The Imperial Presidency

[sleigh]

King George is showing strongly lately that this is our first imperial presidency. A report released yesterday by OpenThe Government.org contends that government secrecy -- mostly with the excuse of "we have to keep things secret so the terrorists don't know about it" -- is greatly harming the public's right to know about the administration's activities.

The former Surgeon General Richard Carmona testified a few days ago that he was effectively muzzled and edited by the administration to either weaken the impact of or to suppress entirely public health reports. According to the NY TImes, he wasn't allowed to "speak or issue reports regarding stem cells, emergency contraception, sex education, or prison, mental and global health issues. Top officials delayed for years and tried to 'water down' a landmark report on secondhand smoke..." Further, the doctor said he was "ordered to mention President Bush three times on every page of his speeches. He also said he was asked to make speeches to support Republican political candidates and to attend political briefings." This is a person who is supposed to be above political frays, who is supposed to report -- objectively -- on medical issues in order to inform and help the public.

And His Majesty's new nominee for the office, Dr. James Holsinger, is fighting accusations that he's anti-gay. He once defined gay sex as "unnatural" in a document he wrote for the United Methodist Church in 1991 entitled "Pathophysiology of Male Homosexuality." But that's OK, since Holsinger says that as Surgeon General, he's going to concentrate on a really, really important issue -- childhood obesity -- rather than anything minor like stem cells, contraception, sex education, or global health issues.

King George has also ordered -- ordered -- Harriet Miers to ignore the subpoena from Congress to appear at a hearing, claiming 'executive privilege.' According to His Majesty, his top advisors, current or former, are exempt from being summoned by Congress. Period.

And as we know from the Scooter Libby pardon that, hey, even if one of King George's political buddies gets into legal hot water, His Majesty will pull them from the boiling pot and keep them untouched. Because he's above those nasty things called 'laws,' after all. He's the Decider, not Congress and not the Judicial Branch (not that he has to worry about the latter, since he's already packed the federal courts with his appointees...)

As for that little dust-up in Iraq that's protecting us all from Tearists, heck, we're making "significant progress" there. King George scolded Congress, telling them that it's not their job to run the war, and that their only task was to "fund the troops."

Can we afford another year and a half of this person?

Comments

[mrbankies.livejournal.com]

No, but given the spineless weasels that make up congress, I don't see that there's any relief in the offing. Impeach Bush and Cheney? Not gonna happen, sadly. Never mind the war crimes trial he so richly deserves.

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

Harriet Miers, not Meiers.

And given Holsinger's attitudes, would you really want him to focus on stem cell research, contraception, sex education, or global health issues? He's opposed to the first three and probably thinks that anything that happens to the Fuzzy Wuzzies is their problem.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

Those editors never stop making corrections! :-)

But I fixed it -- thanks!

[alces2.livejournal.com]

Um, and how about commuted, not pardoned? Unless something has changed recently.

[lindajdunn.livejournal.com]

I am so glad I voted for Al Gore in the first election of our glorious King and Kerry in the second. It didn't help (voting anything but Republican in Indiana is the equivalent of trying to empty Lake Michigan with an eyedropper) but at least there's no blood on my hands.

Admittedly, I work for the feds, but I was here first and managed (thus far) to avoid his efforts to replace us with cronies to paid bribes...er...um... I mean private contractors who who never, ever make political contributions in expectation of being rewarded with government contracts.

I am counting the days until the next change in command.

[greenmtnboy18.livejournal.com]

I'm so depressed.

[sethb.livejournal.com]

Can we afford another year and a half of this person?

No, we can't, but remember Step 1: Impeach Cheney First.

[alces2.livejournal.com]

Well, there's impeachcheney.org (http://impeachcheney.org/) and it seems Kucinich wants to impeach Cheney too. (http://blog.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2007/04/articles_of_impeachment_to_be.html) I have my doubts this will all come too pass though, unfortunately.