God, that was humiliating! I've never taken a dive before, and it showed. I was sweating like a pig as those senators used me like a punching bag.
Obviously, I couldn't tell the truth about the U.S. Attorneys situation, or the whole enterprise would collapse -- Karl, Dick, The Boss, the whole lot. Ain't no way I'm going to the slammer, at least not tripped up by anything I've said.
If the Demoncrats are going to get me, they'll have to prove it, and I don't think they'll be able to locate anything but circumstantial evidence. The cleaning crew did its work well. I hope.
So there I was in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee coming off like someone with early-onset Alzheimer's: "I can't recall," "I've wracked my memory and have no recollection," "that meeting just isn't in my memory," and a hundred other such variants. Embarrassing!
Sure, it was obvious I was lying my head off, but they can't get me for a "faulty memory" or for when I said "I believe" that such-and-such happened or didn't happen. I know my way around the magic words. We rehearsed for days so I'd be comfortable using those terms and delivering my lines with believability. (Who was it that said "once you can fake sincerity, the rest is easy"?)
Yes, everyone knew, even my Republican friends, that I was sent up there as a grand deflector, and they were pissed as hell that it was just me in front of them and not Cheney or Rove or Bush. To the senators, I was disrespecting them, treating them like easy marks; they'd just as soon I depart my job ASAP. But they are dumb marks, thinking they're in control of the situation when in reality, as long as we all keep our various stories straight, we still are.
STILL IN CONTROL OF JUSTICE
We figure my immediate humiliation will pass in a week or two, and I'll still be in charge of the DOJ, from where we can control the pace and direction of the anti-Bush Administration flak coming our way -- especially with regard to impeachment. And our replacement U.S. Attorneys will still be in position to help us for the 2008 election, doing whatever they can to minimize liberal turnout (it'll be "Democrat voter-fraud" big time) and to protect our Republican office-holders.
After my testimony, as we expected, the Democrats have been blustering and raging, along with a few turncoat Republican weaklings, scared of losing their seats if they don't cut their open support of the Bush Administration. But the whole mess should blow over quickly, since "I serve at the pleasure of the President" and he's not going to throw me to the wolves, no matter how loudly they bay.
Bush values loyalty and my years of serving him faithfully (sometimes drawing, how shall we say?, slightly outside the legal lines), so I think I'm safe for the time being. But, they've let me know that if the situation doesn't calm down, if things get really hot for the Administration because of me, I'm expected to resign. A pardon, maybe even a pre-emptive one before indictments are unsealed, should cover me down the line. (It worked for Bush's dad when he was President, pardoning Iran/Contra scandal figures before they'd even been charged.)
THE NIXON & REAGAN PARALLELS
I know my history. I know how Nixon kept throwing one after another of his assistants overboard in Watergate in order to protect his closest and most loyal aides, Haldeman and Ehrlichman, who knew every illegality they and Nixon and the rest of the crew had committed -- and then had to dump them as well to try to save his own hide. So I know I'm ultimately expendable, but we'll try to keep that day from ever happening. (But if Goodling and McNulty and Sampson at DOJ start dropping bombs on me, that may not be possible. And like Haldeman and Ehrlichman, I know where the bodies are buried as well.)
So, yes, I was thrown back into history with the Nixon parallels. But I had another deja vu experience, this one going back to President Ronald Reagan.
Remember when Reagan, with a straight face, said about the Iran/Contra Scandal: "A few months ago, I told the American people I did not trade arms for hostages. My heart and my best intentions still tell me that's true, but the facts and the evidence tell me it is not."
"I now understand there was a conversation with myself and the president."
And pundits pundit-ed and folks laughed, and I had to endure satire like this supposed "translation" of what I said from some creep named Archer at the Lawyerworldland blog, which is now circulating around the internet all over the goddamned world: ( http://lawyerworldland.blogspot.com/2007/04/gonzales-testifes-with-translation.html )
"In the dim dawning light of understanding, understanding that I never had before and which, miraculous to relate, I have now, I begin to grasp -- only because it has been explained to me and I couldn't grasp it myself and don't believe it's really true, but people who are much smarter and stronger than I am have made me understand, or perhaps have brainwashed me ... Yes -- that's it -- people have kept me up late and interrogated me night after night until I now understand there was a conversation with myself (see how crazy I really am?) and the president. But I only understand that now -- I didn't understand before, because whatever has been done to me to make me say this stuff, whatever terrible victimization I have endured (and no, I don't remember what it was, so it must have been terrible) had not yet been done to me."
