The Political Chase

More on the subpoenas…

It’s about time.

The Senate Judiciary Committee issuing subpoenas to the White House (Bush), National Security Council (NSC), Department of Justice (DOJ), and Office of the Vice President (OVP) will no doubt raise the Congressional-Executive showdown to the stratosphere, and will ultimately end up with the Supremes. If there is anything that has been revealed by the Washington Post’s recent series on Dick Cheney, it is his recalcitrance and willingness to achieve his objectives by any means necessary, regardless of the cost or lawfulness.

Democrats, and the American people I dare say, have unsuccessfully sought answers about the illegal surveillance program President Bush started shortly after the attacks of September 11, 2001 and was not revealed publicly until December 2005. Several Congressional investigations, including the U.S. attorney purge by the DOJ, have intermingled in many ways, but have a common element to each investigation - the White House. Recent revelations and incidents have obviously pushed Congress beyond the tipping point of accepting the Bush administration’s business-as-usual operation: the revealing testimony of former Deputy Attorney General James B. Comey, which included the Ashcroft hospital visit; the DOD Inspector General’s report on pre-war intelligence, Vice President Cheney’s elevation to unitary executive; revelations in the Washington Post’s series, and more. Now, the Senate Judiciary Committee is digging deep, and Vice and W. aren’t going to like it.

According to a statement released by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the Committee is seeking,

Documents related to authorization and reauthorization of the program or programs; the legal analysis or opinions about the surveillance; orders, decisions, or opinions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) concerning the surveillance; agreements between the Executive Branch and telecommunications or other companies regarding liability for assisting with or participating in the surveillance; and documents concerning the shutting down of an investigation of the Department of Justice?s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) relating to the surveillance.

The subpoenas require the respective parties to provide the information by no later than July 18.

So what’s Vice going to do about that man-size safe he keeps in his office? I don’t envision Vice pushing that up the steps of the Capitol and into Senator Leahy’s office.