Domestic Spying... The Constitution Gets Shot In The Face

Dan Froomkin at the Washington Post has the goods on Dick Cheney's role in squashing the Intelligence Committee's plans for an investigation...

Faced with the frightening prospect of public hearings and active Congressional oversight into President Bush's contested domestic spying program, the White House sent out its big dog -- Vice President Cheney -- to bring straying moderate Republicans to heel.

Indeed, no matter what you have may have heard lately, the fact is that Cheney is still the Bush Administration's most ferocious warrior. Never mind the rumpus about his initial refusal to tell anyone -- even Bush -- that he shot someone while hunting in Texas. Disregard those reports of tensions between the vice president's office and, well, pretty much everyone else at the White House.

Cheney took point in the White House effort to quash a full-blown investigation into the program. And the guy still gets the job done.

Nice to know the Republican Senators on Pat Roberts' Cover-Up Committee are scared of a man with an 18% approval rating and an admitted loathing for checks and balances. I guess unless it's Harriet Miers or Dubai Ports World, Republicans don't see any reason why they should ever stand up to the White House. Hey, all the President did was violate the law and disrespect the principles of our Constitution. NO BIG DEAL.

And Glenn Greenwald poses a good question on the "deal" the Committee made with the White House to require the White House to get warrants "wherever possible" (although this can be waved if Gonzales says so) and vaguely allow a new subcommittee to rubberstamp the program every 45 days-

But there is a far bigger and more important problem. Congress already enacted legislation regulating the Government's eavesdropping activities. They called that law FISA. The Administration has been violating that law because they believe they have the power to do so, because they think that Congress has no power to regulate or limit the President's eavesdropping activities. Since the White House still believes it has this power, isn't passing another law facially moronic, given that the Administration has already said that they are free to violate whatever Congressional laws they want which purport to regulate eavesdropping?

[*points to nose*] Bingo. And that's the larger issue, isn't it? The administration ignores the law and states (explicitly) it has the right to do without oversight. So Congress reacts to this pronouncement by... making more (half-assed) laws for them to ignore.

Democracy rules!!!

And here's my question- Why the hell is the media taking a collective pass on this story?!!

Greenwald also states that, in regards to the Judiciary Committee's ongoing hearings, "Placing one's hopes for Congressional oversight and integrity in Sen. Specter, of all people, is just an invitation to further disappointment." I hope he's wrong. Because, well, there's any so much that my poor little brain can take. I have found the work of that Committee to be encouraging so far.

Ultimately, though, the real power for change and accountability lies this November with the voters. And that may be the scariest thought of all.

PS- I posted this cartoon last month, but I think it deserves a second run...