Bending the Third Rail
Because We Should, We Can, We Do
Thursday, March 22, 2007
The Process
If the Constitutional showdown over "executive priviledge" plays out, here's what we can expect:
The Post helpfully goes through what could happen if the White House refuses to comply with the subpoenas. First, the judiciary committees would have to decide to issue citations for contempt of Congress. If the full House and Senate agree, Congress would ask the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia to seek indictments. But would a U.S. attorney go against the wishes of the president? No one really knows because it's never gotten that far. The WSJ points out that the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia previously served as counselor to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
Doesn't this just explify the problems of having a political appointee head the Department of Justice? If a U.S. attorney issues an indictment, he's likely to be fired knowing this bunch.

Negotiations are going fast and furious between Congress and the White House. Bush is counting on weakness from the Dems, implementing the same old strategy of "act like you have a mandate". Will Dems fold?