Comey Testimony & President Bush
We've all seen a lot of commentary about Comey's disturbing testimony before the Senate this week. In all this commentary I keep reading the line that "Bush backed down" and then a few paragraphs later I read that the NSA program was given the go ahead without DOJ approval and then I read another paragraph in the same article that says changes were made to bring the program into conformity with the law. I guess I'm a bit bewildered about this narrative. Obviously these three items aren't consistent: You can't approve a program without DOJ signatures and also "back down" and I'm suspicious of the notion that Bush made changes to the program to get DOJ signatures. Isn't it more likely that Bush didn't back down, approved the program without DOJ signatures and then once he realized that Ashcroft, Comey and others at DOJ were not "team players" he merely told them he would change the program, but in fact he secretly ordered that it continue as was, then he pretended to make changes until Ashcroft and Comey were out. Once he installed his lap dog Gonzales into the position of AG of the DOJ he then got his program approved.
This sequence of events might add another reason as to why he doesn't want to let Gonzo go.
posted by Paul @ 11:05 AM
3 Comments:
Paul, my understanding is that, when Comey refused to approve the program (the hospital run, etc.), Bush did so without the DOJ signatures, but then was faced with the threat of mass resignation. In response, he told Comey to make whatever changes would be necessary to secure his approval, which Comey did in a matter of a few weeks. Does that clear things up or is it still murky?
I see where you could say he backed down because in the face of so many resignations "he told Comey to make whatever changes would be necessary to secure his approval, which Comey did in a matter of a few weeks. " I suspect, however, that this was merely a feint. Sure Bush told Comey to make these changes, but it was mere window dressing to get his approval while the program went merrily along. Once Gonzo was on board, Bush got his desired signature for the program in its original illegal form. So if it was a retreat, it was a tactical retreat.
Maybe. It all depends upon who was running and/or overseeing the program. I doubt Comey, et al. would thrreaten to resign and then back off if Bush was offering merely a symbolic feint in their direction. I don't doubt that Gonzo's eventual elevation to AG was connected with a desire to prevent any repeat incidences of legal independence. But I do wonder about returning the program to its original state. Such a move would be highly risky, since it would no longer have a plausible claim of presumptive legality.
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