WOW! Leahy just laid Alberto Gonazales out to dry!!!!

[rateyes]

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the extraordinary renditioning of a Canadian Citizen from the U.S. to Syria....brought up the fact that we are being told that Bush can't talk to Syria because they can't be trusted, yet we knew DAMN WELL that the guy wouldn't have been tortured in Canada, and didn't take kindly to Gonzales saying that Ashcroft had received assurances from Syria that he wouldn't be tortured.

He basically called Gonzales a damned liar, IMO.

Some of the best stuff I've seen in YEARS!

He ripped Gonzales a new one, and said he'll wait a WEEK for a report, but no longer than that...that if he didn't get it to his satisfaction, he was going to act and Gonazales or Bush wouldn't like it.

Leahy: :yourock:

[SharonAnn]

1. Where? What channel?

[rateyes]

5. They are in recess until 2:00pm right now, but you can

get it by going to www.c-span.org and following the correct links....but, let me find the link for you.

[rateyes]

10. Go to this link....

http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=2473

Then click on the "webcast" link. All Senate Committees are webcast. Right now, this particular hearing is in recess, but will be back.

[wryter2000]

16. That's a fantastic link

Works much better for me than CSPAN. I'm going to post it in the most current thread.

[rateyes]

19. If you go here:

http://www.capitolhearings.org/

It will give you a list of all the Senate Committees, and the time of the hearings. You can follow the links to any committee's site, find a link to the calling of the meeting, and if the committee is in session, you can watch the hearing live.

After the hearings, c-span usually links in "recent programs" for a period of time the hearing so that you can catch it if you missed it live. www.c-span.org

There is a link at the bottom of the c-span homepage that takes you to the first link I gave you.

[wryter2000]

23. Awesome!

:hi:

Thanks so much.

[Quakerfriend]

2. He was just awesome! Honestly, I've neverr seen anyone who

was such a smooth liar, as Gonzalez!

I can't wait until the after lunch session.

And, everyone should be calling C-Span to shame them for not running this live!

[Democrat 4 Ever]

8. I called and was told they are contractually obligated to carry

House and Senate action live. Said they hearing would be carried on S-pan 3 sometime after 4 pm today and hopefully would be aired on C-Span 1 or 2 sometime later this evening or night.

Leahy was great. Pure, unadulterated perfect. Leahy slapped Gonzo so hard his Mommy's ears are ringing. Nothing against Mama Gonzo but she did raise this asswipe. And I have to ask, what law school did this "moran" graduate from? His lack of knowledge regarding the Constitution is just astounding.

[rateyes]

11. ROFLMAO...

"Nothing against Mama Gonzo but she did raise this asswipe. And I have to ask, what law school did this "moran" graduate from? His lack of knowledge regarding the Constitution is just astounding."

:rofl:

[Justitia]

18. He can't blame it on his inferior education, he went to excellent schools

Rice University here in Houston for undergrad, and has his JD from Harvard Law.

Gonzo has a unique personality predisposition to allow himself to be used as a convenient tool for a certain class of people he views as superior to himself (think BFEE, Cheney, et al). He willingly does their bidding in hopes of currying favor, it's disgusting how slavishly he prostitutes himself for them.

Of course, he had extensive training in how to be a legal whore when he was counsel for Enron.

This torture pimp has serious psychological complexes, the quality of his education cannot be blamed for his total lack of integrity.

I love Patrick Leahy, and can't wait to watch the rebroadcast where he gives Torture Boy the what-for.

[Tellurian]

20. hmmm... I'm in heaven...

:loveya: Senator Leahy!

better than chocolate!

[Imagevision]

27. Gonzo-boy ever-so quietly backed down against pushing Google around

as the subpoena for email addresses from Google faded into oblivion...

[Greyhound]

3. Cool, I hope that fascist thug takes Senator Leahy up on it. n/t

:kick: & R

[Irishonly]

4. Good

:bounce:

[flamin lib]

6. rateyes, we just posted the same thing! Didn't mean to step on your

post--your's wasn't up when I started typing!

[rateyes]

12. No problem...I checked too. Wasn't it great? nt

[RufusTFirefly]

7. Maher Arar

If you broke for lunch before the Senate did, you missed the most explosive exchange in the entire session so far. When the Democrats took over this month, I especially looked forward to seeing Conyers, Waxman, Boxer, and Leahy as chairs. Leahy definitely hasn't let me down. His focus on anthrax (obviously, he takes this issue extremely personally) and on Canadian Maher Arar were especially powerful.

Don't hold your breath waiting for mainstream coverage of this though.

[rateyes]

13. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[RufusTFirefly]

15. Thanks!

I've been a long-time poster on another site that shall remain nameless and finally got fed up.

[Hepburn]

14. Hi, and welcome to DU....

....:hi:

Thread 5 is up for this afternoon's hearing. Please some and join the great show that Leahy and his committee (except for a few Repukes) are putting on!

Link to thread 5:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x3147668

[Double T]

9. KICKING ASS and holding gonzales accountable............

NOW for the follow through. Time to take ALL these bushco scumbags DOWN!!!!!

[bonito]

17. Yes Yes YES!

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[Tellurian]

21. Where the Bush administration has made a secret of their ...

dictatorial powers, carefully kept under wraps, that Bush has fraudulently endowed himself with under our Constitution.

here:

http://www.tpmcafe.com/blog/coffeehouse/2006/sep/29/the_star_chamber

I would think they are more than frightened of the reaction by the American people
to their so-called core "family values" when American families realize Bush is
commanding blind obedience from our citizens willing to send their sons and daughters
to inevitable slaughter in Iraq!

