Tony Snow: "Executive Privilege Is A Dodge"

[kpete]

Tony Snow: "Executive Privilege is a Dodge"
by Glic
Tue Mar 20, 2007

Tony Snow believes that executive privilege is a dodge. In fact, he feels so strongly about it that he wrote an op-ed for the St Louis Post-Dispatch. From Glenn Greenwald:

Tony Snow - Op-Ed - St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 29, 1998 :

HEADLINE: "Executive Privilege is a Dodge"

Evidently, (the President) wants to shield virtually any communications that take place within the White House compound on the theory that all such talk contributes in some way, shape or form to the continuing success and harmony of an administration. Taken to its logical extreme, that position would make it impossible for citizens to hold a chief executive accountable for anything. He would have a constitutional right to cover up.

Except, of course, the President of which he was speaking was Clinton, not the current Unitary Executive, and it was published on March 29 1998 under the headline "executive privilege is a dodge."

(more)

Chances are that the courts will hurl such a claim out, but it will take time.

One gets the impression that Team Clinton values its survival more than most people want justice and thus will delay without qualm. But as the clock ticks, the public's faith in Mr. Clinton will ebb away for a simple reason: Most of us want no part of a president who is cynical enough to use the majesty of his office to evade the one thing he is sworn to uphold -- the rule of law.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/03/20/executive_privilege/index.html

more at:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/3/20/23107/9563

[swimboy]

1. Great find.

:thumbsup:

I am daily astounded at the hypocrisy.

[zanne]

11. I'm astounded

That some Bushies actually defend the hypocrisy. Do they see it or are they clueless? Not that it makes alot of difference, but I'd really like to know, once and for all, if they realize that they're being hypocrites.

[swimboy]

17. Under Clinton, it was eight years of hearing what a lousy president Clinton was.

Now under Bush, it's eight more years of hearing what a lousy president Clinton was.

I wonder the same thing as you do.

How willful is the ignorance?

[tanyev]

2. God bless the internets.

:spray:

[TechBear_Seattle]

5. You know about the internets, don't you?

These pipes are a liberal conspiracy created by Al Gore just to embarass the brave patriots of God's Own Party. :rofl:

[underpants]

3. That Greenwald piece is hilarious and a keeper.

Is this another update? I had a thread on it yesterday and don't remember seeing this particular gem in there.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3171687

[Quakerfriend]

4. Great catch!! I would love to see WH Press bring this one up

in the daily briefing.

[Parisle]

10. Totally,....

--- And if they do not, then they are falling down on the job.

[malaise]

15. Then send this to the one and only

Helen Thomas.

[SpiralHawk]

6. k & r -- but will any corporate media weenies call him on this?

Corporate media on bended knee to Commander AWOL and his
cabal of corrupt republicon cronies. They do not serve the
citizens of the USA -- they meekly serve POWERon bended knee.

[sellitman]

7. KO should address this

I bet he will.

:popcorn:

[SoFlaJet]

8. Anybody know how to contact David Gregory?

and E-mail him this to ask Tony McSnowjob at the next WH briefing?

[wicket]

9. K & R

:kick:

[radfringe]

12. THEN and NOW

THEN:

Tony Snow (March 29, 1998: "Executive Privilege is a Dodge"

NOW:

Tony Snow (March 21, 2007):"Executive Dodging is a Privilege"

[ashling]

13. Don't you mean the current

urinary executive ?? Piss on all of them!!!!

[malaise]

14. I love posts like these

Tony might choke on this one.

[KittyWampus]

16. And yet various Clinton aides did, in fact, testify

[Norquist Nemesis]

18. It's not just Snow! I saw quotes from Saffire and Kate O'Beirne too

(sorry, don't have the links but the source are named)

Kate O'Beirne - Capital Gang - May 2, 1998:

O'BEIRNE: Let me say, Mark, I think Newt Gingrich delivered a really good speech. He gave voice to that which millions of people know to be true. I don't think it's good news for the Democrats. The Republicans have had trouble finding their voice on this and they're scared off by being told it just has to do with the president's personal, private behavior. And Newt Gingrich, I think, has given voice to them in a way that's not helpful to Democrats.

He says there are two principles involved, the public's right to know, because secrecy has so benefited Bill Clinton, and second, no one is above the law. Now, if the public increasingly sees this scandal about their right to know, so much for executive privilege and Secret Service privilege, and no one is above the law, Bill Clinton's in a lot of trouble.

---

From William Safire, writing in The New York Times, June 4, 1998 (h/t Invictus):

The Supremes will not have to decide President Clinton's claim of executive privilege to shield his P.R. aide Sidney Blumenthal because when Starr went eyeball-to-eyeball with the White House on this, Clinton blinked. I think the President knew this claim on a matter unrelated to national security was a loser all along, but made it in lower court to run down the clock. Smart; it bought him four months