Great Insight from "Emptywheel." Has anyone seen any MSCorporate Media reporting Waxman's request? If this was the Clinton WH and the Repug Chairman of "Oversight" requested all e-mail communications from the DNC and other "off site email addresses" of every Cabinet Officer...wouldn't this be bigger than Anna-Nicole? Why is it so quiet? ----------------
Oh, to Know What Fred’s Thinking
By: emptywheel
http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/04/14/oh-to-know-what-freds-thinkingYou see, I think the email annoucement has dramatically changed the balance of power in any USA Purge standoff. While the White House and the Judiciary Committees continue to dicker about what emails Congress can and cannot have, Henry Waxman has written every single cabinet member asking for a log of all email discussions involving the RNC accounts.
(QUOTE FROM WAXMAN LETTER)
For this reason, the Committee requests that you preserve all e-mails received from White House officials who used the "gwb43.com," "georgewbush.com," "rnchq.org" addresses or other nongovernmental e-mail accounts. The Committee also asks you to preserve any e-mails sent to White House officials at any of these accounts.
In addition, I request that you provide the Committee with an inventory of any e-mail communications in the agency's possession or control that meet the description in the preceding paragraph. This inventory should include the name and e-mail address of the sender, the name and e-mail address of the recipient, the date of the e-mail, and a brief description of the subject of the e-mail. The e-mail should be provided to the Committee by May 3, 2007. END QUOTE
Think about this: because BushCo committed massive violations of the Presidential Records Act with its RNC e-mail system, it created a legitimate reason for Henry Waxman to ask for an inventory of 95% of the e-mail correspondance involving the most corrupt–and powerful–members of the Bush White House. I think this is what they mean when they say "too clever by half."
So, yes, Fielding can keep stringing Leahy and Conyers along, and it might postpone Gonzales' eventual demise even while the American public slowly reconstructs what happened anyway (say, do y'all remember me predicting we'd hear more about WI?). But in the meantime, the tenacious Waxman is going to piece together not just Rove's USA Purge emails, but all of it, no doubt covering a range of scandals that we don't even know yet!
I can see why Fred is beginning to see the wisdom of compromise.
http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/04/14/oh-to-know-what-freds-thinking