Bush Dodges Comey’s Accusations That He Personally Arranged Ashcroft Hospital Visit
Bush Dodges Comey’s Accusations That He Personally Arranged Ashcroft Hospital Visit
During a press conference today, President Bush was confronted about recent accusations made by former Deputy Attorney General James Comey regarding the White House’s shocking efforts to seek legal sanction for its warrantless wiretapping program. According to Comey, Bush personally directed a White House effort to bypass Comey’s authority and seek approval from John Ashcroft, who was then hospitalized and in intensive care.
The New York Times writes today that “Americans need to know who dispatched Mr. Gonzales and Mr. Card to Mr. Ashcroft’s hospital bed.”
NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell pressed Bush on this point. “Sir, did you send your then Chief of Staff and White House Counsel to the bedside of John Ashcroft while he was ill to get him to approve that program,” she asked, “and do you believe that kind of conduct from White House officials is appropriate?”
Bush twice dodged the question entirely. “Kelly, there’s a lot of speculation about what happened and what didn’t happen. I’m not going to talk about it.” He added, “I’m not going to move the issue forward by talking about” it. Watch it:
During yesterday’s press briefing, White House spokesman Tony Snow implied that Comey’s testimony was somehow inaccurate. “Jim Comey gave his side of what transpired that day.”
Transcript:
Q: There’s been some very dramatic testimony before the Senate this week from one of your former top Justice Department officials who describes a scene that some Senators called stunning, about a time when the warrantless wiretap program was being reviewed. Sir, did you send your then chief of staff and White House counsel to the bedside of John Ashcroft while he was ill to get him to approve that program, and do you believe that kind of conduct from White House officials is appropriate?
BUSH: Kelly, there’s a lot of speculation about what happened and what didn’t happen. I’m not going to talk about it. It’s a very sensitive program. I will tell you that one, the program was necessary to protect the American people and it’s still necessary, because there’s still an enemy that wants to do us harm, and therefore I have an obligation to put in place programs that honor the civil liberties of the American people — a program that was, in this case, constantly reviewed, and briefed to the United States Congress. And the program, as I say, is an essential part of protecting this country, and so there will be all kinds of talk about it. As i say, I’m not going to move the issue forward by talking about something as highly classified subject. I will tell you, however, that the program was necessary.
Q: Was it on your order, sir?
BUSH: As I said, the program is a necessary program that was constantly reviewed and constantly briefed to the Congress. It’s an important part of protecting the United States, and it’s still an important part of our protection, because there’s still an enemy that would like to attack us, no matter how calm it may seem in America, an enemy lurks and they would like to strike. They would like to do harm to the American people, because they have an agenda. They want to impose an ideology. They want us to retreat from the world. They want to find safe haven, and these just aren’t empty words. These are the words of al Qaeda themselves, and so we will put in place programs to protect the American people that honor the civil liberties of our people and programs that we constantly brief to Congress.
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155 Responses to “Bush Dodges Comey’s Accusations That He Personally Arranged Ashcroft Hospital Visit”
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Impeach!
May 17th, 2007 at 12:21 pmThis is very telling. Just what a guilty person would say.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:21 pmDid Bush just plead the fifth?
May 17th, 2007 at 12:22 pmof COURSE he dodged the question.....that's his job. admit or deny nothing.
Bush and his criminal gang have violated the Constitution far too long, and no matter what they other politicians tell us, impeachment is a must. It doesn't matter if it's "difficult" or a "distraction" or "impossible."
Impeachment must be done because it's about reaffirming the Constitution and the Rule of Law.
Some thoughts on this:
"Clarification of the Uses of Impeachment"
May 17th, 2007 at 12:22 pmhttp://www.populistamerica.com/clarification_of_the_uses_of_impeachment
Translation from WH Doublespeak: "I'm going to deal with bothersome ethical allegations by ignoring them. If you can't get a straight answer out of me, then you can't prove I did anything wrong. This strategery always worked when Mom wanted to know if I broke the lamp."
May 17th, 2007 at 12:23 pmI take back my last comment. He's just flat-out lying.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:24 pmI'll take that as a "yes." Thanks, Chimpy.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:24 pmComey says the call came from the White House. He thinks it was Chimpy himself but does not know for sure.
The call was made to Ashcroft's wife, who had banned any visitors or phone calls. Ashcroft was obviously very ill.
Who has enough horsepower to get Ashcroft's wife to lift the ban?
Chimpy does.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:25 pmOne thing for which I will credit Bush: he doesn't dodge anything. He just lies straight up.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:26 pm"I don't answer tough questions and you can't make me." And then he sticks his tongue out. Aah, our very own CIC.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:27 pmAnswer = Yes, so what I am King George.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:27 pmI hope he did, that would show again his love of America as compared to the surrender lobby.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:28 pmWhy don't they subpoena Ashcroft, just for kicks.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:28 pmBush sounded like he had knocked back a few.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:28 pmsurrender lobby.
Comment by Patrick1 — May 17, 2007 @ 12:28 pm
Patrick-projector, you are the surrender lobby. You have surrended freedom in return for a false sense of security.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:30 pmSubpoena his lying @ss and make him answer the question, videotaped, under oath.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:30 pmI hope he did, that would show again his love of America as compared to the surrender lobby.