That's not funny, diary; it's too close to the bone. We should find the traitor who wrote those hurtful words -- which casts aspersions on our fine roster of DOJ lawyers and U.S. Attorneys around the country, along with the soldiers in Iraq -- and send him somewhere for some robust questioning.
PEELING AWAY PROTECTIVE LAYERS
The Democrats really want to get Cheney and Bush in the Senate well, and Rove under oath at a committee hearing, on trial for their jobs. But they know they can't get to them. Yet. So they are peeling away at the outer core of the onion -- with inner-circle folks like me.
Already preparing themselves for likely subpoenas and interrogation on various matters: Rove and Harriet Miers and Condi Rice and maybe Stephen Hadley.
We could all go down on this deal and all the associated "White House Horrors" (as John Mitchell termed the hidden Watergate secrets), what with our manipulating the voting process, harsh interrogation methods, extraordinary rendition, abandoning habeas corpus as a protective judicial concept, etc. etc. Those pinko liberals hate that we take all that law-and-order stuff seriously. We use the law and keep them in order.
So the trick is not to go down. I think I'd better fasten my seatbelt. We're all in for a mighty bumpy ride during the remaining year-and-a-half of our Administration's tenure. If we last that long. #
Bernard Weiner has peeked into numerous diaries of Bush Administration officials ( http://www.crisispapers.org/weinerpubs.htm#diaries ); a Ph.D. in government & international relations, he has taught at universities in California and Washington, worked as a writer-editor with the San Francisco Chronicle, and currently is co-editor of The Crisis Papers (www.crisispapers.org). For comment: crisispapers@comcast.net .
Bernard Weiner, Ph.D. in government & international relations, has taught at universities in California and Washington, worked for two decades as a writer-editor at the San Francisco Chronicle, and currently serves as co-editor of The Crisis Papers (www.crisispapers.org).
...on the job like Gonzo and still be able to keep said job. Also, while I am no real judge of age per se, I'd have to peg Gonzo at or near my age of 44. If that's the case, either he has the earliest manifestation of Alzheimer's that has ever existed, he smokes more weed in one day that Willie Nelson has in his entire life, or he's a lying ass bastard that needs to go away to someplace where he can sing his chorus of, "I don't recall," to the beasts surrounding him.
If it were indeed the case that I could fuck up everything my hands touch, and still have my job, I wouldn't be sitting here right now typing this. I'd be up to my elbows in car guts, doing a tune up, or a brake job. Such is not the case. The last mechanic job I held, I somehow put the wrong bolt in the wrong hole and tore up the timing chain of a customer's van.
Just that one mistake, and I was out on my ass! No chance at reprieve, no ability to do the job myself a second time (and get it rigth), no chance to pay for the entirety of the repair (free labor, buy the chain and gears), no ability to even try to make things right. No, I was out on my ear the day after it all came down!
I made the mistake, and it cost me my ass! There was no, "I don't recall mixing up those bolts." There was a ten minute dressing down by the boss' flunky, then I was headed home in my uniform that had nary a spot of grease on it for that day. Maybe if DUBYA had been my boss, I'd still be there working.
But no, I live in the real world, not the world of make believe, or the DUBYA version of Neverland. My mistakes carry consequences. My mistakes bring about rebuke, repudiation, and loss of income.
Why is it that my destroying a timing chain on a Dodge Van, the first and only true screw up at that job, a good enough reason to be sent packing, when the purposeful LYING and continuous fuck ups of Gonzo are only reasons to heap praise? His fuck ups have destroyed lives. His fuck ups have crossed the line into illegality, or dare I say the word again in reference to a person in the DUBYA regime: TREASON! His mistakes have been anything but, and his inability to remember is as real as my uterus, and yet, the moron that is DUBYA still gives him his full confidence.
I can understand loyalty. However when the actions of Gonzo are sure to keep the pressure on DUBYA and his administration, and keep the harsh light of congressional investigation focused on the White House, and may well be the ill-placed card that brings the house of cards tumbling, perhaps it's better that Gonzo is sent packing.
Frankly, I don't care if he's a nice guy. I don't care if he heals the sick, raises the dead, and can deactivate every nuclear (NEW CLEE ER) bomb in existence, if he can't do his job, then he needs to go. If he can't remember these thorny little details, like who said to fire the attorneys, and if he can't be FUCKING HONEST with the congress, then he needs to go, and go now!
