Arlen
This is a tough question for American political watchers these days, but just try it out and see what comes to you: is Arlen Spectre the biggest coward in Congress? This guy is hand-shy like a whipped dog. He's like a character out of a 70's sit-com. "Oh no! Please, Fonzie, don't take my lunch money!" This guy is a complete joke - but the joke is on us - he's the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Which means that when Georgie's Brownshirts go through your phone records or search your house without telling you or tap your phone without a warrant, Spectre's the guy who's supposed to do something about it. And yet, somehow, he's become a parody of the watchdog what our constitution mandates.
How about that warrentless wiretapping? The constitution expressly calls for a warrant for any search or seizure. Arlen sure talked tough at first. He was going to get to the bottom of it and get the Telco execs in front of the committee and everything. The Dick Cheney gave him the stink-eye.
Now, well, no hearings. No Telco execs. Just a completely whipped Senator.
And his answer to the illegal spying? Do a new law that makes it legal. Except that the White House doesn't want it. They just want his to go away. So away he goes.
How about the Justice Department planning to charge reporters over leaks based on the 1917 espionage act that's never been used - was never meant to be used - against the press? Will they answer to it? Nope.
How about the FBI's attempts to grab the papers of the late reporter Jack Anderson? Any comment? Nope.
In fact, Arlen doesn't think AG Gonzo will tell him anything about anything even if he shows up and testifies. Not under oath, though. They've made it clear that you can't put the Attorney General of the United States under oath because it's understood that he will lie about something in the course of his testimony.
Arlen used to be considered a moderate, but he's been Mr. Go-Along with the NeoCon putsch. He begged like a broke leper to keep his chairmanship after the 2004 election, and apparently Georgie got what he wanted from that episode: a Senate Judiciary Committee willing to look the other way while he shreds the Constitution.
Which means that when Georgie's Brownshirts go through your phone records or search your house without telling you or tap your phone without a warrant, Spectre's the guy who's supposed to do something about it. And yet, somehow, he's become a parody of the watchdog what our constitution mandates.
How about that warrentless wiretapping? The constitution expressly calls for a warrant for any search or seizure. Arlen sure talked tough at first. He was going to get to the bottom of it and get the Telco execs in front of the committee and everything. The Dick Cheney gave him the stink-eye.
Now, well, no hearings. No Telco execs. Just a completely whipped Senator.
And his answer to the illegal spying? Do a new law that makes it legal. Except that the White House doesn't want it. They just want his to go away. So away he goes.
How about the Justice Department planning to charge reporters over leaks based on the 1917 espionage act that's never been used - was never meant to be used - against the press? Will they answer to it? Nope.
How about the FBI's attempts to grab the papers of the late reporter Jack Anderson? Any comment? Nope.
In fact, Arlen doesn't think AG Gonzo will tell him anything about anything even if he shows up and testifies. Not under oath, though. They've made it clear that you can't put the Attorney General of the United States under oath because it's understood that he will lie about something in the course of his testimony.
Arlen used to be considered a moderate, but he's been Mr. Go-Along with the NeoCon putsch. He begged like a broke leper to keep his chairmanship after the 2004 election, and apparently Georgie got what he wanted from that episode: a Senate Judiciary Committee willing to look the other way while he shreds the Constitution.
posted by fiduciary at 8:39 AM
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