Comment by Patrick1 — May 17, 2007 @ 12:28 pm
Where've you been peadick1. Air drying your piss soaked mattress? Mommy wouldn't let you online until you finished your finger painting? Can't type while you're picking your nose?
May 17th, 2007 at 12:30 pmAs the NY Times says, Chimpy has already admitted to warrantless wiretapping of calls between the US and overseas.
And Chimpy refuses to say what the program Ashcroft rejected was, citing national security.
I bet the farm that Chimpy's program was unlimited warrantless wiretapping of US citizens in domestic phone calls and other electronic communications.
Chimpy is a fascist and so is anybody who supports him.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:30 pmPlease, God, let every news broadcast begin and end with this video all day. Come on, you made Falwell shuffle off this mortal coil, you're on a roll. Keep the good times coming.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:31 pmPatrick1Nut is insulting our troops.
If we leave Iraq, we don't surrender.
General Betrayus doesn't hand over his sword and pistol to Osama.
We just leave.
Saying "surrender" insults our troops.
Why do Repuke trolls hate our troops?!?!?
May 17th, 2007 at 12:31 pmI hope he did, that would show again his love for violating the law as compared to the American populace.
Comment by Patrick1
There ya go Failure supporter, I fixed it for you. Continue with your drivel.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:31 pmHe doesn't have to give a long winded explanation... If he's innocent, why not just say something to the effect of "this is not how things occurred, but I'm not going to talk about it here." Then he's not giving anything away that might be "secret" and he's also not looking like guilty. Of course we all know WHY he said what he said: he's guilty.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:32 pmBush has no intention of talking about this and so he talks around it. His inablity to give a straight answer is an answer in itself. He did it and he won't admit it. Impeachment is not only on the table it has to happen or there will be no table!
May 17th, 2007 at 12:32 pmBush sounded like he had knocked back a few.
Comment by Jo-Ann — May 17, 2007 @ 12:28 pm
That could just be his own stupidity kicking in. He usually only answers prescreened questions. This one must have been snuck in because Blair was there. Go NBC.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:32 pmPlease ignore the desperate cry for attention above.
What would happen to a normal person who dodged a confrontational and direct question like that? "Where were you until 3:00 last night?", "Sorry, sweety, I am not going to answer that question."
Maybe someone should slap that silly Chimp upside the head when he refuses to answer.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:32 pm"honor" our rights? That should be PROTECT our rights. What does "honor" mean?
#13 - I think they should subpoena Mrs. Ashcroft!
May 17th, 2007 at 12:33 pmAre you all mad enough yet.? I am..Do something now for our country and the world...Demand impeachment...
Do something for yourself and loved one's, hug some one, tell them you love them, save a life, write Palosi and Reid to stop the war and impeach bush/cheney/gonzo and all....Plant a tree for me and our future....Blessings
May 17th, 2007 at 12:34 pmIf we leave Iraq, are we surrendering?
No. We will still be fighting the global war on terror.
We will still have troops in Afghanistan and elsewhere.
When Repukes say "surrender" they are INSULTING OUR TROOPS.
Why do Repukes hate our troops??
May 17th, 2007 at 12:34 pmLet the impeachment begin!!! YEAH!!!
May 17th, 2007 at 12:34 pmWell, I gotta admit....He DID dodge the question.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:34 pmShorter Patrick1:
"I hope they're spying on me right now. I don't deserve all the freedom they're giving me. Don't trust me. I want to go to Gitmo now!!!"
May 17th, 2007 at 12:35 pmRemember, whatever Bush says, the opposite is true.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:36 pmLet's get Mr. and Mrs. Ashcroft to speak about this, as well as Card and Gonzo. I hope the press does keep asking the questions. As for Snow, if that is just Comey's recolection of the events then we need to reconstruct the events with the principles involved. That includes the phone records.
I'm sure Patrick1 wants the truth to come out. Afterall, this country isn't about one party.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:36 pm"Well, Kelly...9/11...9/11, 9/11, 9/11....as I said, the enemy lurks..9/11...the people must understand: 9/11....Congress was briefed...9/11...be scared...I can't talk about it...9/11...it's my job to protect the American people through fear...9/11, 9/11, 9/11"
May 17th, 2007 at 12:36 pmChimpy is a fascist and so is anybody who supports him.
Comment by Tom3 — May 17, 2007 @ 12:30 pm
That would definitely include Patrick
May 17th, 2007 at 12:37 pmIf Chimpy's answer had been "no" he would have said no. Instead he used governmentese to throw up a smoke screen to the truth that by now all but the dead have seen through. Chimpy did it. He knows it. We know it. Is it January 20, 2009 yet?
May 17th, 2007 at 12:37 pmBush: I pleads da fif!!
May 17th, 2007 at 12:37 pmI hope he did, that would show again his love of America as compared to the surrender lobby. Comment by Patrick1
You forget Bush Sr cut and ran from Iraq Patrick1.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:37 pm"I’m not going to talk about it.â€
why? would answering it harm national security? more than likely, he's not talking about it to save someone's ass... including his own...
May 17th, 2007 at 12:39 pmThis guy is unbelievable..... i'm at a loss for words, so i'll just make *monkey noises*.
WAR CRIMINAL
May 17th, 2007 at 12:40 pmUnbelievable. Since it's a simple "yes" or "no" answer, his refusal to answer is clearly a "yes."
