WASHINGTON: Ever since Republicans lost control of Congress, President George W. Bush has known a fight like this could come.
The battle over the congressional inquiry into the firing of eight federal prosecutors is not one of Bush's choosing. But now that it has been thrust upon him, Bush is defiantly refusing to allow Karl Rove and other top aides to testify publicly in an inquiry into the firing of the prosecutors, and standing by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
In doing so, the president is sending a message to Democrats on Capitol Hill. He may be a lame duck and his poll numbers may be down, but he will protect those closest to him, defend his presidential powers and run his White House the way he sees fit in his remaining 22 months in office.
"George W. Bush will rue the day if he lets Al Gonzales go," said Ari Fleischer, a former press secretary for Bush, "because that will be the first scalp that the Democrats on the Hill will gather and collect, and then the door will then be opened to show that if you can put enough pressure on President Bush, anybody can go. This is a crucial first test."
Bush is also waging what he views as an even bigger war over presidential prerogatives. He has moved aggressively to expand presidential powers — asserting authority to eavesdrop on Americans without court warrants and try suspected terrorists before military tribunals. To avoid divulging the membership of Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force, the administration even went to the Supreme Court.
One Republican friend of Bush's, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share the president's sentiments, said the president was trying to "take back control," adding, "He's pretty angry."
That was evident Tuesday evening in a hastily convened press conference. It was held in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, but there was little diplomacy about it. A defiant Bush made clear that he was not going to allow Democrats on Capitol Hill to spend the rest of his term "dragging White House members up there to score political points, or put the klieg lights on."
Republicans applauded. "I thought he was fired up," Charlie Black, a Republican strategist who is close to the White House, said Wednesday. "I was glad to see it. I got a lot of comments from people who said, 'It's about time he put his foot down.'"
Bush has offered to let Rove and three other officials, including Harriet Miers, a former White House counsel, be interviewed by lawmakers, but only in private, without transcripts, and not under oath — conditions that are not acceptable to Democrats. A House Judiciary subcommittee authorized subpoenas on Wednesday, bringing the confrontation one step closer to the courts.
Bush says he's willing to go to court. Fleischer says Bush is convinced that presidential powers have been eroded since Watergate, and that it is his duty to restore them for his successors.
"This is the White House that, under his leadership, didn't give up the energy records and took a beating for it," Fleischer said. "He's willing to lose the politics of these things, because he does have a longer view of the powers of the presidency and what it takes to protect them."
And indeed, Bush did appear to be losing the politics on Wednesday, as his press secretary, Tony Snow, was hammered with questions about whether the administration was stonewalling by not allowing public testimony under oath.
He said members of Congress could gain all the facts they needed in private interviews, but objected to anything resembling a trial.
"What you're trying to do is create a courtroom atmosphere," an exasperated Snow finally exclaimed, "which is exactly what we're trying ... " He cut himself off before finishing the sentence.
Read the whole article... Sounds so noble, standing by a friend, standing up for Presidential prerogatives.. After six years of this administrations lying and shenanigans, I doubt its anything more than sheer fear that the testimony will reveal more details of just how out of control this administration has been.
Posted by David A at March 22, 2007 11:50 AM
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