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Let The Eagle Soar

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Off Topic
Posted on Fri May 18, 2007 at 12:58:58 AM EST
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In honor of John Ashcroft's moment of honor, as described by James Comey:

And it was only a matter of minutes that the door opened and in walked Mr. Gonzales, carrying an envelope, and Mr. Card. . . . And Attorney General Ashcroft then stunned me. He lifted his head off the pillow and in very strong terms expressed his view of the matter . . . and then laid his head back down on the pillow, seemed spent, and said to them, But that doesn’t matter, because I’m not the attorney general. . . . Mr. Ashcroft’s chief of staff asked me something that meant a great deal to him, and that is that I not resign until Mr. Ashcroft was well enough to resign with me. SCHUMER: And it was his view that Mr. Ashcroft was likely to resign as well? COMEY: Yes.

Let the Eagle Soar

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    Let The Eagle Soar | 18 comments (18 topical)

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    Got to admit--hearing Comey say this (5.00 / 2) (#1)
    by oculus on Fri May 18, 2007 at 01:20:41 AM EST
    made me revise my ill opinion of Ashcroft.

    But (5.00 / 1) (#3)
    by Alien Abductee on Fri May 18, 2007 at 01:34:34 AM EST
    did hearing him sing make you revise it again?

    Parent
    Ruthless. (none / 0) (#17)
    by oculus on Fri May 18, 2007 at 03:14:28 PM EST


    Parent
    No sentimentality from me (none / 0) (#18)
    by Alien Abductee on Fri May 18, 2007 at 04:19:58 PM EST
    for Rethugs. But you know, I'd actually appreciate his eccentricity quite a bit if it weren't for the whole elitist mindset he and his ilk have brought into play, where a person in a position of power feels it's his right to use his authority to impose his personal foibles on his staff. The King can do no wrong. Gov't officials need to be mocked unmercifully when they do things like that to remind them where they really stand in a democracy.

    Parent
    ROFL (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by Alien Abductee on Fri May 18, 2007 at 01:32:11 AM EST
    His colleague was right. That song really sucks.

    Never thought the day would come (5.00 / 1) (#11)
    by byteb on Fri May 18, 2007 at 11:25:44 AM EST
    Never thought the day would come when Ashcroft would actually look good in comparison to the latest players.

    their defense: (4.50 / 2) (#7)
    by Miss Devore on Fri May 18, 2007 at 08:35:54 AM EST
    "And it was only a matter of minutes that the door opened and in walked Mr. Gonzales, carrying an envelope, and Mr. Card"

    he was just sending a get-well card!

    I'm sure I read that later (none / 0) (#8)
    by Maybenever on Fri May 18, 2007 at 08:59:07 AM EST
    that night Card actually tried to tell Comey that it was a social visit.

    Comey's timing is interesting. He must have waited this long to come out because he knew it wouldn't have helped until now. When I read Richard Clarke's and Paul O'Neill's books I was sure that the publication of the Bush crimes reported in them would unravel the administration. But they barely caused barely a ripple.

    The only thing that has truly changed since is that Bush's approval is now so low. Yet even where it is now there is hesitancy to the right thing on the part of Congress.


    Parent

    In his defense (none / 0) (#4)
    by Deconstructionist on Fri May 18, 2007 at 07:27:35 AM EST
     I hear the Spanish version ("Dejar el águila elevarse") with the salsa beat really kicks.

    Link

    It hurtsssss (none / 0) (#5)
    by Jen M on Fri May 18, 2007 at 07:41:10 AM EST
    make it stop, please make it stop

    Ashcroft as a Senator (none / 0) (#6)
    by Ben Masel on Fri May 18, 2007 at 07:45:48 AM EST
    was pretty good on Privacy, notably working with Feingold to kill the Reno Justice Dept's Clipper Chipproposal, which would have mandated a govt. backdoor on all encryption. Russ cited this in justifying his controvertial endorsement vote, and in Jan. '02 claimed Ashcroft had been instrumental in removing provisions from the PATRIOT Act even more draconian than what was eventually submitted.

    i don't think the timing (none / 0) (#9)
    by Deconstructionist on Fri May 18, 2007 at 09:04:51 AM EST
    is Comey's call. He was summoned to testify under oath and the timing seems to be controlled by the fact he wasn't previously summoned. He did not appear to be eager to testify but merely mindful and respectful of his obligation (with limits he repeatedly stressed).

     

    My eagle is sore enough as it is n/t (none / 0) (#10)
    by Repack Rider on Fri May 18, 2007 at 09:21:55 AM EST


    Comey's timing (none / 0) (#12)
    by naschkatze on Fri May 18, 2007 at 11:28:53 AM EST
    Deconstructionist, my impression was that Comey was not taken by surprise when Schumer began the line of questioning about Ashcroft in the hospital.  I will give Ashcroft and Comey credit in this case, but I'm not going to fall over in praising them because one has to keep in mind their actions and views in other instances like the Patriot Act and the Jose Padilla case.

    I'm sure he wasn't ... (none / 0) (#13)
    by Deconstructionist on Fri May 18, 2007 at 11:33:37 AM EST
    ...taken by surprise. He's not an idiot. One can be reluctant or ambivalent about answering a question even if one has plenty of advance warning it is going to be asked.

    didn't he say (none / 0) (#15)
    by Jen M on Fri May 18, 2007 at 12:05:18 PM EST
    he had spent a lot of time contemplating the ethical  and legal issues of what he would say when asked about the incident?

    Parent
    Yes he did (none / 0) (#16)
    by Deconstructionist on Fri May 18, 2007 at 01:58:40 PM EST
     and that would show he was not surprised. It WOULD NOT IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR MANNER, suggest he was not reluctant or ambivalent about it.

      If you were witness to something you knew was very important and controversial, you would likely comprehend the probability that you would be summoned to talk about it someday. You would likely give a lot of thought to what you would say when the day came, especially  if much of what you knew involved competing interests of your duties as a lawyer, as a person with knowledge of classified information and as a political advisor. That doesn't mean you would relish the prospect.

     

    Parent

    But someone was. . . (none / 0) (#14)
    by naschkatze on Fri May 18, 2007 at 12:02:08 PM EST
    . . . namely one Senator Arlen Spector.  He was pissed off to no end by Schumer's line of questioning and the length of time covering it.  I still think Comey felt this was the right time for him to speak out, but we can disagree.  Schumer deserves a lot of credit here.

    Let The Eagle Soar | 18 comments (18 topical)

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