May 17th, 2007 at 12:42 pm“I’m not going to move the issue forward by talking about†it
It's moving forward with or without your help. I suggest you don't stand in front of it.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:42 pmBush said yes, he did make that call. He also justified it by saying it is a necessary program to protect the American people. The rest is just his usual meandering on subjects. Of course, the real topic he avoided was the legality of the "Terrorist Survellience Program,"....otherwise and more accurately named "domestic spying program." Because the bottom line is that HE signed off on it, even knowing that it was considered illegal by the Justice Department. IMPEACH NOW!!!
May 17th, 2007 at 12:42 pmPS: sir, you forgot to mention 9/11 in your ramblings... but the question wasn't about whether the program is a good one, but whether he sent certain people to the hospital to get it authorized...
pussy
May 17th, 2007 at 12:43 pmYou know how when great American heros/presidents/etc die, we honor them by lowering the flags to half-staff? Yea, that's basically about what he's willing to do to honor our civil liberties and fundamental rights. Maybe not even that much.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:44 pmthere’s a lot of speculation about what happened and what didn’t happen. I’m not going to talk about it.†He added, “I’m not going to move the issue forward by talking about
That's because my advisors havent, um, advised me with what to say.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:44 pmBut, I am the Decider, and ummm, I'll decide when to be, ummmm, advised, and, ummm, errrr, I won't get fooled again.
The New York Times writes today that “Americans need to know who dispatched Mr. Gonzales and Mr. Card to Mr. Ashcroft’s hospital bed.â€
Not this American. I don't really care about any of this crap. It is a frigging side show hyped up by the left.
Bush isn't Hitler, a dictator, etc. He may be somewhat incompetent but he's not evil.
Everybody just calm down.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:45 pmDodger-in-Chief
May 17th, 2007 at 12:46 pmI think it was probably Cheney who dispatched Gonzo and Card...
Two Chinese rigs are drilling new exploration wells, and a third rig is on its way to join them. “Drilling here is easy. The rock is good,†says Sun Ming, who supervises operations at one of the two Chinese rigs.
Hey Patrick1, the Commie Chinese are stealing the Iraq oil you paid for with this trillion dollar war ur freedom operation. Doesn't that just piss you off?
May 17th, 2007 at 12:46 pmLet's not impeach - try all his cronies and leave him as president. That way voters will remember everything in November 2008.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:49 pmCynicon Implant, go back under your bridge.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:50 pmEverybody just calm down.
Comment by Cynicon Implant
and go shopping. Yeah, we have heard.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:52 pmCynicon
He's not hitler, but that doesn't mean he's not evil. Typical republican reductionism. you people are incapable of rational thought. go away and let the grown ups clean up your mess. After the dems have fixed the national debt, repaired our international standing, and caught and tried bin laden, you can come back and impeach someone for getting a blow job.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:52 pmBush isn’t Hitler, a dictator, etc. He may be somewhat incompetent but he’s not evil.
Comment by Cynicon Implant — May 17, 2007 @ 12:45 pm
Sorry...but he IS trying his best to be a dictator. Perhaps it's his incompetence that prevents 100% success in that effort. As for his being evil....ask the world. The last I heard, they thought he was more dangerous to world peace than OBL.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:52 pmShorter Patrick1:
“I hope they’re spying on me right now. I don’t deserve all the freedom they’re giving me. Don’t trust me. I want to go to Gitmo now!!!â€
Comment by chimpeach
Its costing Peadick1 a fortune to get satisfactory torture these days. P1 are you trying to save money at the expense of us taxpayers, typical neocon.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:53 pmCynicon Implant,
I'm not sure you get the gravity of action such as this.
The Justice Department had decided that they would not sign off on this program because, in their legally educated opinion, that the program was and is illegal.
Then they leaned hard on Jim Comey, and he told them no. They decided to try to get drugged up man, who had no power at the time to sign off on the program, to do just that. Then when that didn't work, they went ahead and imposed it anyway.
This is the near textbook definition of tyranny. To implement a program, that circumvents the 4th Amendment of our constitution, regardless of the intentions of that program, is tryannical, especially when the nation's lawyers at the DOJ, say it's not legal.
It is a big deal.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:55 pmActually Chimpy isn't like Hitler.
He's more like Mussolini.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:56 pmBush isn’t Hitler, a dictator, etc. He may be somewhat incompetent but he’s not evil.
Everybody just calm down.
Comment by Cynicon Implant
You keep telling yourself that, lockstepper.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:57 pmBush isn’t Hitler, a dictator, etc. He may be somewhat incompetent but he’s not evil. Everybody just calm down.
Comment by Cynicon Implant
Well I was gonna go to Disney World until the price of fuel doubled under these oilmen. What was that old sayin...Oh yes, the love of money is the root of all evil.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:57 pmBush is Bush and will be remembered as the pig headed brain dead stuborn fearmonger that he is.
Cynicon, it's checks and balances not shifts and inconsistencies.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:57 pmChimpy eventually did override the Justice Department and approve the warrantless wiretaps.
But it looks like Chimpy modified the program a bit to mollify Justice.
What was the original program that Comey and Ashcroft were against?
I'm betting it was unlimited warrantless domestic surveillance of any and all Americans.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:59 pmHe’s more like Mussolini.
Comment by Tom3
Mussolini was an elegant a-hole. Bush is not elegant.
May 17th, 2007 at 12:59 pmCynicon is a known Repuke troll.
