Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Federal Bureau of Intransigence












"I know my impression of the President isn't all that good, but I've been practicing, really I have!"

You've got to hand it to the man. Robert Mueller is certainly on a roll.

First we had the "sorry we spied on your ass" routine.

And now, this:

At the heart of President Bush's plea to give telecommunications companies legal immunity is the contention that these companies were merely being patriotic corporate citizens when they facilitated the warrantless wiretapping of Americans.

FBI Director Robert Mueller undercut that argument Wednesday, telling Congress that the 'good faith' argument should have nothing to do with whether or not they are let off the hook in dozens of pending court cases.

"I would focus more on the downsides, substantial downsides, of not providing retroactive immunity as being the principal rational of the legislation, providing immunity," Mueller told the Senate Judiciary Committee.
What really bothers me though, especially after the above statement which, in no subtle terms, dictates that WE MIGHT ALL FUCKING DIE -- we haven't yet, as far as I can tell, unless I'm hallucinating, but I don't remember taking any illegal substances today -- is the following grotesque display of blasphemy against St. Bauer:
"Do you waterboard Timothy McVeigh?" [Senator Sheldon] Whitehouse asked.

Mueller demurred, saying he would "prefer not to answer hypotheticals," although he acknowledged under further questioning that such a ticking time-bomb scenario could happen today.

"I would not know how I would respond," Mueller said.
I'm sure others would prefer not to answer hypotheticals, as well.

Oh well.

12 comments:

Life As I Know It Now said...

you mean you would actually require these people to do their jobs?! you would demand of journalist that they ask pertinent questions?!you would ask that these politicians and public officials to give pertinent answers that aren't evasive, condescending and just plain treats the America public as stupid?! you must be on drugs man cause it ain't ever gonna happen...

Fran said...

That jowly son of a bitch Mueller finally lost his cool today.

You know, despite my Christian trappings, I don't actually believe anyone is in hell.

Yet the current admin and all their f*cked up minions cause me to pause and consider otherwise.

Angie said...

I know I'm not dead because I'm not stuck in a van filled with snakes without air conditioning in the middle of the freakin' desert with him or any members of the current administration. If hell exists I'm sure to have a reserved seat in that van. So far today everything seems okay. Relatively speaking of course.

Anonymous said...

//"prefer not to answer hypotheticals," //

I prefer not to drink hypotheticals.....Pale Ale's are better.

I like Liberality's comment.

//you would ask that these politicians and public officials to give pertinent answers that aren't evasive, condescending and just plain treats the America public as stupid?!//

gees&stuff.... woodna that be something nice.

I inadvertently got dragged into a conversation with some Iraqi Vets. There is a website "Iraqi Vets Against the War." We are at a pub.

I will post when sober. Hypothetically. It is my turn to buy a round.

susan said...

Last week I read an article by a high level attorney who made the argument that all the telecom companies have indemnity contracts for any off the book services they provide the government. That means those companies wouldn't lose any money if they're successfully sued for privacy invasion so they don't really care - the government would have to pay. What would happen is that everyone would know that we've all been surveilled by the direct orders of the current administration and some, like Christianne Amanpour of CNN, have been under very close scrutiny indeed. More oil poured upon the sparks for impeachment.

Mauigirl said...

The idea that no one should have to answer hypothetical questions is ridiculous. How else do we know what kind of judgment people would have in certain situations?

Randal Graves said...

liberality, hey, sometimes one needs drugs or other substances to read and watch the news. Did you know that the vice president is a talking mushroom?

fran, that's funny because they make me wish there was a hell, in the best tradition of Dante.

angie, you forgot that the radio would be stuck on the Pastor Ted Haggard Fun Time Radio Hour. For eternity.

susan, if that's indeed the case, that makes me even happier! Whee! The bottom line for the telecoms does seem to be the bottom line. What a surprise.

mauigirl, I don't, on principle, have a problem with a hypothetical, but when Russert and others of his ilk do it, it's merely a gotcha. "So, you want to pull troops out, eh? What happens if Al Qaeda takes over, Osama becomes the overlord of a new caliphate, and buys missiles from the Russians and aims them at us? Still think we should leave?"
That's the kind of crap that bugs me. ;-)

pissed off patricia said...

Everything is so fu*king fu*ked up that I don't believe a single one of them any more. Just please let this administration be over soon. Yesterday when Bush was with McCain he said he, bush, had done a lot of things and he wasn't finished yet. How's that for sending a chill down your spine?

Dean Wormer said...

I hate these people.

"Do you waterboard Timothy McVeigh?"

Of course not.

McVeigh wasn't an islomarabfascist fucker.

He was just a regular, home grown fascist fucker.

Randal Graves said...

Exactly, so he's off limits. No one wants to strangle what they see in the mirror.

Dr. Zaius said...

"He was just a regular, home grown fascist fucker."

We have those guys all over the country. Even in Washington. Even in the White House.

Anonymous said...

What, you mean large corporations are supposed to obey the law, just like regular folks?? What kind of Communist drivel is that :)