Cross-posted on Texas KOS
Former Nixon White House counsel John Dean, testifying on behalf of a Democratic resolution to censure President Bush, asserted Friday that Bush's conduct in connection with domestic spying exceeds the wrongdoing that toppled his former boss from power.
Um, ok. So, are Democrats going to speak for censuring now? You've got all the cover you need now! You've got a guy, who's boss was kicked out of office, saying that Bush should be censured.
http://www.cnn.com/...
& he hits the Bush right on the head:
"To me, this is not really and should not be a partisan question," Dean told the panel. "I think it's a question of institutional pride of this body, of the Congress of the United States."
Exactly. This is not about political parties or Bush even. This is not about Iraq (that's another issue).
This about the institutions that run our government & SPECIFICALLY it's about the institutional provisions set up by our founding fathers for the singular purpose of protecting our decmocrcy:
Namely, this whole damn thing is about Checks & Balance.
Bush, Rove, Cheney and all have systematically attacked dissent and our Checks & Balance system & it's time for SOMEBODY to stop them.
They smartly did not attack the main players of Checks & Balance immediately & have stealthly undermined the supporting cast to set up this frontal assault.
They have ripped down our free press which was protected by our Founding Fathers so as to keep government's tendency to abuse power in check.
How? One big way was by allowing consolidation of news outlets, which favors large corporate news outlets like Faux News. These corporations are not intestest in news but the bottom line. They want advertisers and will not take on corporations or large institutions that undermine our freedoms.
I could go on on the reichtwing's attacks on the press but it's a tangent & MediaMatters has it all.
The reichtwing has also attacked our education system, stifling professors & teachers who challenge our students to question their government's actions more critically than what Faux News would have it. Under the label of "un-American", these nutcases have gotten teachers "in trouble" & kicked out of their institution.
<We read stories where a teacher in Colorado was tape recorded but I've seen this in person. </p>
A great professor I had the priviledge of taking a class with, Dr. Buzzanco, was reported by a local hero (snark) who complained to the University of ___ that Dr. Buzzanco was teaching un-American things.
The administration agreed & tried to suspend Buzzanco. ONE F'ING STUDENT. The rest of us loved his class.
What was Dr. Buzzanco teaching? Here's some links but Buzzanco laid out a brutally honest view of what we Americans have done & it didn't jive with the jingolism the our education systm brainwashes us into believing.
Here's his great book on Vietnam & more links.
Fortunately, Dr. Buzzanco fought back & he knew his rights enough to win (last I heard).
Now it's time for Congress to fight back. This is NOT about Bush or Iraq or 9/11 or Abramoff or all the other scandals. We'll be happy to discuss those another day.
This is about Checks & Balance - & Congress needs to stand up for not only itself but also the Democratic institutions put in place by our Founding Fathers.
Find your backbone, people - & call it what it is: A power grab by an incompetent & petulent administration that doesn't understand that we don't have to jump simply b/c they told us to.
Remember by Bush said: "It'd be easier if this was a dictatorship."
He was only HALF joking. It's not funny anymore.
Congress MUST Censure George Bush - & if John Dean, who worked for Nixon, says he's committed crimes worse than anything Nixon did - Then that's saying something.
Do Democrats have the strength of character and do Republicans have the loyalty to the country to censure Bush?
We're about to find out.