Please don't feed the trolls.
And remember, this is a catch and release website.
When you catch the troll lying, you have to release him under his bridge where he belongs.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:00 pmBush isn't a dictator - he just ignores the Constitution, avoids and violates the rule of law, hates open government, deceives the American people, uses fear to manipulate people like Patrick and Cynicon... But he's no Hitler!
May 17th, 2007 at 1:00 pmEvil is as evil does.
I agree with Cynicon that Chimpy is stupid, but he is also evil.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:00 pm#47 Cynicon Implant
Not this American. I don’t really care about any of this crap. It is a frigging side show hyped up by the left.
So, if the next president is a Democrat, and the House and Senate remain under Democratic control, you won't have a problem with our new president just disregarding those laws and parts of the Constitution that he or she doesn't really care for. Right? And, if a Democratic president starts his or her term by declaring everything to be a secret that only the people in the White House and a select group of Democratic party members can be privy to, that's just hunky dorey with you.
That's the difference between Democrats and Republicans, I don't even want my own party to have that kind of power.
Not this American.
You're a sorry excuse for an American.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:02 pmBush, showing his similarity to Wolfowitz ~ neither knows when they're already f*cked and should resign.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:02 pm#47
"He's [Bush] not evil." Au contraire, I would submit that a person who authorized an illegal invasion into a country that was never a threat to this country which then resulted in the deaths of over 655,000 innocent Iraqi people should certainly merit the definition of evil. A president who authorized torture and a president [and vice president] who sanctioned the kidnappings of people to be tortured in foreign lands such as Syria and Egypt should be, by definition, evil and should therefore be tried in The Hague for war crimes and crimes against peace and crimes against humanity, unless you believe that the United States should not be bound by the rules of international law.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:03 pmI'd be surprised if Chimpy made the call. All along the way he has left the dirty work to others and publically sought to be above the fray... remember Swift Boat?
Please someone give this bastard a BJ so he can be impeached... anyone?
May 17th, 2007 at 1:05 pmWolfy may be smarter than Chimpy.
I heard this morning he is negotiating his resignation from the World Bank.
I also heard his mistress dumped him. Poor Wolfy, all alone.
I bet he already has a cushy job lined up with Halliburton.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:06 pmBush is EVIL. The definnition even in the dictionary has changed. It now says : "See Bush"
May 17th, 2007 at 1:06 pmWell, I gotta admit….He DID dodge the question.
Comment by Exley — May 17, 2007 @ 12:34 pm
Wow. I'm marking that on my calendar.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:07 pmYou can't give Chimpy a blowjob to impeach him.
That's because Chimpy gives blowjobs.
Chimpy is a bottom boy.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:08 pmThat’s because Chimpy gives blowjobs.
Chimpy is a bottom boy.
Comment by Tom3 — May 17, 2007 @ 1:08 pm
Sure, for this he believes it is better to give than to receive.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:11 pmBush: I pleads da fif!!
Comment by kelso
_____________
...after I drink one or maybe before or maybe both. Depends. I'm the decider. I need my Depends.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:14 pmIllegal spying on American citizens and over 700
signing statements disregarding the law.
IMPEACH!!
May 17th, 2007 at 1:15 pmWell, I gotta admit….He DID dodge the question.
Comment by Exley
I always said you were a smart blogger Ex.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:17 pmIn denial, in denial, in denial. And lying, lying, lying. A cabal of baffons.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:18 pmI hope he did, that would show again his love of America as compared to the surrender lobby.
Comment by Patrick1 — May 17, 2007 @ 12:28 pm
Then if he loved America and had nothing to hide regarding the NSA warrantless wiretapping program, then he'd have answered, "Yes, Kelly, I made the call. I did it in the interest of national security and the safety of every American citizen."
Idiot.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:21 pmProtect the civil liberties : Bush is lying through his rotten teeth.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:22 pmDon't forget that Reagen cut and ran from Lebanon.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:23 pmA simple "no" would have answered the question but, then there are phone records. So it is safe to conclude that he sent his scavengers to Ashcroft's hospitall bed.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:25 pmYes, but when somebody uses the "Americans want to know" line they are speaking about the majority. You are a 28%er. You are in the minority, so you don't fit when people say "Americans want to know."
May 17th, 2007 at 1:26 pmIf Bush loved America he wouldn't have over 700 signing statements to bypass the bills passed by congress.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:26 pmITMFA
May 17th, 2007 at 1:28 pm"My personal opinion is it was a shameful act, for someone to disclose this very important program in time of war," Bush said. "The fact that we're discussing this program is helping the enemy."
Yet on CNN.com on 10/8/01:
The proposed PATRIOT (Provide Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism) Act would provide investigators with more flexibility and greater access to high-tech tools to pursue wiretaps of mobile phones, interception of e-mail messages, and monitoring of Web surfing and other PC-based communications.
------
He [Bush] also said that the electronic monitoring was limited to people with "known al Qaeda ties and/or affiliates."
Yet the NSA tries to get its hands on trillions of phone calls made by tens of millions of Americans.
And the government walked away from Qwest when they asked to see a warrant. So much for the NSA wanting to protect us from the enemy.
------
Any domestic calls, the president said, would go through the secretive FISA court.
And if a domestic call involves two terrorists, one in Dallas and one in NY?
Going to FISA takes too long, doesn't it? Won't we take the chance of these terrorists getting away?
