Redstate

Madness in March

By Mark Kilmer Posted in Special Features — Comments (9) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

Sunday, March 18, 2007

On MTP, Chuckie Schumer snarled. He did offer that firing Attorney General Alberto Gonzales would give the Administration a "fresh start" at "respecting the rule of law." He said that he had "proof" that AGAG had used politics in firing the U.S. attorneys: four of them said that he did.

On FNS, fired U.S. attorney Bud Cummins insisted that he "served at the pleasure of the President," while other fired U.S. attorney David Iglesias argued that he was fired because he was going to drop the boom on Pete Domenici.

On TW, Senators Leahy and Cornyn were in almost total agreement, except that Leahy will have his Senate Judiciary Committee vote Thursday to subpoena Karl Rove, Harriet Miers, and Bill Kelley, while Senator Cornyn wants a legitimate investigation without that "political with hunt"

Next on TW, National Security Advisor Steve Hadley referred to the latest version of Pelosi-Murtha as an artificial and arbitrary timeline which they know the President will veto; he asked Congress to drop the "political charade" and pass a "responsible bill."

Also on FNS, Arlen Specter declared that Schumer had "crossed the line" by presiding over an investigation into the firing of the U.S. attorneys on one day and presiding over the DCCC and blasting Domenici on their web site the next.

The roundtable on MTP was a lot of noise, but Tom Andrews did manage to tell us that a large percentage of Iraqis sampled for some survey were more qualified to determine U.S. military strategy than were our own generals and colonels.

On FTN, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates told host Bob Schieffer that we would know how the surge was working this summer but that the Iraqis were keeping their commitments.

Although she did not used the childish term, Diane Feinstein on FTN told Schieffer that AGAG and Karl Rove should be frog-marched from the White House and brought forcibly before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

On LE, host Wolf Blitzer cited the Washington Post in arguing that al Qaeda in Iraq was no threat to the U.S. mainland. National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley argued that this was because they had their hands full in Iraq; if we left, they would certainly try to attack us here. In other news, Hadley said that we would not deal with the Palestinian government of Prime Minister Ismael Haneyeh because they had not renounced violence, recognized Israel, and agreed to abide by previous agreements.

The show-by-show review is beneath the fold.

SCHUMER AND RUSSERT. Host Tim Russert's first guest on NBC's Meet the Press was Chuckie Schumer, who told Russert that he would find it "highly unlikely" if Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (AGAG) were still around in a week. Firing AGAG, Chuckie asserted, would give the Administration a "fresh start," proving that the "rule of law" came first with them.

Schumer grumbled that White House Press Secretary Tony Snow had claimed that Karl Rove was not behind the firings of the U.S. attorneys, but Karl Rove had better say it under oath. After all, Schumer spat, they had said that Karl Rove had nothing to do with the Libby leak, and Schumer has decided that he darn well did.

Russert played a clip of Karl Rove telling an audience that Presidents have traditionally replaced U.S. attorneys, and Schumer snarled: "I think Karl Rove doesn't get it." What's different, Schumer said, is that only certain U.S. attorneys were fired this time and only because they were either prosecuting a case which the President didn't want prosecuted or refused to prosecute one which he did. "Every legal commentator," Schumer averred, has insisted that the President cannot do this. (Chuck wants a nation of legal commentators, not laws.)

Russert played a clip of AGAG insisting that he would not hire and fire attorneys for political reasons. Schumer shot back that he had "proof" that Gonzales had done just that: Four of the fired U.S. attorneys claim that this is what he did.

Schumer said that because of this, more people will claim the "it's politics" defense. He said that Paul McNulty had called him Thursday to apologize for giving false testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee. McNulty, McNulty said and Schumer believed, had been misinformed by AGAG's deputy, Kyle Sampson.

CUMMINS AND IGLESIAS ON FNS. Host Chris Wallace's first guests on FNS were fired U.S. attorneys Bud Cummins and David Iglesias. Cummins, a calm man, said that he had seen no apology for the firing. He applauded news that AGAG had brought in Chuck Rosenberg as his interim chief of staff, replacing Kyle Sampson.

David Iglesias was angry. He complained that the story regarding his firing kept changing: first it was performance, then political, then performance, then political.

Wallace asked Cummins about Tim Griffin, the legally appointed interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, one of those with whom Schumer has a problem. Cummins replied: "I have no comment about it. … I served at the pleasure of the President."

Iglesias argued that he had been canned for partisan political reasons, because he was investigating Senator Pete Domenici (R-New Mexico). He snickered that he had asked the Justice Department for a job reference after he was fired. This was a test, he said, to see if his firing were performance-related or political. If it were performance-related, Iglesias reasoned, they would not give him the reference.

