Thursday, June 21, 2012

Real Questions about the Executive Privilege Fiasco


  1. While it appears that the president himself does not have to be personally involved in a conversation to claim executive privilege, how many times in history has this been done? 
  2. How many times during non-wartime moments has executive privilege been claimed over congress investigating the death of an american officer?
  3. How many times in history has executive privilege been used when the executive branch has been caught in a lie (in my lifetime I can think of only one other - 1974)?
Now perhaps the answer to 1, is many times.
Perhaps the answer to 2 is many times
Perhaps prior to Nixon the answer to 3 is many times.
If the answer to these questions is, ‘quite a few times’ the admin is off the hook and this can be CLAIMED to be political. Too bad for the Terry family then, I guess. Who do THEY see about this?
However, since Holder, who neglected to prosecute men wielding clubs at a voting station, clubs which could be meant for only one purpose at such a place, has now admitted there was no Fast and Furious PRIOR to this administration, it is IMPOSSIBLE to imagine that if this had occurred under ‘W’, Nancy Pelosi, Waxman, Wiener (may his career rest in peace), Steve Cohen of TN, Dingell, Barney Frank, John Conyers, Maxine Waters, etc. would NOT be moving right this second to have the man IMPEACHED.
Now, I certainly am not in favor of that, but it is FLABBERGASTING that Obama would invoke executive privilege over revealing emails and docs concerning how and why the justice department ended up lying to Congress over the death of an american officer by weapons they encouraged the smuggling of for any reason other than it was both political DEATH, and significant people were going to go to jail.
If Mr. Romney should be elected, there will be calls to open this up. When this occurs I would normally say forget it, it’s just political vengeance, but what about the man’s family?
Democrats with conscience should speak FORCEFULLY to Mr. Obama over this, and employees at justice with knowledge of the realities have a moral responsibility which cannot be avoided.
Brian Terry is dead.
Murdered by a gun Mr. Holder CERTAINLY agreed (somehow) to smuggle into Mexico, then colluded in some way to cover that prior fact up?
The need to both find out if that horrible assertion is factual in either half is, since the man was murdered, one of those things that is impossible to grant benefit of the doubt on.
The documents, as was FINALLY the case with Harriet Myers and Karl Rove, should be released, and no one was killed there.
This is BAD, but compared to the economy, organizationally it’s just another example of amateurish incompetent execution of ideology over governance.
Barack Obama will be recorded as the worst president since the depression, and may well exceed James Buchanan once the legacy of these ideological stupidities play out.

6 comments:

Always On Watch said...

In my view, one reason that nothing will ever fully come to light about charging Obama with ANYTHING is that he is the first and only African-American President. I can't abide him on different levels. But I think that publicly disgracing him would do America a lot of harm. On the other hand, he should be held accountable -- particularly because at least one American has died. Also, all the LYING is outrageous. In many respects, Obama is shaming the black community.

Christine said...

Great post Epa.

You have hit the nail on the head AOW. The reason that nothing will ever be done, is because O is the first black president.

The race card got him in. The race card has kept him in. The race card will keep a glowing light over his head. No matter what he has done and will do.

Epaminondas said...

I actually don't believe the race card got him in.
I think Howdy Doody running against Bush's legacy + McCain TOTALLY BUNGLING 9/15 - 9/18 2008 made a dem victory GUARANTEED.

I think subjectively AoW is right however that disgracing him would do us all harm for that reason, HOWEVER:

this is true because every legitimate criticism has ultimately been rejected as being based in racism, and Obama's election OUTSIDE THE US has been regarded as the populace recognizing we are not a good nation

Obama has not done the US a favor in this any way you look at it.

Pastorius said...

I agree with Epa that Obama is the worst President since the depression (though I think he's probably tied with Carter at this point).

But I also agree with Christine. Obama will always be remembered fondly, the same way JFK is always remembered fondly despite not having been a great President. JFK had a connection with the people which was built on charisma. Obama has that too. Obama is loved because he is our first African-American President. As such he is a symbol for all of us of America's ability to move on, heal terrible wounds, turn those into something better, and grow as a nation whose goal is to provide equal rights and opportunity under the law for human being. He is important as a symbol. And, in my opinion, Obama is legitimately an incredibly charismatic human being, on the level with Reagan, Clinton and JFK.

So, as time passes, and the truth takes hold more, he will be judged more on what he did, on what he actually accomplished. That looks to be not much.

In the past few weeks we have seen almost all of Obama's accomplishments wither on the vine. Most tragically, Egypt turned out to be exactly what we here have been saying, a set up for the Muslim Brotherhood, not a real Democracy. And yet, Egypt as the most important Arab Spring nation, was Obama's claim to having created a Islamic Domino Effect. Well, that's not gonna happen. The Arab Spring was Obama's opportunity to look like Reagan when he said, 'tear down this wall" and it happened. But, the wall of hatred and fear in the Islamic world is not going to come down, or at least, not as the result of anything Obama has done so far.

And it looks like his health care plan will also wither on the vine.

And now Fast and Furious, and the even more virulent CyberSecurritygate are coming down on him legally.

Obama is in real trouble.

It could not happen to a worse and more deserving President.

Pastorius said...

I think the race card played a part in getting him elected. It certainly played a large part in the halo the media has successfully created for him.

He is charismatic, but even Reagan and Clinton were never thought to have a halo.

Charles Martel said...

The race card was indeed used, although it was wrong. Obama is not our first African-American president. He may be bi-racial, but he is not a true African-American. He is the product of two lines of free people. None of his ancestors were slaves, had to sit in the back or the bus or barred to drink from public water fountains. He is the product of white education, and even privileged upbringing. Comparing him with JFK is ludicrous! History will judge him for what he actually is ...