May 17th, 2007 at 1:30 pmLYING SACK OF SHIT.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:37 pmI've watched CNN. Watergate was a sideshow compared with this. Boy, how the mighty are falling. My tag DeadManWalking needs revising to DeadMENWalking. The Wolf may have resigned before I get to change it. Who's next? Once they start falling, they'll be queuing up to confess their version of history. Cowboy country. Remember banana republic? Well...So long as you are not exporting your style democracy elsewhere. We are doing fine over here in Ireland, thank you.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:41 pmWell, I gotta admit….He DID dodge the question.
Comment by Exley
Did Exley make sense? He has admitted to a brief realistic gaff by DUMBYA!!!
I GOTTA give you PROPS on this one! We MAY NOT always see eye-to-eye, but I give kudos when it warrants it!
I look forward to our next debate!
With Humility,
IraqVet
May 17th, 2007 at 1:42 pmComment by Crump's Brother — May 17, 2007 @ 12:55 pm
Excellent summation.
And, Cynicon, I believe Comey was the acting AG since Ashcroft was incapacitated due to his medical situation. The fact that the administration nevertheless dispatched two people to confront Ashcroft should raise a red flag about the administration's blatant disregard for following the appropriate procedure.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:45 pmEverybody just calm down.
Comment by Cynicon Implant
and go shopping. Yeah, we have heard.
Comment by Juan C — May 17, 2007 @ 12:52 pm
And do it now. The minute we withdraw from Iraq the terrorists will target our shopping malls and grocery stores. So sayeth the Republicans.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:47 pmHow bout just a fu(king denial. Oh, right, that would be lying, and he NEVER does that.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:50 pmThe more I learn about these traitors, the more I believe the possibility that 9/11 was an inside job, on the orders of "The Decider," and by design of his pit bull Cheney!
Unlikely however, that that will ever be able too be proven, but as for Bush sending Gonzo the clown, and Card too try and get Ashcroft, who had NO powers at the time, and had already, when he did have the power too do so, refused too sign off on the program declaring it illegal, too try and get him too sign off at a time he was not in a mental state due too pain killers, and other meds, can be proven. This move was not only discraseful, but was illegal in itself, as Ashcroft had already relinquished his powers to Comey, and the fact that both Ashcroft when he was in power(and even when he was all druged up), and Comey refused too sign off on the program declaring it illegal, and Bush approved it with the knowledge that the DOJ found it to be illegal anyway, is a high crime in itself.
It is now time too impeach Bush, Cheney, and Gonzo the clown! They have clearly broken the law, and basicly spit on the Constitution, and the American public. It is a MUST that they be impeached, and it is a MUST that it be done NOW!
May 17th, 2007 at 1:52 pmWE GOT HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May 17th, 2007 at 1:54 pmAnd, Cynicon, I believe Comey was the acting AG since Ashcroft was incapacitated due to his medical situation.
Comment by WC — May 17, 2007 @ 1:45 pm
Ooops. Sorry, Crump. I didn't see that you had already addressed this. But, then again, it doesn't hurt to keep repeating it.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:55 pm#89 IraqVet,
Well, you know what they say? Even a stopped clock is right twice a day....
May 17th, 2007 at 1:58 pmThe reporter wasn't asking about the program, she asked if he made a phone call. A simple "yes" or "no" would suffice. When Chimpy tried to link the two, the reporter should have been stronger in her follow-up.
May 17th, 2007 at 1:59 pmHe doesnt have the balls like yesterdays centcom commander to put his career on the line and just say yes... Yes I did.... Wow you republicans can sure pick your tuff, brave, honest leaders now cant you???
May 17th, 2007 at 2:00 pmI'm not a crook, the American people need to know that their President is not a crook...
Yeah whatever, more lying Republic666ans
May 17th, 2007 at 2:02 pmImpeach, indict, imprison. Peel the layers back...Cheney, Rove, Gonzalez, Bush...all have broken the law and their oaths of office. Even if we believe they believe the delusional rationale for their decisions, they are still GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY!
Sweet land of liberty-we need this nightmare to end now!
May 17th, 2007 at 2:05 pmHe's got that made in China lapel flag on though, what a patriot!
May 17th, 2007 at 2:05 pmThis guy needs to be impeached. Again, he goes back to his old tactics of fearmongering people in submission. I'd rather be dead than live everyday in fear of my own government.
May 17th, 2007 at 2:08 pm"Uh, Kelly...I'm the Commander Guy! Next question"
May 17th, 2007 at 2:17 pmggibson #98
Great point. If he was so certain that what he did was the right thing, and there was nothing illegal about it, then just say it.
I think he wants to say that stuff, but the brain's behind the Pres are reeling him in. I'm certain he wants to tell the American to F**k off. That he's the decider and he'll do what he wants law be damned.
May 17th, 2007 at 2:22 pmWell, you know what they say? Even a stopped clock is right twice a day….
Comment by Exley — May 17, 2007 @ 1:58 pm
Hahahahahahahaha!!!
I can ONLY hope that your battery gets replaced, my friend!!!
I feel that you have some insight that may be plausible, if we can keep it on the here and now! I DO NOT agree with the policies (as you do), but I do agree that we need to make sure that America is safe, and a better way is needed...
Kudos on the acknowledgement!
