In view of the leaks over national security to the NY Times, there is little wonder why the WH would be hesitant to the point of impenatrable silence to inform congress (notoriously leaky) about anti-terror programs.
Further, if the congress would show one tenth the backbone in sustaining their power balance against the breaches that the SCOTUS levels against them and their legislation as they show toward undermining the executive branch, the entire country and rest of western civilization would be much better off.
sheesh.
Tactics which have saved lives, prevented attacks and nabbed terrorists. And which al-Reuters heartily disapproves of. ping
Imagine, a "penchant for secrecy" while fighting a war. Hard to believe, isn't it?
I saw Hoekstra on Fox News this morning and unfortunately, they neglected to ask him "Since this letter, which was confidential information between the Congress and White House was leaked from your committee, do you intend to investigate this leak and prosecute the leaker?"
Indeed. Given the leaks from Congress, the White House would be derelict in its sworn duty if they exposed vital national security programs not to Congressional oversight but rather to the enemies of our country. Get your House in order first, Hoekstra.
And how did Hoekstra's jsut happen to reach the NYT
This is all BS and it smells to me
There, fixed it for you...By law the Executive Branch is required to inform the Legislative Branch on certain issues. This was not done. Just good to see some Republicans haven't drunk all the partisan koolaid and are realizing how far the Executive Branch has moved from the original intent of the Framers
Dear Congressman Hoekstra is eat up with Potomac Fever. Sheesh; what part of war do these dweebs not understand?
There are only a handful of Congress members that cannot resist showboating on tv. I thought Hoekstra was above this-apparently not.
I do not want national security measures and programs discussed in public or printed in the paper- especially during war time.
To our nation's shame, there are too few Congress members who understand this concept.
They are not whistle-blowers. They're political hacks with an anti-America agenda, and unconvicted felons.
Is it ANY WONDER Bush has to keep things SECRET?
Geesh!
Yep, the Bush Admin should have thoroughly cleaned house, starting with State Dept. I'm sure if the truth be known these whistleblowers are leftovers from the clintoonian administration.
Glad they briefed the SWIFT program to congress.
Pray for W and Our Freedom Fighters
What the White House should brief on and what the White House has to brief on are two different things. Unless there is something that says when Congress has to be informed then I don't think Hoekstra has legal grounds to complain.
They can't be briefed on every program. Hoekstra obviously is aligning himself with the RINOs of late, so I am assuming that the program was a piddly program that only Hoekstra thought was "major."
It's all well and good for the President to keep Congress informed if he wants to in order to foster good relations and to ensure funding of programs that he wants. But he doesn't have to, and Congressional comments that imply that it is his job to bring them into the loop on administrative matters should be shot down.
Contrary to what the press says, Bush is ceding a ton of executive powers during his administration, not enlarging them. He has acquiesced to a number of judicial decisions that are patently without merit and which attempt to insert the judiciary into the commander in chief role. He has let the legislature force him to make them "co-executives". He has let the MSM pressure him into appointing a special prosecutor that is not authorized by law and who has since gone off on a wild goose chase. He has left Clinton holdovers in office far too long, and let them wage war against the civilian leadership (Tenet at CIA and all the careerists at State). He has refused to enforce laws that make criminal the disclosure of secrets. He has refused to fight back when people called him a liar and misrepresented the basis for the Iraq war. He has refused to use the veto pen once, even signing the unconstitutional campaign finance reform, which only the O'Connor court could have found constitutional. He smirked "I have political capital" and then proceeded to waste it on a failed SS reform that had no political support from day 1.
This is the incredible shrinking presidency. It will take a strong personality to restore the powers of this office, to tell someone like Hoekstra what's what, to tell the Supreme Court to go to hell when they try to interfere with the conduct of a war, and to assert the will of the president over the bureaucracies. Future presidents will have people saying, "but Bush never did that...you tyrant!"
Good. As it should be.
And WHY are we -- and all the terrorists of the world -- reading about this in the newspapers, AGAIN?
We better start prosecuting andpunishing those who leak national security info -- even if they are in Congress --, or NOTHING will be secret anymore and our most important secrets could be had for the price of an issue of the NY Times.
Ally Told Bush Spying Projects Might Be Illegal [programs that have not been publicly revealed....]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1662461/posts