If you’ve been reading any of my posts for any length of time you know that I have been PUSHING for the investigation and prosecution (where appropriate) of the GW Bush administration since I started this blog. I’m sure you can surmise that my intensity about this was gaining steam for a long period of time prior to my needing to write, a (seemingly at the time) deparate attempt to make myself feel better. I mean, when you’re watching your own country dissolve into a semblance of a second rate dictatorship, all because of a terrorist organization which you could have summarily stamped out, but chose to disregard for the sake of an “oil grab” of historically incompetent proportions – you feel – well, I have to be careful here (you know the saying about making assumptions) – I feel the only honorable way out of this for America is to make a clear statement to our citizens and to the rest of the world that we are a nation of laws and not men. I mean, the level of hypocrisy as GW and his cronies were pushing “Democracy” in Iraq while suspending it at home is beyond belief. I honestly never thought something like this was possible in this nation I love.

Well, it looks like the “you know what” is hitting the fan as far as Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rove, Addington, Yoo, Wolfowitz, Gonzales, and others are concerned. And the way it’s playing out is quite interesting. I mean, on the one hand President Obama is stating “I want to look forward and not backward” – discouraging words to me – but then his justice department makes public nine memos from the Bush Office of Legal Counsel which have really “stirred” the waters as far as an investigation of Bush is concerned. Today, Karl Rove and Harriet Miers – two of the Bush advisors who refused to tesify before Congress – agreed to appear before John Conyers House Judiciary committee – not under oath, but subject to perjury charges (whatever that means, I’m sure we’ll find out later) – and not in public session – to testify regarding the firing of the nine US attorneys during Bush’s second term. The allegations are that the attorney’s were fired illegally (essentially by Rove) for partisan political reasons – and with at least two of them, David Eglesias of New Mexico and Carol Lam of San Diego California – there is overwhelming evidence they were fired because either they weren’t aggressive enough in prosecuting Democrats or too aggressive in prosecuting Republicans.

This scandal will lead to other areas besides the attorneys who were fired. It is sure to be rehashed about how Monica Goodling was hiring Justice Department lawyers based on their loyalty to Bush as opposed to their legal credentials – this in a department that has prided itself on non-partisanship – the integrity of our legal system depends on the public perception that our Justice Department is fair and unbiased in prosecuting the laws of the land. This proposed investigation will also lead to the events leading up to the illegal imprisonment of Don Siegelman, former Democratic governor of Alabama, who was railroaded into prison by Karl Rove – that one will be not only very interesting when it comes to light, but I guarantee you it will be a sobering example of why we have to prosecute these people so that this kind of criminal activity never happens again in any part of our government – or at least we set a precedent of what will happen if it does. Karl Rove should get at least 4 or 5 times as much jail time as he subjected Siegelman to – for starters (and, believe me, Rove is “dirty” in several other areas as well.

Bush’s White House was getting weak kneed attorneys to write legal opinions giving them abusive authority that all of them had to know was unconstitutional. Of course, you have to keep in mind that Bush’s VP was Dick Cheney who felt ever since Watergate that the executive branch of the government had lost power that he wanted to get back. For example, the warrantless wiretapping will lead right to Cheney when everything comes out, the torture will lead right to Cheney when it all comes out, everyone knows that Cheney is the one who “outed” Valerie Plame Wilson (she was a covert CIA agent, and we’ll probably never know the full ramifications of what happened to those in her “network” – a treasonable offense – and was shielded from guilt by Lewis “Scooter” Libby who took the “fall” for him – hopefully, this will come out.

The Senate Judiciary committee is proposing a “Truth Commission” – a series of investigations to find out everything that was happening while Bush was President. Today, the leading Republican opponents of that plan suggested that if laws were broken that we don’t need a “Truth Commission” (I happen to agree with them, for once) – there should be a special prosecutor and any lawbreaking should be prosecuted. Patrick Leahy, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, is on record that he just wants to make sure that the truth comes out so that these abuses are not repeated again – whether by the Obama administration or any other future administration. Should prosecutions prove to be appropriate, then they should happen. He seems to think both things can happen. The important thing to me is that the truth comes out and we SOUNDLY repudiate all that happened under GW Bush! Not only for our own nation, but as a statement to the rest of the world that we will not tolerate this abusive behavior – especially when it comes from our own. Just the torture policy (which has been publicly admitted by both Bush and Cheney that they authorized it) is a HUGE NATIONAL DISGRACE!

While I’m very encouraged by these developments and I’m pleased that Eric Holder released the memos which have heightened the “push” for investigations, I’m still very curious about the position of President Obama and his legal advisors. For example, it has been reported that the deal getting Rove and Miers in front of the House Judiciary Committee was negotiated by Obama’s Legal counsel – preventing them from being in the position of possibly defending Rove and Miers in Court. As I’ve stated many times it’s much easier to give up our rights than to get them back. And while I am a supporter of President Obama I’m still on “Red Alert” as to how he’s going to deal with all this. Presidents don’t like to prosecute Presidents. I think they believe in the “What goes around, comes around” theory – and would rather just look the other way. THIS WON’T DO IN THIS INSTANCE! The Bush administration abused their power to such an extent that IT MUST BE REVERSED! Whether Obama wants to give up this power or not. The case of Rove and Miers would have been an executive privilege case that Obama would have lost in court had he taken it on – it would not have been wise (In fact, I don’t think it was wise to even let on that he was considering it). He is soon to face another crossroads in this issue – warrantless wiretapping – and my suggestion to President Obama (it’s reported he doesn’t want to give up the power assumed by Bush) is to take the “high road” and do the right thing. Get the government off of our phone lines and out of our emails – and any other areas where they have overstepped their bounds. You talk about a possible area which would unite Republicans and Democrats – just let it get out that you are continuing the eavesdropping tactics of GW Bush!

I will close by saying that this representative democracy has survived all these years by considering the constitution a non-negotiable document. It is what it is, and the government – just like the citizens of this great nation – is obliged to abide by it. The US is not a dictatorship, and Bush/Cheney et al need to be prosecuted to prove it!