He got the reference.

SPECTER ON FNS. Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania's sole remaining Republican Senator, was Wallace's next guest on FNS. He told Wallace that he is "reserving judgment" on Alberto Gonzales: "I want to find the facts." He argued that Karl Rove "and others" ought to be forced to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Specter argued that whatever classifications of cases the President wants emphasized by his U.S. attorneys, those are the ones which should move forward. Specter does not think the President used a provision of the Patriot Act to replace any of the fired U.S. attorneys, as was being contended by Schumer and others.

Specter stated flatly that Chuck Schumer, as chairman of the Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on Oversight and the Courts, had "crossed the line" by leading an inquiry into Pete Domenici at the same time he was campaigning against Domenici in his role as chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC). He said that the inquiry into Domenici "ought to have at least a modicum of objectivity," absent with Schumer at the head: "I don't think he can do both things at the same time."

Specter said he is not calling for Schumer to step away from the Domenici investigation because then people could claim that Specter was calling for Schumer to step away from the Domenici investigation. He wants Schumer to do what he thinks is right.

JOHN KERRY ON FNS. Yeah, you can ask why. I did. John Kerry was Wallace's next guest on FOX News Sunday, and he announced that the firings were "clearly done for political purposes." Wallace asked him about Jay Stevens, the U.S. attorney who was fired by then-President Clinton for investigating Dan Rostenkowski. Kerry mumbled something.

Wallace pointed out that the hiring of U.S. attorneys is political, and Kerry shot back: "The word 'political' does not mean they belong to the political process." He mentioned the Separation of Powers. Under Clinton, firing for political reason was wrongs: "Two wrongs don't make a right."

Kerry said he expects the insurgents to melt into the background in Iraq and adapt. He said that a date certain allows the U.S. to "leverage the behavior" of the Iraqis. Wallace pointed out that his measure had fallen short in the Senate, again. Kerry said that he needed only 19 more votes to override the certain veto, and that he would have to keep trying. He said that they had to keep trying to pass the Civil Rights Act. (Yes, John Kerry compared the latest Senate version of Pelosi/Murtha to the Civil Rights Act.) He said that this was all we could expect the troops to do, "six years into" this war (which has gone on for four years).

He said it was a "responsible plan," not cut-and-run. He was sick of Wallace claiming that it was a "complete, precipitous withdrawal." Wallace argued that he had never said that it was a complete, precipitous withdrawal. Kerry insisted that he had, and he challenged Wallace to "check the transcript." (Here's the transcript. I can't find it.)

Wallace asked Kerry if he withdrew from the race from the Dem nomination because he knew he would lose, and Kerry retorted that he was "absolutely confident" that he would have come back and won the nomination. He dropped out, he said, because he had important things to say and he didn't want this important stuff to be clouded by politics. He wanted to talk about Iraq and Global Climate Change, as if those two issues didn't already have notable spokespeople and Al Gore.

RUSSERT'S MEET THE PRESS PANEL. After holding his audience with Chuck Schumer, Tim Russert next had a noisy panel on to argue about the war: former Representative Tom Andrews (D-Maine), former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), Richard Perle of AEI, Reprehensive Joe Sestak (R-Pennsylvania). Sestak talked of the latest House version of Pelosi/Murtha, saying that it had a "date certain" for troop withdrawal to force the Iraqis to yadda, yadda. Perle argued that he would guarantee the defeat of U.S. forces.

"Guarantee it."

Perle accused Sestak and friends of trying to write off the new strategy 30 days into it. Sestak countered that this "new strategy" has been tried before. (The conception of the new strategy which Sestak and friends are still trying to foist upon the public is one of sending warm bodies to Iraq just to have them there.) DeLay argued that redeploying out of Iraq was not a military strategy. Andrews argued that our military strategy should be determined based on surveys of the Iraqi people. He began stating that 45% Iraqi people believe this, 62% want that, and survey show that 98.4% want the other. I don't know what the surveys were, let alone the sample sizes, or how many in the sample were people we'd want determining strategy for our armed forces.

And why not just poll the population of Jordan, Kuwait, and Okinawa about our redeploying to those places?

Which pollster do we use?

LEAHY AND CORNYN ON TW. First on ABC's This Week, host George Stephanopoulos spoke with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Pat Leahy (D-Syrup) and "the President's Senator," John Cornyn of Texas. Steph opened the chat by playing a clip of Karl Rove telling an audience that they should stop playing political games over the firings of the eight U.S. attorneys, as they had thrown no similar fit when Clinton (Bill) had fired everyone.

