Leahy's Meaningless Contempt Threat

by Steve

After waiting two months for the White House to provide the Senate Judiciary Committee with subpoenaed documents regarding the legal justification and authorizations sought for the administration’s domestic spying program, Pat Leahy signals yesterday that when Congress returns from its August break he will proceed with contempt charges against officials. Cheney admits that he has copies of the documents that Congress wants, documents that show that Bush went ahead and reauthorized the program in 2004 without the approval of his bedridden Attorney General. But Cheney’s office is unwilling to provide the Senate with these documents, wanting instead to stall this out by forcing a court challenge that will push the matter into the next presidency.

Leahy threatens that if this isn’t resolved by the time the recent FISA evisceration law comes up for reauthorization within six months, he will hold up any action to extend the law that was just passed. Unfortunately, Leahy still thinks that the 16 Democratic senators who voted to trash the Constitution and the separation of powers last month and hand Alberto Gonzales the power to spy on Americans will have a change of heart five months from now. In fact, these same senators and Blue Dog/New Democrats in the House will wet their pants, cower in fear, and sell out the Constitution once again the moment Bush and Cheney accuse them of not providing our intelligence officials with all the tools they need.

Neither Harry Reid nor Nancy Pelosi have operational control of their chambers. Reid has 16 senators in his chamber who consider themselves good Americans while they subjugate the masses to unbridled government power. Pelosi has 44 members in her chamber, many of whom accepted help from progressives to get elected last year, who had no problem tossing aside the Constitution instead of standing up to a criminal administration's power grab.

And Leahy thinks he can pursue contempt charges on the domestic spying and fired federal attorney stonewalling with this group of Democrats? Get a clue Pat.