The Legislative Branch has no oversight responsibility over the White House.

[Happy Monkey]

Here's the new talking point. [video]

The State Department seems to disagree a bit:

Congressional oversight prevents waste and fraud; protects civil liberties and individual rights; ensures executive compliance with the law; gathers information for making laws and educating the public; and evaluates executive performance. It applies to cabinet departments, executive agencies, regulatory commissions, and the presidency.

Congress's oversight function takes many forms:
— Committee inquiries and hearings;

via

[BigV]

Please supply the video-challenged among us with some suitable con-text, if you please.

[Happy Monkey]

The thread title is a direct quote from Tony Snow, and he's been saying it on news shows throughout the day. More context is in the "via" link.

[BigV]

Thanks.

Tony Snow, and Alberto Gonzales, among others were selected more for their loyalty and devotion to the President, than for their loyalty and devotion to anything else, like the truth or the Constitution. I take his remarks with a grain of salt. I do accept the unfortunate truth that practically anything said long enough and loud enough is more likely to be scrutinized less, given more credit as "fact", despite the objective truth of the matter. :sigh:

[Griff]

What bums me out are all the impeachable offenses that are going unaddressed while they screw around with this.

[tw]

Originally Posted by Griff

What bums me out are all the impeachable offenses that are going unaddressed while they screw around with this.

So how many were critical when America installed an Attorney General that advocated torture? Outright advocated torture and we stayed silent or endorsed him - same difference.

Congress is dealing with what they can because so many Americans - including a majority in The Cellar - remain so quiet about a George Jr administration that would even suspend writ of Habeas Corpus. How many voiced contempt for that in The Cellar. Only a tiny minority.

Welcome to days of Nixon when so many Americans completely denied what Woodward and Bernstein were publishing. Those who learned from the movies (ie Watergate) would never understand. Almost no one was complaining about Watergate because ... well, just like today, many only stated a dislike. Dislike is akin to support of George Jr. A large majority in The Cellar - both domestic and foreign - post clear support of George Jr because their comments are not sufficiently negative. I see same active support of George Jr as during Watergate when a 'silent majority' also strongly supported Nixon and the Vietnam war - by so much silence.

Same support for Nixon that kept America in Nam for seven more years is support of George Jr today. Exactly why impeachable crimes cannot even be considered. Even posters in Britain and China post what is strong support for George Jr. Silence is support.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by tw

So how many were critical when America installed an Attorney General that advocated torture? Outright advocated torture and we stayed silent or endorsed him - same difference.

Congress is dealing with what they can because so many Americans - including a majority in The Cellar - remain so quiet about a George Jr administration that would even suspend writ of Habeas Corpus. How many voiced contempt for that in The Cellar. Only a tiny minority.

Welcome to days of Nixon when so many Americans completely denied what Woodward and Bernstein were publishing. Those who learned from the movies (ie Watergate) would never understand. Almost no one was complaining about Watergate because ... well, just like today, many only stated a dislike. Dislike is akin to support of George Jr. A large majority in The Cellar - both domestic and foreign - post clear support of George Jr because their comments are not sufficiently negative. I see same active support of George Jr as during Watergate when a 'silent majority' also strongly supported Nixon and the Vietnam war - by so much silence.

Same support for Nixon that kept America in Nam for seven more years is support of George Jr today. Exactly why impeachable crimes cannot even be considered. Even posters in Britain and China post what is strong support for George Jr. Silence is support.

Exactly how old are you? I was around for Nixon and his fall from grace. Those were crimes. This is politics. Nothing more, nothing less. You are a Bush Basher. Please bring something to the table that has substance.

Lying to Congress is nothing right?

[Griff]

Originally Posted by tw

So how many were critical when America installed an Attorney General that advocated torture? Outright advocated torture and we stayed silent or endorsed him - same difference.

You are, of course, correct. Unfortunately, sometimes people need to be lead.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by tw

So how many were critical when America installed an Attorney General that advocated torture? Outright advocated torture and we stayed silent or endorsed him - same difference.

Congress is dealing with what they can because so many Americans - including a majority in The Cellar - remain so quiet...

This is the Cellar thread in which we discussed the Gonzales appointment. I don't see anyone supporting Gonzales, and many people strongly criticized him.

[warch]

I was also around for Nixon's fall and pardon....granted a young thing yet....but this adminstration's constellation of unprecedented power consolidation, manipulation and strategery- from signing statements, to political favors, to secret tapping, to torture, to haliburton, to abramoff, to plame, to misinformation and press manipulation, mismanagement, to secret prisons, to message leakage, to justice firing, to CIA tinkering and executive privilege... is making the break-in and Nixon taped arrogance look like the junior varsity. Many of the same crooks all grown up.

It may seem I am bashing Bush, but I am merely paying attention.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by warch

It may seem I am bashing Bush, but I am merely paying attention.

The Nixon Gang were pikers compared to this crowd.

[tw]

Originally Posted by glatt

This is the Cellar thread in which we discussed the Gonzales appointment. I don't see anyone supporting Gonzales, and many people strongly criticized him.

I don't see strong condemnation of Gonzales. In that thread, I see Ashcroft resigns, Gonzales is selected, and Gonzales justified torture. Then the discussion goes into length about whether torture and 'enemy combatants' is justified. Eventually Powell resigns. Where is all this condemnation of Gonzales? One that approaches a strong condemnation is a post from glatt.

Over the past two years, Gonzales has been quietly approved when this is a guy who even refuses to close Guantanamo - as both Rice and Gate (Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense) - want. Why? This guy even condones unrestricted wire tapping. He even approves of international wire tapping without judicial review of when they even had a secret court to approve such spying.

Well maybe this entire administration is so corrupt that no one bothers to speak out. Words like scumbag and mental midget would be routine if people were truly opposed. Such mild criticism is so little as to be approval.

I don't see widespread condemnation of Gonzales, George Jr, "Mission Accomplished", wild and uncontrolled government spending, encouragement for war by the Israelis, intent to end the Nuclear Test Ban treaty, efforts to undermine the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, Cheney's need for more presidential powers, corporate welfare to keep drug prices high, prosecution of those responsible for the CA energy crisis, destruction of science (ie stem cell research), White House lawyers rewriting science papers, America's poor relations through out the world - even with Mexico and Canada, etc. And then we have criminal after criminal activity among George Jr's closest supporters. Why so much quiet?

[bluesdave]

tw, just out of interest, do Americans listen to any of the NPR radio stations, or watch Jim Lehrer on PBS? Sometimes I think that we get better coverage of US politics than you guys do. In spite of what you have said to me in the recent past, I do not watch Fox News (I cannot - I do not have cable). The great thing about NPR, and Jim Lehrer, is that they show *both* sides of an argument. They do not just "Bush bash", they try to tell a balanced story. They have been very critical of Gonzales, and he is one of the few cases where neither forum has been able to find anything positive to say.

GWB has had his problems, but you have to live with him until Jan 2009. I disagreed with the invasion of Iraq in the first place, but I fully support both of our governments in keeping our troops in there for the foreseeable future. Not everything that Bush does is wrong. That does not mean that you can't criticise him, but a blanket "bagging" of everything to do with the White House, is not productive.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by bluesdave

tw, just out of interest, do Americans listen to any of the NPR radio stations, or watch Jim Lehrer on PBS? Sometimes I think that we get better coverage of US politics than you guys do. In spite of what you have said to me in the recent past, I do not watch Fox News (I cannot - I do not have cable). The great thing about NPR, and Jim Lehrer, is that they show *both* sides of an argument. They do not just "Bush bash", they try to tell a balanced story. They have been very critical of Gonzales, and he is one of the few cases where neither forum has been able to find anything positive to say.

GWB has had his problems, but you have to live with him until Jan 2009. I disagreed with the invasion of Iraq in the first place, but I fully support both of our governments in keeping our troops in there for the foreseeable future. Not everything that Bush does is wrong. That does not mean that you can't criticise him, but a blanket "bagging" of everything to do with the White House, is not productive.

And that about sums it up. I find it interesting, and somewhat of a national talking point, that if you don't bash Bush you must get your information from Fox News. It has become a national response amongst the libs. I don't watch it much my self, except for O'Reilly, whom is not a newscaster as many like to paint him. He is a commentator. Same goes for Lehrer, which is a great show. But back to Fox, I never really considered Mara Liasson and Juan Williams to be very conservative.