"Karl Rove is right," Steph suggested to Leahy.

Leahy said that this time, the attorneys were replaced for political reasons. Leahy proclaimed that one fired U.S. attorney, the respected John McKay, was replaced in western Washington by former Congressman Rick White, whom he said had been disbarred. He complained that the President still had 20 jobs in the U.S. attorneys' office that he hadn't filled.

Senator Cornyn said that the President has the right to fire any U.S. attorneys, and these eight had their four-year terms expire. He said that he's joined Senator Leahy in saying that "the explanation was botched from the outset." They could have suggested, Cornyn suggested, that it was time to give someone else a chance to serve instead of announcing that there were performance-related reasons for canning these U.S. attorneys. He's told AGAG that this was mishandled and that "he'd better get the facts out."

Leahy blamed the entire Administration for offering different versions of the story. He's "sick and tired" of being briefed one day then told it wasn't the real story the next.

Cornyn said that the questions Leahy wants answered are legitimate and that he wants answers as well, but when the "leader of the effort on the Judiciary Committee," Chuck Schumer, is the head of the DCCC, it raises questions about the legitimacy of the inquiry.

Cornyn wants the DOJ officials to testify before the committee.

Leahy said that on Thursday, the Judiciary Committee would vote Thursday on subpoenaing Karl Rove, Harriet Miers, and Miers's deputy (Bill Kelley). Cornyn shot back that this was an example of a legitimate inquiry overreaching, as Democrats feared Karl Rove was behind everything.

Leahy said that he would not be doing this if the story didn't change all the time. He wants "testimony under oath." Cornyn again supported the inquiry but he said that he would not support a "political witch hunt led by the chairman of the DSCC." Senator Schumer, Cornyn said, has a "conflict of interest."

Leahy argued that the National Republican Senatorial Committee has raised a lot of money on their web site using him. He said that Schumer's questions were legitimate. He said that he's the chairman, and he can issue whatever subpoenas he wants. Cornyn countered that the DOJ officials should be subpoenaed to get the necessary information. Calling Karl Rove makes it a political circus.

Steph played a clip of Sununu demanding that AGAG step down. John Cornyn thinks "Al Gonzales" should have a chance to correct his mistakes, but this is ultimately the President's decision. AGAG's main problem with Republican Senators, Cornyn argues, was that he has "given inaccurate information." But Cornyn insists that he wants a "legitimate inquiry," not a political witch hunt.

HADLEY ON TW. National Security Advisor Steve Hadley was up next. Steph showed the numbers of dead and the cost of the war, then he asked Hadley about the "sobering" numbers that the Americans don't think was worth it. Would Bush go back four years and do this over? Hadley argued that we had to get rid of Saddam, remove al Qaeda from establishing bases in Iraq – with Zarqawi in Iraq before Saddam was toppled. He said that al Qaeda's strategy of provoking Sectarian violence was shrewd and somewhat effective.

Steph asked if the Iraqis were better off now than they were under Saddam. Hadley argued that they would say so, as they now have the opportunity to take responsibility for their own country, their own future. He said that the Iraqis were making sacrifices for their country.

Steph started talking about an ABC/USA Today poll to be released on GMA tomorrow morning which showed that over 80% have no faith in U.S. forces.

Hadley stated that the Mahdi Army is "lying low for a bit," but that some of them have chosen to cooperate with the security forces.

"We need to get it into a situation where the Iraqis can take responsibility for the security." If we don't do that, if we run away, it will be a disaster. He argued against reconciliation on an "artificial timeline," pointing out that we couldn't do it with our own Congress. How then can we expect it of the Iraqis?

Hadley called the Murtha-Pelosi legislation, "an arbitrary timeline" which would force us out of Iraq no matter what happened. This is "mandating failure. And that is forfeiting the sacrifices we've made in Iraq." Hadley added that it is clear that the President will veto the legislation, "so let's not go through with this charade." He called on Congress to send the President "a responsible bill."

ROBERT GATES ON FTN. Host Bob Schieffer talked to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates about the Iraq war. The fourth anniversary. We'll have 158,000 in Iraq by this summer.

Schieffer asked if this surge were having an effect. Gates answered: "So far, so good." He reminded that General Petraeus had suggested that we'd not know until summer, but the Iraqis were keeping their commitments.

Schieffer argued that the violence was continuing and the enemy had adapted successfully to our change of strategy. (Yes, Schieffer called it a strategy change on our part, contradicting the line of the Congressional Dems.)