May 17th, 2007 at 2:26 pmI'm a conservative. This is the first time I've ever heard of this blog (this entry was linked to from Glenn Greenwald's latest blog). This kind of behavior -- not just refusing to disclose what happened, but the actual illegal wiretaps themselves -- is absolutely inexcusable. Bush should be impeached and then, along with much of the current administration, sent to prison for a very, very long time.
May 17th, 2007 at 2:28 pmXenos...
THANKS for standing by the courage of your convictions, rather than going along with an administration that has betrayed the core principles of the REPUBLICAN party...
There are things that WE are all conservative about, but that does not mean you should be blind to irresponsible and unethical behaviors!
I think for some it is difficult to separate the fact that calling those individuals totask would be viewed as a betrayal of their loyalty to their party!
Thanks again!
May 17th, 2007 at 2:36 pm" WAR is a racket. It always has been."
"It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives. "
General Smedly Butler
google bush crime family
May 17th, 2007 at 2:40 pmCommon people don't want war. It is the leaders who determine the policy,
and it is always a simple matter to drag people along whether it is a democracy,
or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no
voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.
Simply tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack
of patriotism and exposing the country to danger.
Hermann Goering
May 17th, 2007 at 2:44 pmI'm seeing more people smiling when I'm out in public. D'ya think we're getting--I don't know--hopeful? Does anyone know if Pelosi is getting a lot of demands to put impeachment back on the table? Don't think there's time to lose considering their saber rattling at Iran.
May 17th, 2007 at 2:44 pm“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothedâ€
- Dwight Eisenhower - Supreme Allied Commander
May 17th, 2007 at 2:47 pmThe corporate grip on opinion in the United States is one of the wonders of the Western world. No First World country has ever managed to eliminate so entirely from its media all objectivity - much less dissent.
May 17th, 2007 at 2:48 pmGore Vidal
Bush twice dodged the question entirely. “Kelly, there’s a lot of speculation about what happened and what didn’t happen. I’m not going to talk about it.†He added, “I’m not going to move the issue forward by talking about†it.
___________________
Wow. I don't get it. If the answer were simple and direct, he could answer simply and directly. Instead of moving the issue forward, as he puts it, the issue would then be resolved, no further questioning necessary...
Unless...of course...the answer ISN'T simple and direct. Which is what it would be for an innocent man. Maybe the truth is so graphic, so awful, so egregious, so illegal, that talking about it WOULD push the issue forward...towards an impeachment and criminal investigations...
ya think?
May 17th, 2007 at 2:57 pmDennis@93,
May 17th, 2007 at 3:00 pmJonathan Turley, an expert on the law, said on Keith Olbermann's Countdown that the mere going forward with the illegal wiretaps for over two years, until Comey blew the whistle and made legal changes, was an IMPEACHABLE OFFENSE. Bush sent Gonzales and Card to Ashcroft. Ashcroft had stupidly authorized the wiretaps up to this point without knowing how illegal they had become. Bush committed a clearly impeachable offense by subverting the Justice Department with two years of illegal wire taps and God knows what else that we still don't know. Congress has absolute power to impeach.
But Mr. President, is the program that you have in place now identical in all major aspects to the one that you...er, that someone tried to get Ashcroft to sign off on in the hospital?
May 17th, 2007 at 3:04 pmAnd just who were you spying on Bubble Boy? Reporters? Democrates? Grandmothers for Peace? Protesters? Bloggers? Critics? Maybe even some Repukians to have something to hold them to your will?
I would say, mmmmm, all of the above. IMPEACHMENT is needed.
Hating the Repukian Mafia
May 17th, 2007 at 3:17 pmIt's startling that in comparison to the current crew of crooks, Ashcroft looks like a man of integrity.
May 17th, 2007 at 3:17 pmcraig, I agree. I never thought I would see Ashcroft as a hero, but compared to the slimy shit Gonzalez, he shines.
Alberto was picked because he had fewer morals than Ashcroft.
I so want to see Bush testify under oath. Alone, without his hand in Cheney's lap like the last time.
May 17th, 2007 at 3:24 pmJeebus.
"... not gonna move the issue forward by talking about it ..."
Isn't that the same dodge he used when people asked him about cocaine use in the campaigns? dOH!!
May 17th, 2007 at 3:29 pmWhy won't Commander Cuckoo Bananas Guy talk about sending goons to beat a signature out of sick guy? It's the kind of story his base would love.
May 17th, 2007 at 3:31 pmOk, it's time for Bush to use the "I don't remember" or "I don't recall" method of not answering a question and thereby being caught in a lie. If he was not the one who told Gonzales and Card to do what they did, then he would say so. Because he avoided answering the question, he was telling us that the answer is "yes" he did. He just doesn't want to admit it.
One has to wonder how many other creepy crawly things are left under Bush's rock. It seems like 2-3 come out every day. Oh the wonders of oversight.
May 17th, 2007 at 3:33 pmAshcroft a man of integrity? Only if he and his wife testify against dubya. He was out of his head with pain and meds. Would he have chosen so nobly if he was in his "right" mind?
May 17th, 2007 at 3:37 pmHe added, “I’m not going to move the issue forward by talking about†it.
Doesn't it seem like someone told him, "Don't keep this issue alive by talking about it," so then he wanted to say "I'm not going to keep the issue alive by talking about it," and botched it up slightly?
