House Dems Moving Towards Contempt Vote

[L. Coyote]

House Dems Moving Towards Contempt Vote
By Paul Kiel - Oct 26, 2007
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004573.php

Better late than never. Three weeks ago, we reported (http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004339.php) that the House leadership seemed to be wavering in its pursuit of contempt citations for White House chief of staff Josh Bolten and former counsel Harriet Miers. Both of them, remember, refused to even show up (http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/003671.php) in response to a House Judiciary Committee subpoena relating to the U.S. attorney firings.

But now things seem to be moving along again. The Politico reports (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1007/6562.html) that vote counting has begun and quotes a House aide as saying that a vote is likely in the next couple of weeks.

The committee passed the resolutions in July, and once the House votes on them, they would be referred to the U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C. What happens then will be, to say the least, interesting (http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/003779.php). Michael Mukasey was a noncommittal (http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004479.php) on that question during his confirmation hearing last week. And the Miers and Bolten contempt citations aren't likely (http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/003779.php) to be the only ones.

.........

[bluestateguy]

1. They'll crap out.

This isn't even on my radar screen at all because it's so obvious that they will find a way to crap out or capitulate.

[Catshrink]

2. Or run out the clock.

The way they're dragging their heels, this will most likely be the outcome.

[JMDEM]

3. If they don't do this, they need to hold themselves in contempt. nt

[SlowDownFast]

4. K&R.

You Dems better fucking grow a spine and follow up on this shit, or else I'll....I'll....

Oh, nevermind.

[PSPS]

5. Look out! Is "moving toward a vote" worse than "a strongly worded letter?"

[Warren DeMontague]

6. Good. Of course, you'll excuse me if I don't hold my breath.

But good.

[Bright Eyes]

7. Weren't Bolten and Miers automatically in contempt

The minute they failed to show up?

[man4allcats]

9. That's what I thought!

What is there to vote on? Arrest them!

[L. Coyote]

10. Contempt has to be imposed by a vote of the entire chamber. We need two Congresses

under the Bushco Junta. One to conduct the business, as usual, and an extra team just to carry out the huge workload of business as unusual--oversight of the criminal regime that stole the Executive branch in 2000.

While I am as impatient as every one else posting here, I am not as cynical about this. Congress has more to do than oversight, and they all have to answer to the voters about their actions.

I would not want their job in this situation. Also, if all the posters here had the job of Leahy or others doing oversight, I suspect they wouldn't be conducting themselves very differently. Congress, after all, is not just Dems, and they have to maintain a functional government while doing oversight.

[JDPriestly]

8. I will believe it when I see it.

They should have done this last summer. They should have begun to impeach both Bush and Cheney by this time.

[VP505]

11. Contempt Vote

A complete wast of time, its painfully obvious that neither the House or Senate have any will to hold Bu$h/Cheney accountable and are happy to let members of their Admin resign or wait out their term without confrontation. At this point in time Cheney's impeachment should be in full swing, Gonzo and Rumsfeld and a few others should be in jail waiting for trial, sadly, the reality of it is that the only impeachments and trials will be done in the minds of bloggers or as topics for discussion.

[Warren Stupidity]

12. Step by step, slowly I turn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ9lQe2YoBs

Guess who represents our Democrats?

[warren pease]

13. So if they're already in contempt of congress for blowing off their subpoenas...

...what new charges would emerge from this action? And wouldn't they just blow them off again? It's not like you have to do time if you're a BushCo collaborator. Scooter knew all about that, and next year's pardons should read like Olbermann's worst person in the world list.

Once they're rounded up, are they held without bail pending trial? Any bail and you know these shitheels are gone to Paraguay or some other non-extradition treaty country.

And what happened to inherent contempt? The dems who were pushing to come down on Meirs and Bolton et al have admitted that conventional contempt doesn't leave them many enforcement options. Better to just dispatch the Sergeant at Arms to arrest them at their homes, lock them into that basement cell in the Capitol and hold court right there.

Sounds a little draconian, I suppose, but the elite members of dictatorships need to be held to a separate standard -- the one they themselves created -- rather than Constitutional law.

Bring on the warrants, cuff 'em and send them to their own private versions of hell. And yesterday would be just fine.


wp

[L. Coyote]

15. This is just one step in a legal process that can lead to jail time. No hurry

because if they are convicted too soon, Bush can pardon them or commute the sentence before the start squealing to stay out of a jail cell.

[warren pease]

14. Removed by poster. Dupe. Sorry