Eleanor Clift: "The only way to stop Bush’s imperial expansion of power"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

Farewell, Fig Leaf
Bush called for a criminal investigation to ‘get to the bottom’ of the CIA leak scandal. It turns out he may be the bottom.

By Eleanor Clift
Newsweek
Updated: 2:05 p.m. ET April 7, 2006



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12206700/site/newsweek/

April 7, 2006 - President Bush promised to restore honor and dignity to the White House. It was a not-so-veiled reference to the indiscretions of his predecessor. Bush relied on the trust that stemmed from his supposedly higher character to take the nation to war, a war we have since learned was waged on mostly made-up intelligence.

Lewis (Scooter) Libby’s claim that it was the president who authorized the leaking of classified information for political gain may not mean that Bush did anything illegal, but it sure strips away the last fig leaf of his moral standing. It places the president at the center of a schoolyard fight to bully retired ambassador Joseph Wilson into shutting up about the administration’s lies that Iraq had sought to buy uranium from Africa. Wilson had traveled to Niger and reported back to the CIA that the claim was false, yet Bush made the alleged purchase a centerpiece of his case for war.

According to testimony by Libby—Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff—Bush gave the go-ahead through the vice president for the otherwise secretive and always dutiful Libby to leak the classified National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) to New York Times reporter Judith Miller. The leak set in motion the chain of events that led to the unmasking of Valerie Plame, Wilson’s wife, as an undercover CIA officer who had been working for an energy-related front company while investigating nuclear proliferation. It is a serious crime to reveal the identity of a covert operative, and Bush called for a criminal investigation to “get to the bottom” of the scandal. It turns out he may be the bottom.

There is no evidence that Bush specifically authorized the leaking of Plame’s identity, and the White House is refusing to comment on an ongoing court case. But it’s not that far a reach to imagine that the president gave his tacit support to the leak. There’s nothing this administration won’t do under the guise of battling terrorism. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testified on Capitol Hill this week that he wouldn’t rule out the president allowing warrantless wiretapping on Americans without the fiction that they are conversing with someone overseas. The only way the American people can stop Bush’s imperial expansion of power short is to turn out in massive numbers to take back one or the other body of Congress from Republican control.

[pberq]

1. turn out in massive numbers

"The only way the American people can stop Bush’s imperial expansion of power short is to turn out in massive numbers to take back one or the other body of Congress from Republican control."

[theobscure]

9. I'm sorry, but what evidence is there that the Democratic Party is

any more averse to "imperial expansion of power" than the Republican Party? The Republicans may be more bold about it and the Democrats, timid; but the essential idea of empire through aggression and intervention is a shared one.

The reason people don't turn out in massive numbers is because there is no real, viable, progressive choice within our political power structure on these essential macro issues.

[abluelady]

2. There must be more we can do.

Those who don't vote don't care. How we make them care is beyond our control. Those of us who do vote must do something. Counting on that other 52% is not a viable option to me.

[iamahaingttta]

4. Yes, there is more we can do...

...as I keep saying:

Stop paying your taxes, people!
Stop using your credit cards, stop using any petroleum products that aren't absolutely necessary! And do it LOUDLY!

That's it... it's time for the revolution, and that's the only way to starve this beast.

The only reason these Oil Killers are doing all this stuff is to secure more oil that they can turn into profit, and if WE stop giving them their profits, the game will change. Sorry, I know it will be difficult. But it's the only way.

Stop paying your taxes, stop using you credit cards, stop using any petroleum products that aren't absolutely necessary.

I'll go first!

[enough already]

6. We need an all out revolt in this country

This has to be stopped.

[Agony]

3. After GWarb nukes Iran

we will all have to descend on Washington, life as usual can not go on. I don't understand how we can be at war even now while the nutcase-in-chief can have a farewell party for his ex chief of staff. It is immoral for him to be partying in any way shape or form while our soldiers and Iraqi's die daily.

[thecrow]

5. Welcome to DU !!!

[newyawker99]

8. Hi Agony!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[ldf]

7. guise of battling terrorism

one of merrian-webster's definitions:

a : external appearance : SEMBLANCE b : PRETEXT

in other words, fake excuse for battling terrorism.

why? so they can push through all the crap they have been pushing through, possibly permanently destroying this nations' ability to use a highground approach for anything.

brute power is now the preferred method, enforcing any damn policy we want to make up.

like "preemptive". that pretty much covers everything.

"in the future, you/they MAY.......(fill in the blank)"

during ronald reagan's reign of stupidity i thought i could never hate anyone as much.

i am sooooo far beyond that, now.