In the clip he's not using "move the issue forward" in a positive sense, as though moving forward meant moving towards a resolution. From his tone I'd guess he was using the phrase to mean "you're not going to get me to talk about it, because I know you won't stop there, and it'll only lead to more questions, and that's the last thing I want."
May 17th, 2007 at 3:40 pmRe #12-- I hope he did, that would show again his love of America as compared to the surrender lobby. Comment by Patrick1
It's okay, Patrick, the boogeyman terrorists aren't going to get you today. Now go change your SpideyMan underroos, drink down all your hot milkie, and go back to sleep. That's a good little boy!
May 17th, 2007 at 3:52 pm"An enemy that wants to do us harm. . . ' As opposed to what - an enemy that wants to do us good? What an idiot! Impeach!
May 17th, 2007 at 3:58 pmI agree. Get Mr. and Mrs. A on the stand, under oath, before their health "deteriorates."
May 17th, 2007 at 4:01 pmI so want to see Bush testify under oath AT THE HAGUE WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL. Alone, without his hand in Cheney’s lap like the last time.
Comment by nanlichi — May 17, 2007 @ 3:24 pm
You missed a bit.
May 17th, 2007 at 4:02 pmOh, you'll answer the question alright, it'll be one of the charges at your impeachment trial. Go ahead and stonewall THAT!
May 17th, 2007 at 4:06 pm#105. IraqVet:
"I can ONLY hope that your battery gets replaced, my friend!!!"
Thank you, IraqVet....Happy Hour should charge me up later.
I appreciate the "kudos."
May 17th, 2007 at 4:13 pmHey Kelly...
Sha'cha'facey'olcoot!!!
May 17th, 2007 at 4:14 pmFor all the comments about, "Well we need to spy on them terrorists now and not wait for a ok from the courts."
They have PLENTY of TIME to apply for the ok from the courts after they have spied on who ever they wanted, just the court has to say it is ok, and that the evidence can be used in court.
We libs just want the courts to say it is ok, because you know these bastards are spying on people that they should not be spying on. That is the reason they want it secret.
Hating the Repukian Mafia daily
May 17th, 2007 at 4:33 pmrule of law? what rule of law?
impeach! impeach! impeach!
May 17th, 2007 at 4:35 pmIf the Democrats in Congress do not impeach all of these people, then we need a third party, because the Democrats are as corrupt as the Republicans
May 17th, 2007 at 4:49 pmAter all that has happened, how do Bush & Cheney still have their jobs? If these guys are not impeached, there is no reason to have impeachment on the books.
May 17th, 2007 at 4:54 pmYou can very nearly see Bush channeling comedian Mike Myer's "Dr. Evil" character when he says, "They would like to do harm to the American people, because they have an agenda." The only thing that's missing is that Bush didn't raise both hands and flick atmospheric quote marks when he said "agen..duh."
May 17th, 2007 at 5:04 pmThe follow-up should be, "Mr. President, are you wearing any clothes?"
May 17th, 2007 at 5:13 pmRichard Cohen would not approve, of course.
Aren't they all one big incestuous bunch? Probably any 2, 4, 8, 15 or 20 of them, including Boosh, contacted Ashcroft's wife and made their group-think snuffling noises at her. Getting the Inquirer on the case is an option.
May 17th, 2007 at 5:25 pmHas anyone asked Mrs. Ashcroft who called? This seems like a logical step in the investigation.
May 17th, 2007 at 6:00 pmSomething has always bothered me about Bush's press conferences, and I think I've finally put my finger on what it is: there's literally no intelligence behind them. I'm pretty sure I could write a simple chatbot that could give equally satisfactory answers for him. Let Mr. Preznit sleep in!
May 17th, 2007 at 6:04 pmhe is in full denial mode. the conversation right after this news conference is with his closest cronies and involves how to get out of this mess. there is no good way to string it out without someone being hung out to dry and miers, fredo, rove and probably condi are next.
wonder what fred fielding and karen hughes are doing now that 43 and dick cannot trust turdblossom or fredo to do anything competently?
May 17th, 2007 at 6:06 pmI don't think he dodged it. What I think he did was he admitted to it while trying to hide his admittance. He deliberately kept his confession vague. You sneaky bastard!
May 17th, 2007 at 6:25 pmThen the ffp media...
...if they're NOT a willing propaganda tool...
...for the criminally corrupt, mass murdering, war profiteering Bushite junta...
...should NOT move HIS/their agenda (or propaganda) forward...
...by boycotting ANY coverage of these criminal al Ceerakkkkers in the Bushite regime...
...covering instead ONLY ALL investigations,hearings, and gathering of evidence...
...that will lead to their (Bushites') DEMISE!
...ASAP...
May 17th, 2007 at 6:46 pmDon't worry president, WE will push the story farther along.
May 17th, 2007 at 6:52 pm“Well, Kelly, you see by completely destroying the Constitution, there will be nothing left, thus making it much easier to defend.â€
One of the most amazing accomplishments of the Cheney/Bush regime is the fact that they have succeeded in making John Ashcroft, Saddam Hussein, and Khalid Sheik Mohammed objects of sympathy.
Top reiterate points made by others:
1) Comey was the acting AG; thus, Ashcroft had no authority to sign off on anything. Therefore, they were shamelessly using Ashcroft to cover for something so patently illegal that even Ashcroft, arising Jim Bowie-like from his sickbed, wouldn’t go for it. Were they planning to backdate his signature to provide further cover for the operation?
