush Administration.

Obama's answer conflicted with other parts, to the point that the answer, as a whole, was not clearly understandable:

Alberto Gonzalez Promises a "Tell-All" Book, Though He Still Can't Remember Doing Anything Wrong

by Damozel |   Larisa Alexandrovna sums up the problem for Gonzo:  "So either he lied under oath about not recalling anything or his entire book will be a lie."  Otherwise, as Jonathan Stein remarks, it will be the shortest tell-all memoir in the history of the world. Perhaps that's why he's having trouble finding a publisher.

In the last 16 months---has it really been that long since we waved our unfond farewells to Gonzalez?  Why yes it has, though it seems like only yesterday---Gonzalez has been frustrated by being portrayed, in his words, "as the one who is evil in formulating policies that people disagree with."

His own view of himself is different.  He views himself as "a casualty, one of the many casualties of the war on terror."  The Wall Street Murdoch has the full story.

Cybergate Continued: More on the Mike Connell Case---Plus a Controversy at HuffPost

by Damozel | We posted the day before yesterday why raising questions about this tragedy doesn't make people "conspiracy theorists" of the tinfoil hatted variety.

At HuffPost, Prof. Edsall and the great Larisa Alexandrovna sharply disagree about the significance of this story.  Edsall dismisses most of the allegations circulating on the internet as "conspiracy theories," despite what seemed to me to be rather restrained treatment of the issue by net journalists and bloggers.    At this point, there's no justification for jumping to conclusions, as Alexandrovna points out.  But there are substantial circumstances to justify the questions. After all, this report would certainly make most objective observers go "hmmm." 

This Final Christmas Under Bush, Give the Gift of Satire to a Fellow Progressive: "Songs of the Bushmen" by Harry Shearer

by Damozel | Though it was nominated for a Grammy, I just don't think there's been nearly enough screaming about Harry Shearer's musical send-up of the Bush administration's main players.  If you've had all the peace and good will you can handle, you might enjoy a bit of black comedy, in diverse musical stylings. 

If you're looking for a last-minute Christmas gift for a progressive friend, I don't see how you could do better than this album (available at I-Tunes).  The following are my favorites:

Cybergate Part ####: Rove's IT Man (and a Key Witness in Ohio Voter Tampering Case) Killed Friday in a Solo Plane Crash

by Damozel | Cyber-expert and former Rove IT guru Mike Connell was killed Friday when his single-prop plane crashed into the garage of a vacant house. (Ohio.com)  Connell was a key player in many of the Bush administration tech controversies.  As Brad Friedman put it, he was on the scene for every such incident "from Florida 2000 to Ohio 2004 to the RNC email system to the installation of the currently-used Congressional computer network firewall".  He also set up the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth IT network.  As DWT says, Connell certainly "knew all of Karl Rove's electronic secrets."

Since he went from being a key player to a key witness in cases against the Bush administration, Connell had complained of intimidation attempts by none other than Karl Rove.  Perhaps it is not surprising that---to CBS (via After Downing Street.org)---his tragic death has sparked "conspiracy theories."

Yet More Evidence of Bush Administration Lies: Cheney Admits that His Talking Points Helped Bring About the Outing of Valerie Plame? (With Music Video)

by Damozel | Deb reported yesterday on Henry Waxman's courage and intrepidity in trying---in vain, but trying---to hold the Bush administration accountable for something. Both he and John Conyers, his Senate counterpart did their all.  I suppose it never occurred to past presidents that if you just said, "Oh yeah?  Make me!" to Congress and the courts, there wouldn't be a whole lot they could actually do about it.  Well, at least not with a Democratic Congress composed by and large of invertebrates.

Department of ValeDICKtions: Dick Cheney---Going Out with a Growl, Not a Whimper

 by the Guys from the Annex| We're all caught up in holiday activities at the moment, but who could resist all these cherishable final moments of the Cheney Administration?   Certainly not us.   It's just the right time for the Anti-Claus!