Once again, it's not about partisan politics for me. I am a Libertarian. I have been told by more than one person here that puts me as close to being a Republican as I'd ever care to be. It's about fitness for a job. It's about out and out criminal behavior, that is, unless suddenly perjury is no longer considered a crime in the United States. It's about the kind of hypocrisy that clamors for displaying the Ten Commandments on government property while defiling one of them; thou shalt not bear false witness!
For the Attorney General to bear false witness is bad enough. For him to do that before congress once is egregious. For him to do it a second time is either the height of treason, or the height of stupidity; it could well be both. For DUBYA to defend this kind of stupidity only proves the need for his impeachment.
DUBYA is either a fool, or the head of the biggest organized crime family since John Gotti! That makes DUBYA either completely incompetent (gee, what a shock), or a criminal. In either case, that's why this citizen wants him impeached. I don't care about his party. I care about his inability to do his job.
Blessed be!
Pappy
by
Pappy (61 articles, 0 quicklinks, 11 diaries, 863 comments)
on Wednesday, April 25, 2007 at 2:35:09 PM
I went to the same school you did. The school of accountability. It's a rare trait in this country especially among our elected liars. Gonzales is a loyal fascist to the neo-cons and their Democratic closet supporters. He is being afforded a luxury which he believes no one, including American citizens deserve; a fair trial. He is guilty of treason and should be hanged.
by
Steve (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 27 comments)
on Wednesday, April 25, 2007 at 8:03:49 PM
good. finding you again. ws afraid oped disappeared. like your work.
Are you proud of America under the Bush regime? Seriously? The people I write to, that’s you, are better educated, more capable and competent than I am. You are part of the social, political and economic elite in this country. What you say and do makes a difference. So. I will ask the question again. Are you proud of America under the Bush regime? Do you like, agree with and support what America has become under the Bush regime?
For myself, I was very proud of America, especially after World war II. My pride in America increased after the sixties. The civil rights movement, women’s liberation, gay rights, stopped the war on Vietnam, held a president accountable for his actions, maintained and strengthened the rule of law in this country, and brought a rogue government under control. No more domestic spying on our own people by the FBI and other government agencies. The CIA was brought under control and our support for brutal dictators, death squads and political assassinations of democratically elected heads of state were being questioned and challenged. I was proud of America because we stood for human rights, for freedom and liberty. For democracy and social justice. This was the time of Kennedy. The Peace corp and going to the moon. And yes, there were all sorts of social injustice and inequalities, bad things, evil things, that were going on during this period of time, some of which can be traced to the Kennedy administration itself, but it was a period of hope and progress. We were becoming more enlightened. We were dealing with these issues of racism, poverty and militarism. You got the feeling we were making progress, and yes there were still problems and a lot of things that were still wrong, but we were working on them. In time we would solve them. At least, that was the hope and the promise.
Now what are we looking at? Racism and poverty has increased in this country and getting worse. Except for periods like the Civil War, we have never been more divided. We are once again engaged in an unjust and immoral war based on lies. America, under the Bush regime, now kidnaps, imprisons and tortures people, deprives individuals of their rights, spy’s on the American people, and consistently breaks the law. We’ve seen nothing but lies and coverups by the Bush regime and a sycophantic congress that rubber stamps everything the Bush regime does. Corruption, incompetence, fraud, cronyism, and abuse of power are hallmarks of this government under Bush. It forces me to ask another question. Can you think of an embarrassment greater than Bush? I can’t, but that may be because the very idea of having a president that is an even greater embarrassment than Bush is too horrifying. Can’t deal with it.
I’m sure Republican conservatives and the Christian right will have another candidate for us, but, at least at this point, I don’t think they can put him in office. That means the nightmare and the embarrassment will be over with in less than two years. But, we will still have to live with the damage Bush and his people have done to America and our reputation. And the shame of it.
