Cheney gave voice to administration's attitude:Sheryl McCarthy

[jbfam4]

EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE

Cheney gave voice to administration's attitude
Sheryl McCarthy

http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-vpmcc283870120jun28,0,1618799.column?coll=ny-viewpoints-headlines

June 28, 2004

Unfortunately, the Supreme Court seemed to side with the administration on this point, which could only embolden them more. But there've been many other examples of the Bushies going their own way, and saying their critics be damned. Such as the way they keep insisting that certain things are true, despite a wealth of evidence to the contrary. So what if a commission of distinguished citizens conducted a thorough investigation of the Sept. 11 attacks and found absolutely no link whatever between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida. President George W. Bush and Cheney just keep saying there was one.


I can't remember a recent White House that was so hostile to Congress, or to any form of criticism or dissent. Ashcroft has refused to answer questions about the application of the Patriot Act, which has allowed hundreds of wartime detainees to be held incommunicado for months or years, without access to lawyers and without formal charges, contrary to the most basic principles of our Constitution. The president only had to declare that the Constitution doesn't apply to them.

Which is like saying "bleep the Constitution and the Congress that has oversight of these things."


The usual checks and balances that are supposed to exist between the branches of government have been distorted under this administration. The tragedy is that when there's no room for dissent when officials are deciding on important issues, all of us wind up bearing the consequences. This administration thumbs its nose at Congress, and when private citizens beg to differ, it blows them off. The Bushies are like schoolyard bullies, and, like most bullies, when you stand up to them, they run off in a snit, as Cheney did the other day.
Sheryl McCarthy's e-mail

address is [e-mail].

[indepat]

1. Bleep each and everyone of us who do not march to their drummer

in mindless lockstep?