Things just got very ugly in Washington. Yesterday, Cheney got subpoenaed for information on his warantless wire-tapping program. White House press secretary Tony Snow called it "an outrageous request". But that's just one of many snowballing Democrat investigations. And today the White House is point-blank refusing to co-operate with the subpoenas:
"With respect, it is with much regret that we are forced down this unfortunate path which we sought to avoid by finding grounds for mutual accommodation," White House counsel Fred Fielding said in a letter to the chairmen of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees.The White House is invoking executive privilege, even though Cheney argues he is not a member of the Executive branch.
This is going to end up in the Supreme Court,as many of us have long predicted. And the Republicans have diligently stacked the court in their favour, and kept Bush's discredited Attorney General in place, in preparation for just such a day. Is it impeachment time yet?
Even Fox News now has Bush at record lows, and in some states he is polling as low as 14%. But Bush is still pleading for patience in Iraq. And you'll never guess which state he has picked as the new "model":
He cited Israel as a possible model for Iraq, signalling that success for US forces there should not be defined by a complete end to attacks, but by creation of a "functioning democracy" despite continuing violence.NB: Cartoon above by Ted Rall.
