Political Cortex: Impeachment & Executive Privilege: A Look Back at Bush Supreme Court Nominations: Alito

Impeachment & Executive Privilege: A Look Back at Bush Supreme Court Nominations: Alito

By Raphie Frank
04/12/2006 07:44:58 AM EST

Originally posted to Politinotions on February 7, 2006 and reposted to lend creedence to a pattern of Supreme Court nominations by the Bush Administration suggesting they have known this was coming. Anyone else here hear those pre-echoed shouts I hear emananting from the Oval Office? I can't quite make out the words but definitely believe I caught the words "In the interests of National Security" somewhere in there...

CYA Redux

If at first you don't CYA, just CYA again. It's easy to "Cover Your Ass" when no one's looking.

In all the commotion during the Alito confirmation process regarding Roe Vs. Wade, a very serious issue was overlooked almost completely. As Consortium News noted about a month ago...

The "unitary" theory of presidential power sounds too wonkish for Americans to care about, but the confirmation of Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court could push this radical notion of almost unlimited Executive authority close to becoming a reality.

And what is "the unitary theory of presidential power?"

In sum it's the idea that "all federal executive power is vested by the Constitution in the President." That's not small potatoes in the era of Plamegate and neverending wars of choice. And where does Alito stand on this issue? Again from the Consortium News...

At a Federalist Society symposium in 2001, Alito recalled that when he was in the Office of Legal Counsel in Ronald Reagan's White House, "we were strong proponents of the theory of the unitary executive..."

Made me think back to the nomination of Harriet Miers. Just after she withdrew from consideration for a seat on the Supreme Court I posted the following "... this Administration is going to have a hard time justifying the safeguarding of classified information related to Administration misconduct when it so willingly divulges classified information in direct opposition to national security interests and is suspected of selectively revealing information regarding the ideological purity of a life time appointee.to the nation's judicial branch. "

But never no mind. If CYA doesn't work the first time, just CYA again. It's easy as pie when no one is looking at the writing on the wall. And now? Now Harriet can rest easy on the ranch with awesome Dubya because no one will be looking at the writings from the Oval Office either.

Google results for "Alito Roe Wade"? 2,330,000. For "Clinton Cigar"? 758,000 "Impotent democrats" 263,00 And for "Alito Executive Privilege"? 187,000.

Case closed.