POLITICS - The Bush Whitehouse "Bubble"

"The shrinking Bush bubble" by Rosa Brooks, LA Times

Here are the paragraphs that really say it all about the Bush Whitehouse.

Goldsmith ran the Justice Department's office of legal counsel for nine months in 2003-04 (and was briefly a colleague of mine at the University of Virginia School of Law). He and his book, "The Terror Presidency," are quoted extensively in a Sept. 9 New York Times Magazine article.

Key takeaways: Bush and Gonzales had little appetite for substance; Cheney's staff ruled the roost and insisted that the law was supposed to bend to their wishes; and top Cheney aides such as David Addington were every bit as contemptuous of their GOP colleagues in the executive branch as they were of Congress, the courts and their Democratic critics.

For instance: When Goldsmith tried to explain to Addington that terrorists and insurgents might be covered under the Fourth Geneva Convention, which applies to civilians (rather than under the Third Geneva Convention, which covers prisoners of war), Addington reacted with fury: "The president has already decided that terrorists do not receive Geneva Convention protections. You cannot question his decision." That's the rule of law, as understood by Cheney's office.

....bold emphases mine

This is a Bush Whitehouse belief in an Imperial Presidency. That the President, because he is "Commander and Chief" can ignore the checks-and-balances our Constitution provides. That no other branch of government has the Constitutional duty to review and provide a check against Presidential abuse of power because the President is "Commander and Chief."

This belief means any President can ignore other provisions of the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights.

As I have said before, NO one clause of our Constitution gives license to ignore any other clause. It is the DUTY of Congress and the Judiciary to provide a check to Presidential abuse of power.