My God, people. How can you continue supporting this man? This president, president Bush, has been a disgrace, an embarrassment and a disaster. Even right wing radical conservatives are turning away from him, yet you people in the corporate media continue to support him. You do that when you censor the truth, don’t question or challenge Bush and his lies, distort the issues, manipulate and manufacture the political debate, and manage the public dialogue. You act as Bush’s mouth piece. The mouth piece for corporate America and conservative ideology as well. It is you people working for corporate America’s propaganda outlets that did more than anything else to put Bush in office, with the help of a corrupt and highly partisan Supreme court. The election was stolen and that’s been proven now. Its you people working for the propaganda outlets of corporate America that got us involved in this war on Iraq in the first place and are continuing to support our war and occupation of Iraq now. Where are the stories, the true stories, not the feel good, patriotic stories supporting our war effort in Iraq, but the true stories of war and what it does to people? Both the Iraqi people and our own troops? The whole news coverage of this war on Iraq has been nothing more than a white wash. It is a disgrace.
America now stands for murder, torture and human rights abuses. We continue to support death squads, brutal dictators and state terrorism. Our own government spy’s on us and tramples on our constitutional and civil rights as American citizens. Corruption, incompetence, fraud and abuse of power runs rampant throughout our government. Do you think Attorney General Alberto Gonzales did a good job defending his actions during the recent senate hearings? Did he inspire confidence for you about the integrity of our Justice department? He did for Bush. Of course I’m not surprised by that. Bush likes to surround himself with people who are more stupid, incompetent and corrupt than himself. That way he looks good. And I guess by comparison he does. But then, Bush has never been put to the test. Certainly not by the corporate media in this country.
Its hard to say who is the best symbol for the Bush regime’s incompetence and corruption. I know I can’t decide between, heck of a job Brownie, or honest Al? They are both such nice people.
Shit. Bush could be a child molesting serial killer and Republicans and you people in the corporate media would still support him. The point about the Justice department, really all our government agencies, is that they belong to the American people. They exist to represent the public’s interest. We do not want a politicalized Justice department. In fact, we don’t want any of our government agencies to be politicalized and the partisan political arm of the president-regardless of party affiliation. These government agencies belong to us, we the people. The president gets to select who he wants to run the Justice department, congress gets to approve the selection, but the Justice department is to remain a free and independent institution that enforces the laws of our land without favor. That has been seriously compromised.
Aside from the corruption aspect of this case, Senator Arlen Specter, brings up another good point. Competence. We have an obviously inept Attorney General serving in office. So. Once again, we have an example of the corruption and incompetence of people in the Bush regime ruling our government, and you say there is nothing we can do about it? Its all Bush’s decision. He is the decider. And what about the American people? Don’t we have a say about this matter since our congress seems incapable of doing something about this. Are we going to have to accept this corrupt and incompetent ass as our Attorney General? Boy. Democracy ain’t what it used to be.
At least this time, there were hearings. Have to thank Democrats for that. But, it seems to me more should be done. You probably don’t want to go as far as I do in calling Alberto Gonzales a war criminal who should be charged along with Rumsfeld, Rice, Cheney, Bush and a dozen or more in the Bush regime with crimes against humanity. You may even want to drop the corruption issue, that being such a partisan matter with Republicans, but surely the competence issue is something that should concern all of us. Do you want an incompetent and inept Attorney General running the Justice department? I mean, shouldn’t we put a limit to cronyism in high government offices? Can’t Bush find some high paying patronage office for his good buddy Alberto, maybe like White house council, and appoint someone who is competent and can inspire confidence in the Justice department to actually serve in the Justice department. Novel ideal, I know, especially for a Bush Republican, but its worth a try.
Oh. I just realized Bush may not want Gonzales as his White House council. If Bush were to be charged for war crimes or impeached as he should be, he is going to want competent council. Well. I did hear Paul Wolfowitz’s job might soon become available. Rumors I’m sure.
Besides. We wouldn’t want to introduce corruption to that August body of the IMF. When our economic institutions screw people we want to make sure we are beyond reproach.
Oh well. Time to quit. I will close though by asking once again, are you proud of America and what we’ve become under the Bush regime? Do you stand tall when our soldiers are far off in a foreign land, destroying a country, killing and maiming innocent men, woman and children? Are you proud of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo? Do you feel more secure now that we have a president who is the decider and no longer has to be bothered by the rule of law or respect such small niceties as our constitution or Bill of Rights. Freedom and liberty for the people can be such a nuisance. Better to do away with it altogether and live under a dictator, or rather a decider, and accept Big Brother government with constant police supervision, even if the Attorney General is a corrupt and incompetent ass. And a president who is a buffoon..
by
tom felt (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 13 comments)
on Wednesday, April 25, 2007 at 3:20:52 PM