This will all be revealed IF an issue brought to bear by Senators like Leahy, is rejected
out of hand by Gonzales, forcing them to drop the draws of deception, fully revealing to the world
Bush's self proclaimed dictatorship is indeed our new reality!

[Miss Chybil]

22. Can Leahy actually DO anything to Gonzo,

or just make him look like the idiot he is? I'm not up on the legalities of all this stuff. What can really happen as a result of these hearings?

[rateyes]

24. If it's determined that this guy was sent to Syria...

for the purpose of torture...that's a high crime, and an impeachable offense.

[Miss Chybil]

28. And if it is proven a high crime, will he be punished in ways other than simply

losing his job? (I know "will he be punished" is impossible to say, so maybe I should say "could he be punished" by, perhaps, being sent to jail?

[rateyes]

29. If he's impeached, he can be tried for this and put in jail...

but, the next POTUS would probably pull a Gerry Ford and pardon the jerk.

[conscious evolution]

36. wrong

Impeachment offenses cant be pardoned.

Article 1 Section 3:Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from
Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or
Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be
liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to
Law.
Also
Article 2 Section 2:
The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United
States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual
Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the
principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any subject
relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to
Grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in
Cases of Impeachment.


Gonzo is being set up for impeachment.They all are,one by one,they are going down.

[rateyes]

37. Wrong.

The first part of the Constitution you posted says clearly that upon removal from office that a person can be prosecuted.

The second section applies to Presidential power to pardon someone to keep them from being impeached. Once removed from office, whoever is POTUS has the absolute authority to pardon ANYONE facing or having been convicted of a crime.

Had Nixon been impeached, tried, and removed from office, and then charged in a criminal court like any other citizen, Ford still could have pardoned him.

[pat_k]

34. Anything We the People, through our Reps, say is impeachable, is impeachable. . .

Just a clarification on what constitutes an "impeachable offense."

Impeachment is a political process, not a legal process.

Even if this criminal administration weren't abusing power to break our laws (e.g., War Crimes and FISA for starters) and nullify our most treasured principles, we could impeach for intolerable neglience and incompetence.

I've often heard people claim "You can't impeach for stupidity." That is flat wrong. If we concluded that a President's stupidity constituted an intolerable threat to the future of the nation, we could impeach for stupidity.

All that is required is the political will.

We have so many offenses against the letter of the law, the intent of the law, the principle of consent (the sole moral principle on which our constitution is founded), and on and on, the failure of Congress to impeach is mind-boggling. Absolutely mind-boggling.

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

25. Gonzo can be impeached and removed from office, same as W

nm

[Tellurian]

26. Leahy has to walk all over him like he doesn't exist..

and take his word for "spit"!

This is all new territory. Bush has subverted our Constitution using the fraudulent proprieties of the Patriot's Act,
as a tool to undo the Constitution. I've had 8 yrs. of Constitutional Law...The Founders created this document in perpetuity against all comers.

Bush has to declare, he is under the assumption (of believing,) that he in fact has given himself Dictatorial Powers.
Once he does that. He can be taken to task under the existing laws of the Constitution.

Under our Constitution, that is a distinct impossibility.

[Disturbed]

30. The House needs to Impeach Gonzo next week.

No excuses!

[calimary]

31. Guys, ANOTHER good reason to call your reps. AND to call Leahy.

First thing in the morning (or whenever you can). THANK PATRICK LEAHY for standing up to Mr. "Torture's Okay." He's holding this asshole's feet to the fire, which should have happened a LONG TIME AGO.

TOLL FREE Capitol Hill switchboard numbers are in my sig line for your convenience.

[Tellurian]

32. I've called Sen. Leahy..

and left a message expressing my best regards for his bold and assertive moves
toward the Reichstags. Mentioning, the country is long overdue for gov accountability.

A GJ would have to indict Gonzo before anything can be done.

[calimary]

35. Great work! I did too, just this morning.

BTW - also a good idea, after doing that, to call your own Senators and demand that they support Leahy in these efforts. Remind them that if they have a mind to obey the dictates of the voters last November, and they say they really want to do good things, they can start by taking a page from the Leahy book. More than anything else, I think, we voted for BACKBONE.

[Imagevision]

33. Rice hasn't been too successful with mid-east talks - Gonzo-boy needs a trimming next

[durtee librul]

38. I saw the exchange on the evening news in NC

and I gotta say, if I would have been Leahy and lil al would have used that unctuous tone of his on me when he stated, "well maybe you shouldn't get so upset until you read my report." and Leahy says, "well, when can I get your report?" and lil al states, "maybe next week."

The NEXT words from my mouth would have been - -

WRONG ANSWER ALBERT (leaving the O off for effect)...the report will be on my desk PERSONALLY delivered by YOU no later than close of business on FRIDAY or else you are in contempt of this committee and we WILL take action on your inaction and contempt of this proceeding. No excuses...you don't answer to the cowboy on this one.

That would have continued his message and tone instead of just sitting there looking exasperated.

I was kinda disappointed Leahy didn't pursue getting a definitive date from lil al instead of the 'maybe next week' answer.

Anyhow, I was extremely impressed by his remarks AND his tone to the little buggar.