I'd like to bring an observation to your attention which further underscores the extentto which once conservative forced in our government are about
to be rolled back and forced in to obscurity.
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The House committee on government oversight and reform held its open session today for a total of four hours and twenty minutes. Valery Plame Wilson
was the first person to testify. She had the floor for two hours, approximately. Afterwards, Waxman questioned the director of White House records
and information policy as well as the director of White House records and information security. This was followed by a presentation made by two
different laywers. One defending the Bush position on the Libby verdict and the U.S. Attorney scandal, while the other presented the case against
President Bush in these matters.
During her testimony, Mrs. Wilson told her side ofthe story. According to her, it was decided by her superiors to send Joe Wilson to Niger to follow
up on the rumor of an alleged Iraqi uranium purchase. It was her contention that her supervisors thought it was a good idea to send Mr. Wilson on
this errand, which they deemed of dubious importance. As part of her testimony, she directed the committee in general terms to seek out certain
individuals and memorandums that would back up her story. She was asked her opinion regarding several "hypothetical" security breach scenarios.
The net result appeared to me to be that Waxman was angling for a new round of subpoenas aimed at persons inside the Vice President's office and the
Attorney General's office. When the White House directors for information policy and seucrity each admitted that they had not yet started any
investigations on to the Libby or Plame-Wilson matters, Waxman became irritated. When they asnwered in the negative about activities relating to the
Attorney General's office, Representative Waxman had more to be unhappy about.
Both of the laywers who presented pro and con arguments regarding administration activities were of the opinion that the letter of the law was still
in tact. Questions of proper behavior remained unresolved, but no actual legal transgressions had occurred in regards to the U.S. Attorney scandal.
Both were also in agreement that an actual security breach had taken place in the Vice President's office relating to the Plame-Wilson affair, though
their opinions over motive differed.
There was no testimony from special prosecutor Fitzergald.
The stage now seems to be set for the Attorney General to be called before this committee. Large-scale examiniation of sensetive records seems
likely. Documents from the Vice President's office and that of the A.G. are likely to be sought by this committee. Despite persistent questioning,
the committee didn't seem to be able to find the Vice President worthy of a subpoena during this hearing.
Having seen all this for myself, it now seems likely that Alberto Gonzales will be called before the House and Senate oversight and judiciary
committees. Guilty or not, he gets to be the administrations sacrificial lamb. I have no doubt that shredders are running at full speed inside his
office as you read these words.
What does this mean for the Republican party?
1. Office of the Vice President
Verdicts in the Libby trial, combined with testimony taken before this House oversight committee, will justify subpoenas for staffers and documents
inside the office of the Vice President. Let's just call this what it will be. A fishing expedition. The door will be open to probe Iraq war
intelligence and a whole host of "other" issues that may interest the majority leadership in both houses of Congress.
2. Office of the Attorney General
The U.S. Attorney scandal provides the justification for a fishing expedition here, too. Look for topics like border security, surveillance, and
detainee torture practices to be examined in a very public way. It could be months before Gonzales himself takes the stand or is forced to resign.
It seems likely that special prosecutor Fitzgerald was not present at today's hearing so that he could appear "objective" as he warms up his legal
team to plunge in to these deep and bloody waters.
If the Rumsfeld resignation was a stunning blow to the Bush43 administration, today's oversight committee hearings marked the beginning of a very
messy end for what is already a lame duck President. I have said for some time now that this was the most likely outcome of recent events, and I see
no reason to change that opinion now.
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We're about to see the start of legitimate criminal investigations and an even longer list of premeditated witch hunts. the end result will be a
drastically reduced conservative presence in Federal-level government. I contend that this imbalance of ideological representation will accelerate
the decay of our civil rights. The net result will be the future that I have previously predicted.