2) This was unlikely to be an NSA operation, since Ashcroft/Comey have no authority concerning the NSA.
Bush’s always frames his traitorous actions as defending the country. Here is a short list of the ways Bush has “defended the countryâ€:
May 17th, 2007 at 8:00 pm1) Ignored numerous warnings prior to 9-11, including the infamous August 6, PDB, which states that, “Nevertheless, FBI information since that time indicates patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks, including recent surveillance of federal buildings in New York.â€
2) Complete failure to scramble any planes in order to defend the Pentagon on 9-11, as well as completely failing to hold anyone whatsoever accountable for that failure.
3) Enabled the airlifting of 3-4,000 hardcore Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters from Kunduz, Afghanistan to Pakistan in November, 2001. As Seymour Hersh states in his New Yorker article entitled, “The Getawayâ€, “…the Administration ordered the United States Central Command to set up a special air corridor to help insure the safety of the Pakistani rescue flights from Kunduzâ€.
4) Ad nauseam.
When you can't dazzle them with your brilliance, you baffel them with your bull-shit. He be one that can sling it fur 'n wide.
May 17th, 2007 at 8:37 pmthe walls are closing in on these thugs.
May 17th, 2007 at 10:34 pmMay 17th, 2007 at 11:44 pm
If the Democrats in Congress do not impeach all of these people, then we need a third party, because the Democrats are as corrupt as the Republicans
Comment by Charles Kurtz
Of course the Democrats are just as corrupt. It is the DemoPublican party isn't it? Neither party listens to us do they?
Breaking the Demopublican Monopoly
The reality is that America is now a one-party state. The Democratic and Republican parties have become nothing but two divisions of the same party -- the Central Leviathan Party. Both divisions are corrupted to the core, lap dogs for the special interests. No matter who wins, we always get more spending, more taxes, more inflation, more bureaucracies, more wars, and LESS FREEDOM.
The Demopublicans now tax over 50% of our earnings every year. They steal hundreds of billions from our savings through currency debasement. They have brought us a national debt of over $7 trillion. They have saddled us with $45 trillion in unfunded liabilities to come due on the backs of our children. They have bankrupted us as a nation. They are consuming the freedom and the substance of our lives like a swarm of locusts consumes a golden wheat field.
May 18th, 2007 at 12:09 amhttp://www.afr.org/Hultberg/101104.htm
"Aah, our very own CIC."
He's not the CIC, He's the Decider in Chief (King).
CKurtz, SPreston: BTDT. The result? Nader. Or nada; much the same. The consequence? Bush. This is a foolish idea. Reform the electoral system first. Why not come up with some alternatives?
May 18th, 2007 at 4:42 amThe New York Times writes today that “Americans need to know who dispatched Mr. Gonzales and Mr. Card to Mr. Ashcroft’s hospital bed.â€
Not this American. I don’t really care about any of this crap. It is a frigging side show hyped up by the left.
Bush isn’t Hitler, a dictator, etc. He may be somewhat incompetent but he’s not evil.
Everybody just calm down.
Comment by Cynicon Implant — May 17, 2007 @ 12:45 pm
Sorry pal, looks to me like many of us posting here are not from the left. My entire family has been Conservative Republican for generations, and we are sick and tired of these traitors we have been getting in the White House and Congress from both parties. It is past time to take our nation back. Perhaps we have already lost our children's futures and it is too late.
But why would you care? Trolls like you always place party over nation, don't you?
CKurtz, SPreston: BTDT. The result? Nader. Or nada; much the same. The consequence? Bush. This is a foolish idea. Reform the electoral system first. Why not come up with some alternatives?
Comment by me — May 18, 2007 @ 4:42 am
The consequence? Bush? Would Gore or Kerry have been any better? Of course not. Just more of the same treachery from the corrupt political system we are stuck with. Which Skull & Bones devil worshipper would we prefer? Reform the electoral system with whom? The ENEMY controls that process. We need to outlaw the DemoPublican Party and start fresh with multiple third parties with corrupt DemoPublican politicians forbidden to interfere.
May 18th, 2007 at 8:16 ami wonder would anyone have committed the watergate burglary without nixon knowing about it...anyway, in this case, it was card and gonzalez that made their desperate trip to see ashcroft.card, the same guy that had to 'pull teeth'to get bush to cut rumsfeld loose and gonzalez, a guy who probably wouldn't blink unless the president was informed.
May 18th, 2007 at 10:23 amImpeach americans cannot be serious....
May 23rd, 2007 at 4:25 amthis president is responsible for over 600thousand innocent DEAD and from what im hearing is the worst that can happen to this inhuman monster ....is that he loses his JOB!!!
noooo way he and his daddies cabal must do some serious jail time at LEAST!!!
pathetic really con hatzi
I am not sure how much more of this lying, criminal, anti-American
May 23rd, 2007 at 4:13 pmAdministration of G W Bush. The time for impeachment is past!
Of course that is a long way of pleading guilty.
He could have, should have just answered "NO".
But he went to defend the program, repeating its importance blah blah blah.
It is clearly an admission of guilt and an attempt to justify his action.
May God protect us from this evil!
June 5th, 2007 at 10:32 pmThe time for impeachment is never past as long as he remains in office.
June 5th, 2007 at 10:33 pm