“One Bomb Away”
Glenn highlighted a part of the Jeffrey Rosen on Jack Goldsmith article that I wanted to return to:
[Goldsmith] shared the White House’s concern that the Foreign IntelligenceSurveillance Act might prevent wiretaps on international calls involving terrorists.But Goldsmith deplored the way the White House tried to fix the problem, whichwas highly contemptuous of Congress and the courts. “We’reone bomb away from getting rid of that obnoxious [FISA] court,†Goldsmithrecalls Addington telling him in February 2004. [my emphasis]
Since I raised the question of why this piece got published early, I’ll point out one other timing detail.
The government just submitted a response to the ACLU’s motion to have the FISA Court’s two adverse rulings released. The whole debate is one that may free up documentation about the FISA program sooner rather than later, since the FISA Court technically owns the rulings in question, unlike almost all the other documents people have requested or FOIAed. The FISA Court is no doubt currently considering the government’s argument while it waits for the ACLU’s response, due on September 14.
You know–the FISA Court? The one Addington deemed "obnoxious"?
While I don’t think the ACLU motion is the reason for the early release of the Goldsmith article, I do find it amusing that the FISA Court will be considering the government’s arguments knowing full well that Addington has been running around anticipating their demise.
Looks like Addington has been working overtime to make sure that Hillary has all the â€tools†for a real dictatorship.
I read Rosen’s article over my morning coffee today (I’m a dead-tree guy), and when I got to the â€one bomb away†quote, the first thing that came to mind was, â€Well, the Reichstag’s gonna burn again.†I wouldn’t put it past those people to stage that â€one bomb,†though the odds are that a real one will show up at some point anyway. It’s illustrative of how close we are to a truly fascistic government.
Was there ever any peep out of any of the respective Justice Committee’s Dem members regarding filing an amicus brief on the ACLU issue? Perhaps we should all give a call to their offices now that they are back from their hard earned vacations. There is plenty of time for them to throw something together, and it would really help draw attention to this whole general pile of horse manure the Administration is depositing on the judicial branch with the state secret grab for power.
EW- Will Reggie Walton be involved in this?
Eyesonthestreet – to the best of my knowledge that is not clear. The order for the government to respond to the ACLU brief was signed only by the Presiding Judge of the FISC, Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. I assume she will handle the decision on the matter, as opposed to being done by a panel; but that is purely a guess. As a new member, Walton would be unlikely even if there was a panel, but who knows; Kollar-Kotelly may be looking to put sticks in a few eyes and Reggie might fir that bill.
yes, that would be my feeling too, but Walton is so darned nice….
That is correct.
One more actually exploding bomb that kills a half dozen people or so, and all these little nitty gritty little arguments will be washed away by a tidal wave of fear and anger.
Ok, there will be a dozen or less most â€progressive†Democrats in the House and a half dozen or less most â€progressive†Democrats in the Senate that won’t sign on.
The second bomb, well the numbers will be reduced to 1 or 2 in both houses.
I pray that these bombs will never come. Maybe we have done enough already. But I wouldn’t bet on it.
Well Jodi, you must be very proud that the cowering chickenhawk pissants you support have led America to be in such a state of affairs. Congratulations.
Which is why we all suspect that you’ll be the one planting it, Jodi.
The continued lust among wingnuts for another 9/11 just adds credence to tin foil hattery about their responsibility for the first one.
Anyone for sending Jodi’s post to the FBI? Sounds like she just threatened progressive members of Congress. Changed my mind. Since one of those is a former first lady, shall we forward it to the Secret Service and the FBI?
It seems obvious to me that what he meant was the coming bombing of Iran and the Bush/Cheney takeover declaring martial law. No election in ’08.
I think KagroX and mamagaya are on to something. I could never figure out why WTC #7 came down in a pancake when it was never hit by any aircraft???
Gleiwitz and the Reichstag fire
Jodi: â€One more actually exploding bomb that kills a half dozen people or so, and all these little nitty gritty little arguments will be washed away by a tidal wave of fear and anger. […] I pray that these bombs will never come.â€
So. You write that you ’pray these bombs will never come’, yet you believe that if everyone is physically terrorized, it will help your side politically?
Jodi, does it ever occur to you that a political position which requires a majority of the populace to be terrified is, by definition, a position that requires the majority of the populace to be irrational? And that means the position itself must be irrational?
