Watchdog: What Ever Happened to the Civil Liberties Board?

[Pale Blue Dot]

For more than a year, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board has been the most invisible office in the White House. Created by Congress in December 2004 as a result of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, the board has never hired a staff or even held a meeting. Next week, NEWSWEEK has learned, that is due to finally change when the board's five members are slated to be sworn in at the White House and convene their first session. Board members tell NEWSWEEK the panel intends to immediately tackle contentious issues like the president's domestic wiretapping program, the Patriot Act and Pentagon data mining. But critics are furious the process has taken this long—and question whether the White House intends to treat the panel as anything more than window dressing. The delay is "outrageous, considering how long its been since the bill was passed," said Thomas Kean, who chaired the 9/11 Commission. "The administration was never interested in this."

Renewed concerns about the White House's commitment came just a few weeks ago when President Bush's new budget was released—with no listing for money for the civil liberties board.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11677336/site/newsweek/

[UpInArms]

1. and the BushBots scream "we don't need no civil liberties - we're at war!"

They are so freakin' "scared" they need to find a woman's skirts to hide behind.

Last I heard Grover (drown it in a bathtub) Norquist was wondering why the ACLU could not get its calls taken by this maladministration and was mourning the fact that the Dems were "supposed to take care of our civil liberties".

:nuke:

[rodeodance]

2. note that it will come into existance once the PA is signed!

[rodeodance]

3. k and n and send to Keith Olberman

[rodeodance]

4. Conant said: "I have no explanation." (other offices funded but not this)

....Alex Conant, a spokesman for the Office of Management and Budget, denied to NEWSWEEK the White House was trying to kill the panel by starving it of funds. "It will be fully funded," he said, explaining that the board wasn't in the budget this year because officials decided not to itemize funding levels for particular offices within the White House. When a reporter pointed out that funding for other White House offices such as the National Security Council were listed in the budget, Conant said: "I have no explanation."


© 2006 Newsweek, Inc.

[rodeodance]

5. WH--denied new board supena powers

.....The funding snafu is only the latest setback. Kean said the 9/11 Commission had pushed hard for the board to ensure that some agency within the government would specifically review potential abuses at a time vastly expanded powers were being given to U.S. intel and law-enforcement agencies. But the White House, and congressional leaders, resisted and sharply restricted its scope, denying the board basic tools like subpoena power. Bush didn't nominate members of the board until June 2005—six months after the panel was created—and they weren't confirmed until last month. ....

—Michael Isikoff

[rodeodance]

6. Chair is (appointed by Bush)--former AG Gonzalas law partner.

.....The chair of the board is Carol Dinkins, a former senior Justice official under Ronald Reagan and former law partner of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Dinkins did not respond to requests for comment.

[rodeodance]

7. Carol Dinkins--looks to be another Texan (no offense Tx)

[MasonJar]

8. Kean is at least keeping the pressure on, but he didn't fulfill his

initial obligation to find out what Bushites did and did not do to keep 9/11 from happening. That should have been the Commission's main agenda.

[HuffleClaw]

9. a paper tiger

hmmm, were it a panel intended to investigate hillary, they'd have alreday issued multiple reports.

[roseBudd]

10. click through and rate it a 5!

[november3rd]

11. "tackle?"

Board members tell NEWSWEEK the panel intends to immediately tackle contentious issues like the president's domestic wiretapping program, the Patriot Act and Pentagon data mining.

Anybody wanna bet on what "tackle contentious issues" means, if not "dismiss?"

[Up2Late]

12. You might substitute the word "white-wash". That would be my guess.

This is so disgusting.:mad:

[Up2Late]

13. Disgusting, but this doesn't surprise me.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr:grr:

[sheelz]

14. I saw somewhere they met for the first time

last week. I'm sure that's all there will ever be.:mad:

[Blue_Tires]

15. remember when

things live privacy and Civil Liberties used to be at the TOP of the GOP agenda because they were afraid of Clinton/Reno cracking down on McVeigh-type terrorist groups? remember when repubs on hate radio were scared shitless about the thought of Janet Reno spying, wiretapping, keeping databases, and snatching guns from patriotic americans? remember the whole "Clinton used the IRS to audit political enemies for spite" meme? remember the ATF famously being called things like 'stormtroopers' and 'jackbooted thugs' by Gordo Liddy?

how the worm has turned

[Hissyspit]

16. kick