We need to take bush up on his offer-

[Bluerthanblue]

please!!

read these words from his news confrence yesterday. I've noted the key passages.

"...And I repeat, we would like people to hear the truth. And, Kelly, your question is one I'm confident will be asked of people up there. And the Justice Department will answer that question in open forum for everybody to see. "

"Today I'm also announcing the following steps my administration is taking to correct the record and demonstrate our willingness to work with the Congress. First, the Attorney General and his key staff will testify before the relevant congressional committees to explain how the decision was made and for what reasons."

These statements are documented on the White House .gov site- they are bush's words.
here is a link:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/03/20070320-8.html


The word bush used was TESTIFY.

American Heritage Dictionary defines as:

tes·ti·fy (tĕs'tə-fī') pronunciation

v., -fied, -fy·ing, -fies.

v.intr.

1. To make a declaration of truth or fact under oath; submit testimony: witnesses testifying before a grand jury.
2. To express or declare a strong belief, especially to make a declaration of faith.
3. To make a statement based on personal knowledge in support of an asserted fact; bear witness: the exhilaration of weightlessness, to which many astronauts have testified.
4. To serve as evidence: wreckage that testifies to the ferocity of the storm.

v.tr.

1. To declare publicly; make known: testifying their faith.
2. To state or affirm under oath: testified in court that he saw the defendant.
3. To bear witness to; provide evidence for. See synonyms at indicate.

at this link:
http://www.answers.com/testify&r=67


The legal letter sent by bush's council to Congress yesterday stated:

In response to the invitations for interviews extended by the Committees, I am prepared to agree to make available for interviews the President's former Counsel; current Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor; Deputy Counsel; and a Special Assistant in the Office of Political Affairs. We are prepared to agree to the following terms, which, considering applicable constitutional principles relating to the Presidency and your Committees' interests, we believe are fair, reasonable, and respectful. We believe that such interviews should be a last resort, and should be conducted, if needed, only after Congress has heard from Department of Justice officials about the decision to request the resignations of the U.S. Attorneys.

Such interviews may cover, and would be limited to, the subject of (a) communications between the White House and persons outside the White House concerning the request for resignations of the U.S. Attorneys in question; and (b) communications between the White House and Members of Congress concerning those requests. Those interviews should be conducted by both Committees jointly. Questioning of White House officials would be conducted by a Member or limited number of Members, who would be accompanied by committee staff. Such interviews would be private and conducted without the need for an oath, transcript, subsequent testimony, or the subsequent issuance of subpoenas. A representative of the Office of the Counsel to the President would attend these interviews and personal counsel to the invited officials may be present at their election.

....Fred F. Fielding
Counsel to the President......
link:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/03/20070320-9.html

There is a case to be made that if Congress were to allow Gonzales and Meyers to talk to Congress, they couldn't then go on to require "subsequent testimony" or issue "subpoenas".

But what really bothers me is that bush is lying to the press and the nation- Boldly, patently lying when he says that 'they' are going 'up there' to 'answer question(s)' in an "open forum for everyone to see". And no one is calling him out on this.


Or he is offering a deal different than that of his 'legal council'- in which case I say- take him up on HIS offer, not the one his legal handlers have offered.

Does this make sense to anyone???

The vast masses of this country only listen to the sound 'bites'- When bush claims he's willing to let 'them' clear up everything in an 'open forum' in clear contradiction of what has legally been proposed, Joe and Jane Q Public only hear bush's voice- they don't bother to dig around to read the actual 'offer'.

thanks for reading this long post-
Please take the thought, and reframe it if you think it has merit.

peace,
blu

[lisa58]

1. The justice department has to testify...

...Gonzo is part of the cabinet.

Bush is trying to prevemt administration "advisors" from testifying in open session and under oath.

[Bluerthanblue]

4. what advisers are

being subpoenaed by Congress?

If gonzales has to testify, why all the posturing?

Also- the LIE that * gives saying 'he' is sending 'them' up there to testify in an OPEN FORUM is a big one- (in my probably anal perspective) secrecy is not the friend of democracy- or of truth.

peace,
blu

[lisa58]

6. Rove, Miers and their deputies....

...that's all bush cares about - it puts the scandal in the whitehouse and he doesn't want to admit he has no idea what's going on in his own administration.

[bluerum]

2. Put them all under oath, on the record, and on the stand. Simple justice.

I thought this crew was big on frontier style justice the murican way.

Bringing honor and truthiness to the WH. Good christians all.

[lisa58]

3. Actually...

...they should take Bush's offer. Let everyone talk to the Senate Committee in private and then let all the Senators come out and say "Rove admitted he was the ringleader, it was his idea to fire the attorneys, he confessed to outing Valerie Plame, etc., etc., etc.

They would love to testify in open committee and under oath after that.

[Bluerthanblue]

5. sounds good to me ;-) nt