Does it worry you that such arguments suggest that the Bush administration has an actual incentive to let another attack occur? Or creates an incentive for them to do so?
Jodi, you really are insane.
Unfortunately for the country, so is the rest of the Republican party and the Bush administration.
Most people know this, which is why Bush has such a low approval rating. And if such an attack were to occur, you can bet that a lot of people, far more than you expect, will wonder if Bush permitted the attack to happen, just to create the dynamic you described.
Even more will come to the conclusion that Bush has had 6/7 years to secure the country and still couldn’t get it right. In other words, it would confirm the already majority opinion that Bush is dangerously incompetent.
Whether you’re praying for it or not, Jodi, it’s sick to hold a worldview and political stance that *you agree* can only reach majority support through terror and trauma, just as it’s sick for Addington, et. al., to want such an attack to justify Bush’s policies.
Which compels the question, what are you so afraid of? Why do you want the rest of the country to be so fearful, so irrational, that they would support such policies?
I think you need to read the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Federalist Papers.
I also think you need talk to someone for Post-Traumatic Stress counseling.
Because the only people who think we need to be bombed into agreeing with them are the traumatized, or those so gluttonous for power – like Addington and the Bush/Cheney administration – that they will use any means and arguments to get it, increase it, and keep it.
BushCo isn’t covering its tracks to improve national security, BushCo is doing so to conceal its actions and eliminate judicial, congressional and public oversight, lest they be held accoutable for their actions and results.
The American people have lived in fear long enough and they know it. They also know Republicans have botched so many of the initiaves since 9/11/01 that the slogan, a vote for a Republican is a vote for a strong defense, is hollow and vacant. We are one bomb away from a forced resignation.
I think this argument over the â€one more bomb†plays two ways.
If there is one more bomb in 2008, the Reps lose the ability to claim that their use of police state tactics prevented terrorist acts.
If there is not one more bomb in 2008, Reps attempts to play the fear card require use of a very old fear, not a fresh one.
The Dems, of course, need to have their own offense and their own themes under either scenario since, inherently, one scenario will come true.
Jodi, you really ought to go see a baseball game. Before every game, there’s a little song they play, in which the climactic phrase is â€O’er the Land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave.†Grab yourself a dog and a beer, and think long and hard on what that phrase means.
I like Jodi; he/she/it helps us to remember that we are not dealing with reasoning compassionate people on the other side. Do you think he/she/it saw what normal people did to their friends in the KKK (see Digby)?
I suspect if another â€bomb†goes off; we will have impeachment by tar, feathers and a rail. And Gitmo will have all new residents, before we close it.
the only people who think that bombing somebody can lead to agreements are the cowards who would strike a deal under those circumstances
FDR really WAS right
the only thing we have to fear is fear itself
that’s why I mold my life according to Stonewall Jackson’s maxim:
NEVER TAKE COUNSEL OF YOUR FEARS
anybody can be a coward
only the strong can be brave in the face of life’s dangers
and only a truely craven coward would wish for an attack that would spread his own fear among his brothers
hey shitstain, you fall into the third catagory
I don’t take counsel of my fears, and I don’t take the counsel of craven cowardly shitstains
but it is nice to know what the shitstains are thinking
it confirms my solid view of them as cowards
I can’t be right all the time, but it sure looks like I was right about that one
Hey Freepatriot – Welcome home! By the way, Stonewall is my great, great, great Grandfather. Maybe an extra great in there I missed.
Hi Freep. Good to hear from you.
Let’s see, they’re â€one bomb away†from getting rid of the FISA court and they wouldn’t mind seeing San Francisco be destroyed.
Gee, sounds like Al Qaeda has moved into the White House and is a Republican.
“We’re one bomb away from getting rid of that obnoxious [FISA] courtâ€
David Addington
â€Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?â€
King Henry II
FreePatriot, good to see you in fine fittle.
It’s been my experience that cowards lie; truth-telling requires courage.
Land of the free and the home of the brave. Impeach or be enslaved by the coporate oligarchy. George Orwell and Mel Gibson know to well. Be not afraid, fear not, No Fear. BE BRAVE AND BE FREE. â€Do the things you fear the most and the death of fear is certain†Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf? Who’s afraid of Virginia Wolff? Do the Dems have any balls? Or are they afraid of losing the ring of power so much that they tremble like Gollum in the underworld?