A story that might have been written by Mario Puzo
Sid Blumenthal recalls an iconic scene from The Godfather that epitomizes the thuggery that is the Bush administration. It's the scene when Michael Corleone realizes that his father lies helpless and unprotected in a hospital bed -- while Bruno Tattaglia's killers are on the way to assassinate him. He rushes, alone, to the hospital and convinces a frightened nurse to help him wheel his father's bed into another room to hide him from the approaching hitmen. Then he, and the mild-mannered baker Enzo, stand shivering on the front steps, trying to look menacing. The thugs arrive, tires screeching. An awkward moment passes as they size up the two figures above them. Deciding against further action, the gangsters peel off into the night, cursing.
Sid Blumenthal:
On Tuesday, James Comey, the former deputy attorney general, disclosed a story that might have been written by Mario Puzo, and it explained the rise of Gonzales as attorney general. On March 10, 2004, Comey was serving as acting attorney general while John Ashcroft was in an intensive-care unit being treated for pancreatitis. After an "extensive review" by the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, which concluded that Bush's warrantless domestic surveillance program was illegal, Comey refused to sign its reauthorization. An aide to Ashcroft tipped Comey off that White House legal counsel Gonzales and chief of staff Andrew Card were headed to Ashcroft's hospital to get him to sign it. Comey rushed to the darkened room, where he briefed the barely conscious Ashcroft. Gonzales and Card entered minutes later, demanding that Ashcroft comply. He refused, pointing to Comey, saying he was the attorney general. "I was angry. I had just witnessed an effort to take advantage of a very sick man," Comey testified.Gonzales and Card then summoned Comey to the White House, where they attempted to intimidate him by telling him that Vice President Dick Cheney and his counsel, David Addington, were in favor of the reauthorization. Comey still refused. And the program went forward without the legal Justice Department approval. Comey and other high Justice Department officials prepared their resignation letters. The next day, having heard about the planned mass resignations, President Bush met alone with Comey, who briefed him on what needed to be done to bring the program under the law. Several weeks later Comey signed the authorization for a legal program. But during that period it was conducted outside the law.
Impeach....Leave the canolli.