All roads lead to Rove

McLatchy is reporting that a confluence of factors are all pointing to the Bush administration improperly using the law enforcement capacity of the Department of Justice to influence electoral politics.

And of course, this, like all roads, leads to Rove.

Since 2005, McClatchy Newspapers has found, Bush has appointed at least three U.S. attorneys who had worked in the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division when it was rolling back long-standing voting rights policies aimed at protecting predominantly poor, minority voters.

Another newly installed U.S. attorney, Tim Griffin in Little Rock, Ark., was accused of participating in efforts to suppress Democratic votes in Florida during the 2004 presidential election while he was research director for the Republican National Committee. He's denied any wrongdoing.

Justice Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said the four U.S. attorneys weren't chosen only because of their backgrounds in election issues, but “we would expect any U.S. attorney to prosecute voting fraud.”

Now the Bush administration’s emphasis on voter fraud is drawing scrutiny from the Democratic Congress, which has begun investigating the firings of eight U.S. attorneys - two of whom say that their ousters may have been prompted by the Bush administration’s dissatisfaction with their investigations of alleged Democratic voter fraud.

The administration's interest in replacing some U.S. attorneys, in voter fraud and in voting rights has sometimes had a political tinge, however.

Bush has acknowledged hearing complaints from Republicans about some U.S. attorneys’ “lack of vigorous prosecution of election fraud cases,” and administration e-mails have shown that Rove and other White House officials were involved in the dismissals and in the choice of an aide to Rove to replace one of them. Nonetheless, Bush has refused to permit congressional investigators to question Rove and others under oath.

Congress can not back down. They have to take whatever measures are necessary to restore justice and to restore Justice. If that means they have Rove picked up by the Capitol Police and delivered to the well of one or both chambers, so be it. the rogue Rove must be reined in.

Administrations come and go, but Congress is forever. If these jackals don’t void the entire American system. I for one am not willing to stand idly by while that happens.

Congress, are you out there?

Congress? Are you going to take this?

"The executive branch is under no compulsion to testify to Congress, because Congress in fact doesn't have oversight ability." Tony Snow, March 22, 2007

I heard that, and you could have knocked me over with a feather.

I would refer Mr. Snow to Article. I. Section. 3. of the Constitution of the United States, which concludes:

The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.

And Article. I. Section. 3. of the Constitution of the United States:

The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.

Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.

Please follow this link to an official Senate publication that explains Congressional oversight better than I can. Here is the summary:

Congressional oversight of policy implementation and administration, which has occurred throughout the U.S. government experience under the Constitution, takes a variety of forms and utilizes various techniques. These range from specialized investigations by select committees to annual appropriations hearings, and from informal communications between Members or congressional staff and executive personnel to the use of extra congressional mechanisms, such as offices of inspector general and study commissions. Oversight, moreover, is supported by a variety of authorities—the Constitution, public law, and chamber and committee rules—and is an integral part of the system of checks and balances between the legislature and the executive.

Would someone please explain to me just what the hell that is, if not oversight ability?

If congress doesn’t spike that right back over the net, we need a whole lot of new representation in two years. Both committees voted for subpoena power, and Republican Senator Charles Grassley specified he wanted to be on the record with his support of the authority.

Use as necessary. Contempt of Congress?

That qualifies.

[originally posted at Watching Those We Chose]