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Journal DaytonCIM's Journal: Politics: More Inane Liberal Ranting 11

Journal by DaytonCIM

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Tuesday that President Bush personally blocked Justice Department lawyers from pursuing an internal probe of the warrantless eavesdropping program that monitors Americans' international calls and e-mails when terrorism is suspected.

So, the question is: did our President believe himself to be acting within his prescribed Constitutional powers? Or not?

I know we're at war, but for a free democracy to survive, there must be a level of transparency in all branches of government. This does not mean the NY Times should have full access to Top Secret programs. It does mean that there needs to be some level of Constitutional review of secret programs - especially when it very much so looks to violate the 4th Amendment:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

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Politics: More Inane Liberal Ranting More

Politics: More Inane Liberal Ranting

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  • "Commander-in-Chief" and "unitary executive" (Score:3, Insightful)

    by sulli ( 195030 ) * on Tuesday July 18, 2006 @03:13PM (#15738810) Journal
    This is all based on the theories advanced by Gonzalez, Cheney, et al. that Article II of the Constitution allows the president to assume dictatorial power. The Supreme Court has already rejected this once in Hamdan. However, it is not at all surprising that the executive branch refuses to police itself, since its position continues to be that the President is all-powerful.

    • This is all based on the theories advanced by Gonzalez, Cheney, et al. that Article II of the Constitution allows the president to assume dictatorial power.

      The "unitary executive" theory says no such thing. Unitary executive says that all powers already vested in the executive branch are vested in the president. The president has all the power of the attorney general, the secretary of state, the secretary of defense, etc.

      For instance, unitary executive says that the Justice Dept could not sue the Defe

  • "An internal Justice Department inquiry into whether department officials -- including Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and then-Attorney General John Ashcroft -- acted properly in approving and overseeing the Bush administration's domestic eavesdropping program was stymied because investigators were denied security clearances to do their work."

    Additionally:
    "It is not clear who denied the OPR investigators the necessary security clearances, but Gonzales has reiterated in recent days that sharing too many d

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