Gates argued that he believes that "everyone involved in this debate" is patriotic and looking for the best thing for the United States. His concern with the latest Murtha-Pelosi is that it sets a date after which the enemy could wait. The House version, he said, was more about withdrawal than victory.

Schieffer wanted to challenge the "conventional wisdom," the President's argument that they would follow us here if we left. Schieffer argued that this was a civil war. He wondered why they would stop fighting a civil war to fight us? Gates answered that this was not waves of Sunnis fighting waves of Shi'ites; rather, it was hit squads vs. hit squads.

Gates disabused Schieffer of the notion that the President was claiming that al Qaeda would follow our troops into Kuwait. He said that the terrorist would attack the United States.

Schieffer praised Gates for moving quickly to fire people in the Walter Reed situation. What has Gates learned about his SecDef job from the Walter Reed situation? Gates said he thanked the WashPost reporters for telling him about Building 18, and he's looking into the bureaucratic situation. Gates was "angered and offended" by the bureaucracy which had allowed this to happen.

Schieffer said that another of Gates' problems was General Pete Pace calling homosexuals immoral. Gates said that this is something in which "personal opinion does not have a place." He's not going to ask Pete Pace – "one of the finest people I've ever worked with" – to do anything other than what he's done: "I think we should just move on at this point."

Schieffer asked him about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and Gates responded that he has two wars, a huge budget, etc. "I think I have enough on my plate."

Schieffer asked Gates about the "ad hoc" intelligent agencies "spring up" at the DoD. Gates wants intelligence gathering to be handled by trained professionals.

Schieffer asked him about the personal letters he sends to the families of all those killed in action. It is something Gates wants to do, Gates said, and it takes up every evening.

DIANE FEINSTEIN ON FTN. Schieffer next had on Diane Feinstein to talk about the fired U.S. attorneys. He asked her if these people were fired because they were "leaning too hard on Republicans." One of them, he intimated, was investigating Duke Cunningham. Feinstein said that 5 of the 7 had corruption cases going, and she spoke of Californian Carol Lam and talked of the great work she had done. (This after Feinstein criticized Lam's job performance in a letter to Gonzales last June.)

Feinstein argued that of course U.S. attorney is a political appointment, but once they take the oath of office, they are immune to politics.

Schieffer thinks that this "obviously, this needs to be investigated." He asked Feinstein if Alberto Gonzales should resign. She remarked that Gonzales was lying when he said he didn't know. She said that they would subpoena Karl Rove, "perhaps among others," and she suspects "he is not willing." She wants to "put the law back where it was," removing that portion of the Patriot Act which allows the President to appoint U.S. attorneys without confirmation. She and Specter, who disagrees with her that the Patriot Act was used in this instance, have sponsored a bill to remove that provision of the Patriot Act. She thinks it will pass.

STEPHEN HADLEY ON LE. National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley was host Wolf Blitzer's first guest on CNN's Late Edition. He asked Hadley about a WashPost report that al Qaeda in Iraq poses little threat to the U.S. Homeland. Hadley held that if we were to leave Iraq, al Qaeda in Iraq would no longer have their hands full and would attack us here.

Wolf and Hadley talked about whether or not it is a civil war in Iraq, with Wolf reading from a Pentagon report. (Sorry. That is settled. There is a consensus of Matt Lauer and friends that it is a civil war.) Hadley said that there is not a civil war; rather, the sectarian violence is a "war against civilians." It could provoke a civil war, he said, but we're trying to reduce the violence.

Wolf read from a Hadley memo seized and printed by the NYT in which he called Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki ignorant or incompetent. Where does Hadley stand now? Hadley argued that Maliki had "grown in office…. He's grown in confidence, he's grown in confidence."

Wolf asked Hadley if the number of additional troops could rise above the current "30,000 level." Hadley explained that Petraeus had asked for two addition increments, which he received, and Petraeus had asked for no more. If he needs them, he said, he will get them.

Blitzer quoted Sy Hersh as claiming that U.S. forces are crossing the border to chase Iranians. He said that our forces have been told to focus on what they are doing in Iraq. He added that the recent conference was not about Iran and Syria; rather, it was about all the neighbors, getting them involved in supporting the Maliki government.

Blitzer asked if the U.S. government would deal with the new government of Palestine, led by Hamas. He said that they had to renounce violence and terror, recognize Israel, and abide by past agreements; since they have not accepted those principles, "we will not deal with this government" and Prime Minister Ismael Haneyeh.
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And that's the way it was this morning: Sunday, March 18, 2007.

Courage.