As Jon Stewart has so rightly said, we don't know Dick.  Yes, he's still a douchebag wrapped in an enigma and dipped in a  mystery! And---in the immortal words of the Turtles, c. 1960-something---the more we see, the more we see there is to see! 

 by the Guys from the Annex| We're all caught up in holiday activities at the moment, but who could resist all these cherishable final moments of the Cheney Administration?   Certainly not us.   It's just the right time for the Anti-Claus!

As Jon Stewart has so rightly said, we don't know Dick.  Yes, he's still a douchebag wrapped in an enigma and dipped in a  mystery! And---in the immortal words of the Turtles, c. 1960-something---the more we see, the more we see there is to see! 

Fed Refuses to Disclose Recipients of $2 Trillion in Emergency Loans of Taxpayer Dollars [Can Somebody Please Take the Damn Economy Away from Paulson? Part 3]

by Damozel | What else is new?  I for one have grown use to the Bush administration making bad decisions on my behalf and on being able to do sweet F.A. about it.  The bastards really are grinding us down and there's nothing we can do about it because Congress and the Bush administration decided for us that we must put our trust in Paulson.

Five War Contractors Indicted For Killing 17 Random Iraqi Civilians: A Retrospective

by Damozel |  The September 2007 massacre in Nisoor Square was one of many shameful chapters in a long history of discreditable/tragic incidents. Private contractors ---or, as some call them, "mercenaries" --- spooked by an unfortunate incident, opened fire into a crowd of civilians who were milling around the street trying to go about their lives. 

We're relieved that some of those responsible are being made to answer for this act of recklessness and indifference to human life and we hope that some or all will be held accountable for it.  It won't bring back the dead, but it will show that there is a line that even private contractors (whose accountability to anyone but their corporate masters has seemed almost nil) may not cross.

A New Fired Attorney Crisis? Bush-Appointed US Attorney Won't Tender Her Resignation

by Damozel | Think Progress has the story.  The attorney, who hired Monica Goodling, says she doesn't think it "serves the cause of justice" for all the Bush-era attorneys to tender their resignations.  I am not sure that this Mary Beth Buchanan is really the best judge of what does and does not serve the cause of justice.

In fact, this woman is, as Faiz Shakir notes, "the quintessential loyal Bushie" and, as Avedon
Carol says, her history at the Department of Just-Us shows that she is "one of Bush's more repulsive minions."

Meanwhile, How Goes the Transition? (News Round-Up)

by Damozel | According to a USA Today poll, Americans are feeling pretty happy with how well Obama is doing before taking office.  I am pleased to hear it, but I can't help laughing at this:

President-elect Barack Obama gets soaring marks for his handling of the transition and his choices for the Cabinet, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, even at a time the public is downbeat over the economy.

More than three of four Americans, including a majority of Republicans, approve of the job Obama has done so far — broad-based support he'll need as he faces tough decisions ahead. (USA Today; emphasis added)

The public already thinks he's doing a great job before he's even started.  Yay!

Bush Admin. Giving Job Security to Political Appointees?

 by D. Cupples |  You'd think that Bush Administration officials would simply be counting the days until they can leave their posts -- that and protecting what's left of their dignity, daydreaming about lucrative revolving doors, and praying that they don't get indicted. 

Apparently, some Bush Administration officials have other things in mind.  The Washington Post tells us:

"Just weeks before leaving office, the Interior Department's top lawyer has shifted half a dozen key deputies -- including two former political appointees who have been involved in controversial environmental decisions -- into senior civil service posts."

Waxman Wants Executive Pay Data from Banks Receiving Bailout Funds

by Deb Cupples |   About two weeks ago, the New York Times and AP reported that banks slated to receive billions of tax dollars under the $700 billion bailout plan were planning to use the funds to give raises or bonuses to executives and employees -- instead of using the funds to unfreeze credit markets by making loans to people and businesses.

Such spending choices may be lawful, because government officials failed to legally require banks receiving bailout funds to spend the funds in certain ways (i.e., in ways that would actually help our nation's economy). 

House Oversight Committee Henry Waxman is understandably concerned, as evinced by a letter he sent a couple weeks ago to the CEO of Citicorp.  The first three paragraphs are below: