Dana Milbank, Professional Journalist
Posted on 06/27/2008 4:58:03 AM PDT by shrinkermd
Throughout the Bush presidency, he toiled in secrecy deep within the White House
Until yesterday.
There he sat, hunched and scowling, at the witness table in front of the House Judiciary Committee: the bearded, burly form of the chief of staff and alter ego to the vice president -- Cheney's Cheney, if you will -- and the man most responsible for building President Bush's notion of an imperial presidency.
David Addington was there under subpoena. And he wasn't happy about it.
Could the president ever be justified in breaking the law? "I'm not going to answer a legal opinion on every imaginable set of facts any human being could think of," Addington growled. Did he consult Congress when interpreting torture laws? "That's irrelevant," he barked. Would it be legal to torture a detainee's child? "I'm not here to render legal advice to your committee," he snarled. "You do have attorneys of your own."
He had the grace of Gollum as he quarreled with his questioners. In response to one of the chairman's questions, he neither looked up nor spoke before finishing a note he was writing to himself.
When Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) questioned his failure to remember conversations about interrogation techniques, he only looked at her and asked: "Is there a question pending, ma'am?" Finally, at the end of the hearing, Addington was asked whether he would meet privately to discuss classified matters. "You have my number," he said. "If you issue a subpoena, we'll go through this again."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Debbie Wasserman Schulz sounds like a chipmunk.
Well, this just gives more credence to Milbanks’ ‘’MEAN PEOPLE SUCK’’ bumbersticker on her Subaru.
Dana Milbank is Maureen Dowd without testicles and without humor. There can be few more contemptible suck-ups for the Democrats because Milbank is a snivelling lowlife of the flatulent left.
Dana Milbank, Professional Journalist
Addison and Yoo were very skilled in bluntling the Congressjerks’ ridiculous questions.
There wasn’t enough brainpower on that panel to light a 40 watt lightbulb.
This is how the Dems should have been handled since 2001.
But that damn “new tone” thingy got in the way.
LOL! That’s a keeper!
Have you got one of congressman Delahunt? Our very undistinguished coast guard “veteran”. Perhaps as Cap’n Crunch?
From REDSTATE.com today:
Damn us all and our party if we let this go.
Congressman Delahunt can be reached at 202-225-3111 and by fax at 202-225-5658
By The Directors
It is no secret that public discourse in this country has become very shrill. Blogs on the left regularly feature vulgar diatribes against the right. Some on the right do the same. Keith Olbermann tells the President to “shut the hell up” on his television program. The New York Times publicly reveals the name of a CIA agent who did the dirty work of interrogating captured Al Qaeda operatives. The left says, “So, the right did it to Valerie Plame,” treating as morally equivalent the disclosure of the spy no longer spying and the disclosure of one of the men Al Qaeda would love to behead.
While Congress has also descended into a more shrill style, until yesterday it had not crossed one line of civility that never should be crossed on either side.
David Addington is the Vice President’s Chief of Staff. Yesterday, he testified before Congress.
During the course of the hearing, Congressman and Obama Superdelegate William Delahunt (MA-10) asked Mr. Addington about water boarding. Mr. Addington responded that he would not go into details because Al Qaeda is probably watching.
Congressman Delahunt’s response was, “I’m glad they finally have a chance to see you.”
Mr. Delahunt now denies he meant what he said. But what he clearly said was “I’m glad they finally have a chance to see you.” Al Qaeda now knows the face of one of the men who relentlessly pursues its henchmen and deals with their interrogations. Mr. Addington volunteered for public service, not a death sentence with Congressional encouragement. Mr. Delahunt is both a vile liar and a cowardly lion willing to roar down at Mr. Addington while encouraging terrorists to do his dirty work in a war he has been ineffective at stopping.
The left, while attacking Charlie Black for stating the obvious — that a terrorist incident helps the GOP politically because they are seen as more competent in the national security arena — is defending this degradation of congressional discourse and vile swipe at Mr. Addington.
This discourse — a member of Congress glad Al Qaeda has a face it can pursue — is beneath the dignity of the Congress and beneath the dignity of civil discourse in this country.
If you do not call your Congressman today and demand the House of Representatives, at the very *least*, censure Congressman Delahunt, well damn us all. We have no right to carry on our fight.
The number is 202-224-3121 and Congressman Delahunt’s email address is william.delahunt@mail.house.gov.
And some intrepid reporter should ask Mr. Obama what he thinks of this. After all, Mr. Delahunt was one of Mr. Obama’s early supporters and is now an Obama superdelegate. Of course, you can ask Barack Obama yourself at (866) 675-2008.
When you call your Congressman, you should make sure he knows an apology from Mr. Delahunt will not suffice. Delahunt clearly is lying about and denying his statement. “I’m sorry” would just be more of the same.
The more the stupidity of the Democrat congress is exposed, the better.
Millibank has been aping Modo for years. He’s hardly unique.
Bookmark. I never heard of this guy ‘til now and he’s great, reminds me of Haldeman.
LOL... When *I* act like this, either here on FR, or in person, I get yelled at for “not toeing the line”.
Good for him, and good for the REST of us who are like him.
Why can’t we get a presidential candidate with the stones this guy has?
I am so tired of people going before these committees and kow-towing as if they don’t have a constitutional right to tell off these self-inflated politicians.
If more people showed them for the idiots they are, we’d have far fewer of these televised kangaroo courts.
The Dems have fostered a political climate in which no Republican should ALWAYS plead the fifth. The questioning during those "investigations" are merely fishing expeditions to try to get some to implicate themselves. You can't take a chance that you'll mis-remember something and poof...you end up in jail.
I e-mailed Delahunt and my congressman. here is what I wrote to congressman Keller of FL.
I am writing to demand that congress censure, or charge with treason, MA congressman William Delahunt for unequivacably stating that he was glad Al Quada finally had “a chance to see” the Vice President’s chief of staff David Addington on television.
This is a real threat to Mr. Addington and it should not be taken lightly. Delahunt has made it clear he sides with the extreme muslim world who we all know is a threat to the western world.
Censure Delahunt now!
LOL—I guess this atty approves of this Congress about 12% worth.
I wasn't quite as sure. I mean, was it too much trouble to be solitary and poor as well?
Yes, but that was then. This is now.
If the Pubicans had the cojones, they’d refer this to the ethics committee. It would get nowhere because the modern day clones of Henry B. Gonzalez rule the House but it would at least suggest they are still breathing.
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