Secret documents on secret government wiretaps. Cheney has 'em. Democrats want 'em. Who do you think is going to win this fight?
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) threatened yesterday to hold members of the President's administration in contempt for failing to produce subpoenaed information (aka valuable blogmeat) about the administration's warrant-less wiretapping program. Said Leahy,
"I prefer cooperation to contempt. Right now, there's no question that they are in contempt of the valid order of the Congress."
The Justice Department, National Security Council and the offices of the President and Vice President have been under subpoena since late June for failing to produce documents relating to the National Security Agency's legal justification for a controversial (and, let's be honest, illegal) federal wiretapping program.
The reasoning behind the refusal is two-fold, a combination of "you can't make me" assholery and a fear of being caught having done something bad. But the real problem is neither Bush nor Cheney nor the corrupt system itself. It's an indifferent public that, frankly, includes us:
Maybe Leahy and the Democrats just need a better slogan for their cause. "There's no question they are in contempt of the valid order of the Congress" doesn't exactly trip off the tongue. We suggest, "They're trying to take our porn!"