Yes, DU there is good news out there

[cali]

Gonzo was forced out, Craig's bust further weakens the repukes, Waxman has set a deadline, Glenn Fine, the Inspector General at Justice is investigating not only Gonzo's lies but a half dozen other things including the legality of the wiretapping engaged in by the admin- and he's a Clinton appointee. And there's more.

I know people are bitterly disappointed in Congress, but they are doing some good things.

[NanceGreggs]

1. Yes, they are!

:dem:

[Hamlette]

2. I would add to the list

retribution for the 9 fired US Attorneys, Rumsfeld, Rove. There is no doubt in my mind that all three (Gonzo included) would still be in power OR would have been given the medal of freedom had the Dems not taken congress and started investigations.

While we don't have the votes to stop the war I would suggest people recognize that the majority of dems are voting our way. It's the blue dogs voting with the GOP that are stopping us.

We should target blue dogs, not all dems. And as ammunition, use Lieberman who has beomce a Fox News star and makes less and less sense as time goes on.

[WI_DEM]

3. You also have to wonder if Gonzo and Rove would be gone if Dems had not won congress

[cali]

5. no you don't..

There's no way they'd have left.

[Mr. Ected]

4. Not To Be Cynical, But...

Negotiating a deal isn't the same as CLOSING one.

[cali]

6. say what?

I haven't a clue as to what you're saying.

[Mr. Ected]

9. Merely Investigating Wrongdoing Isn't Cause for Celebration

Merely setting deadlines is not a victory in itself.

Not until these bastards are PUNISHED for their crimes against America will I feel the need to cheer.

[cali]

11. It is when those investigations get results

and the departure of Gonzo and Rove are the proof of it.

[SeattleGirl]

7. Yes they are, Cali, and thanks for posting this.

It's discouraging sometimes to only read about what Congress ISN'T doing, and while those things are important, it's also important to acknowledge what they ARE doing.

[cali]

8. And not ot constantly obsess about

how hopeless everything is. All that negative energy; blech.

[liberalnurse]

10. I have been very patient with Congress.

I know this is a tedious endeavor, to snag these mobsters. I am proud of our Democratic Leaders. They are doing a noble deed. They can only try as it is a monumental challenge!....I'm please so far.

[rateyes]

12. Waxman set a deadline?

Again?

[cali]

13. So now Waxman is nothing more than a blowhard?

Jesus H. Christ.

And please tell me, ratty, what other deadlines on this issue has Waxman set, and then proceeded to ignore or extend?

[rateyes]

14. For your reading pleasure:

Today is July 27, 2007. A little over a month ago, Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA), Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (aka Oversight Committee), demanded that the White House and the Oversight Committee make some progress on scheduling interviews with White House officials about improper oversight of our national secrets. A little less than a month ago, Congressman Waxman also demanded that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales answer a set of questions about the legality of Vice President Dick Cheney’s claim to be part of the legislative branch and thus not subject to the oversight body responsible for safeguarding our national secrets.

In the June 26, 2007 letter to White House Counsel Fred Fielding, Chairman Waxman demanded that several current and former White House officials be made available for interviews before the committee. And he warned that, if progress wasn’t made, he’d be forced to ask the full Oversight Committee to consider congressional subpoenas at the June 28, 2007 meeting following that day’s scheduled hearings. According to the Recent Hearings and Meetings section of the Oversight Committee’s schedule webpage, that business meeting was canceled.

In addition, a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales dated June 27, 2007 requests that the Attorney General answer a set of questions that relate specifically to whether Vice President Cheney has the authority to exempt his office from Executive Orders and whether Cheney’s tortured logic about being part of the legislative branch holds legal water. And the letter demands that all the questions be answered and returned to the committee no later than July 12, 2007. According to the Oversight Committee’s webpage, no further action has been taken in the two weeks since the deadline passed.

And there are no hearings scheduled to take any action on either passed deadline before the summer break.

I can’t help but ask - why not?

<snip>

The White House has been been caught lying on national TV about about how they supposedly safeguard classified information. The White House has claimed to be in compliance with all Executive Orders when they’re actually claiming a non-existent exemption from inspection by the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) of the National Archives. Vice President Dick Cheney has excused his entire office from oversight under the mistaken impression that he’s a fourth branch of government that gets to choose whether it’s part of executive branch or the legislative branch on a case-by-case basis. And yet we don’t have any indications of progress on the part of the Oversight Committee weeks after the last deadline passed.

I asked the Oversight Committee to comment about these issues. I wanted to know what the status of the negotiations with the White House was and whether the negotiations were progressing sufficiently to justify waiting on congressional subpoenas. I wanted to know if the committee had received answers to the questions they posed to the Attorney General. I wanted to know, if they hadn’t got an answer from the Attorney General, what were they going to do next, and when.

As of this point, the Oversight Committee had not yet responded.

MORE AT:

http://scholarsandrogues.wordpress.com/2007/07/27/protecting-our-nations-secrets-why-have-deadlines-passed-with-no-apparent-consequences/

Add to this that the promised hearings with Sibel Edmonds have not (and will not) happen, and the point is made.