Move along. Nothing to see here.

[Atticus]

Most of us were aware that Alberto Gonzales and Andy Card had pretty much strong-armed their way into John Ashcroft's hospital room just hours after he had had his gall bladder removed back during Bush's first term. Over his wife's protests, they tried to persuade the still-woozy A.G. to sign off on the White House's wiretapping program. They sought his legal approval as "cover" for invasions of privacy nearly all non-Nazi legal experts deem blatantly unconstitutional and illegal.

Today, an Inspector General's report verified what all of us "knew": George W. Bush himself personally directed Gonzalez and Card to undertake their shameful mission. To be clear: knowing Ashcroft was in the hospital, ill, still under the influence of his anasthesia, Bush sent them to get his imprimatur on their domestic spying program.

I've lost track of how many Federal crimes and impeachable offenses Bush and his inner circle have now admitted they committed. Of course, they insist that if they did it, that made it legal---the Nixon defense. But, no one not mentally and/or morally challenged recognizes this bizarre exercise in illogic.

I know that this new administration has "a lot on its plate". And, I have heard about how we need to "look forward, not backward". But, I have not yet been able to reconcile "turning the page" on the Bush administration's failures with totally ignoring its criminality.

How can we pretend to be a nation of laws? How can we maintain a straight face when we say that, in America, no one is above the law? How can we send Tommy Chong to prison for selling bongs while this walking bag of pus walks free despite a laundry list of previously unthinkable presidential crimes?

As the the high-minded moralist of the GOP were loudly inquiring several years ago: "What do we tell the children?"

[Fumesucker]

1. Of course we are a nation of laws..

Look how many dopers we have in prison..

quod erat demonstrandum

[MadMaddie]

7. We should clarify

Look at how many poor, middle class of every race are in prison for various reasons.

White collar crimes committed by the rich in this country are not being prosecuted.

[Atticus]

10. As Anatole France said:

"The law, in its majestic equality, forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal their bread."

[Tangerine LaBamba]

2. Did you see Jon Turley on "Countdown" tonight?

If not, check MSNBC's site tomorrow and watch his segment.

What he said about this, essentially, was that the Bush administration broke one law after the other, did all sorts of illegal things, but getting anyone in Washington to pursue these allegations and put a criminal face on them to the point of getting to a grand jury or having a prosecutor take it on is unrealistic, because, inside the Beltway, the reality is that no one is going to cast the first stone for fear of that stone someday being pitched in their direction.

Sad, but very accurate reading of the state of our lawless nation - lawless for certain people, that is .........................

[Atticus]

5. I did see Turley. He has been outspoken from the get-go about prosecuting the Bush thugs.

I don't expect Obama to issue an edict to "Hang these bastards!" (although just the thought of him saying that brings a smile to my face), but, I also don't see how it would be inappropriate or "vindictive" or "politically motivated" to simply direct or allow the Justice Department to investigate apparent criminality---by whomever, whenever, whatever---and prosecute offenders.

Either that or replace the Presidential Seal with that oval Chiquita sticker, since we will be the world's largest banana republic.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

6. It's about establishing the precedent -

that very same precedent could later be used against the President who directed the first investigation.

It stinks. It totally sucks and makes a mockery of our system of laws, but that is the cold, hard, despicable political reality............

[Hissyspit]

8. DU Video Here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x335443

[Jackpine Radical]

3. K&R

Actually, I was never sure Bush was smart enough to think this up. I imagine he was being operated by Cheney or maybe Rove.

[Catherine Vincent]

4. The Republicans come out looking very bad on this

Bush got away with a lot and all they do is defend him. They have a different meaning of "high crimes and misdemeanors".

[spanone]

9. you ask good questions....i have no answers

[G_j]

11. if you don't recognize and address the crimes, there is nowhere worth moving forward to,

it's seems Obama implies by moving forward, to wipe the slate clean, in a sense, to write a new chapter.
It shouldn't ever be the choice of any person or persons, to move on.
Who are we as a country to wipe the slate clean.?
it is utterly shameful

[Greyhound]

12. Perfect.

We wonder why so many have no respect for the law, then turn around and excuse those that make the law for breaking it.

"You can't fix stupid" - Ron White

[ThomWV]

13. Remember when they would not give the "program" a name?

Gonzo was in the chair being questioned and would not give the program(s) he was speaking about a name and he would never agree that the people who were asking him the question and himself were talking about the same program. It was the most obvious example of a witness purposefully evading answering to Congress I've watched. It was a lot more than that though, it was an assault on the Constitution that continues to this day. We have to win this one, the holes have to be plugged, criminals must be treated as such. Otherwise the consequence is painfully obvious - if our Government does not honor the Constitution then we no longer have a Constitutional form of Government. If not that then what? Tyranny, that's what.