Taking Aim At The Next Karl Rove (VIDEO)

The Hill reports that Democratic Congressman Henry Waxman is considering legislation that would prevent future administrations from having Karl-Rove type advisors:

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), who has primary jurisdiction over the executive branch, is considering legislation to eliminate Karl Rove-type advisers in future administrations.

The chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hints broadly that such a bill could ban the use of federal funds to finance such a politically partisan office.

"Why should we be using taxpayer dollars to have a person solely in charge of politics in the White House?" Waxman said in an interview. "Can you imagine the reaction if each member of Congress had a campaign person paid for with taxpayer dollars?"

Waxman, one of President Bush's most dogged opponents, will decide in September whether to press ahead this year or wait until next in hope of having a Democratic president sign such a bill.

Waxman says the White House operates under looser political ethics rules than does Congress, where chiefs of staff and other high-ranking officials are prohibited from using government phones, computers and facilities for political purposes.

Rove focused on President Bush's reelection while working on a West Wing salary during the first four years of the Bush administration.

As Bush's senior adviser, Rove headed the Office of Political Affairs, which interacts with the party's political committees, and the Office of Public Liaison, which works with outside groups such as business, religious and advocacy organizations that want to communicate with the president.

Rove's political activity at the White House sparked fierce disputes with congressional Democrats.

Keep reading here.

Rove has ignored a subpoena from Congress to testify under oath for the second time this year. The American News Project tracked Rove down to see if they could find out why.

Comments

[speakingtruth2power]

Who is positive this most illegal of maladministrations will go away in January?

Did they conspire against US, blackmail Congress and commit treason for 7.5

years just to retire with their loot? We must be prepared for their worst including

assassination, a false flag attack and/or the orchestration of economic collapse!

Now if I haven't said any "bad words", this may post in an hour or so, st2p hopes.

[kay]

I don't think they have to "orchestrate economic collapse". I think it's an unintended consequence of their dogmatic adherence to what's really just a theory.

They're still completely enamored of it, too. It's an article of faith. They admit it doesn't work very well, the whole house 'o cards falls. The University of Chicago will have to shut its doors :)

[nathananderson]

I like what McClellan talked about in his book. He was not as harsh as he could have been... considering how the Bush administration has thrown him under the bus for it... but he was talking about roles just like this. He proposed axing the "stratedgery" position and adding a new post, "Deputy Chief of Staff for Governing" - who oversees a partisan approach to policy.

I thought it wasn't a bad idea.

[lisakaz2]

And Jon Stewart had a better point: itsn't the PRESIDENT supposed to oversee governing?

[eyesopenwide]

"who oversees a partisan approach to policy" ---???

[Retrofuturistic]

I wish the same committee would impeach Bush and Cheney. I cannot believe that Barack Obama said that impeachment should be reserved only for "... grave, grave breaches, and intentional breaches of the president's authority.­" The Articles of Impeachment submitted by Dennis Kucinich certainly look "grave" to me.

[RTIII]

I missed that quote. If true (I presume you didn't lie) then we should call BO on THAT one, too.

He sure ISN'T a progressive. Or even particularly alert to constitutional issues. -sigh-
.

[susane07]

Dennis K is a publicity hound. Even if the Imp were acted upon, Bush will be out of office before that whole series of activities would conclude. In addition, could someone explain to me what the benefit is of getting Cheney to be President if Bush were impeached! Please!!

[RTIII]

This forgets the fact that if he were undergoing impeachment it would prevent two things: starting war / martial law, and his use of the Pardon.

You could argue that he could still start war, but they'd just finish the job in an awful hurry if that happened. And, once impeachment has begun, he loses pardon powers until it's over.

[speakingtruth2power]

So grave that it may already be past midnight!

[RSU]

Go ahead and impeach Bush. But, you'd better be ready to impeach 3/4 of the Democrats in Congress as well. It was they who gave Bush the power and authority he needed to enforce the tenets of the ceasefire agreements that Saddam thumbed his nose at for 12 long years.

Not only that, but they each couldn’t find a camera fast enough to side with the president in calling Saddam a grave threat to the world and our security.

Oh, and let's not forget the UN who after passing UN Resolution 1441, remained silent as the US with a coalition of forces, did what they could not.

[RTIII]

The real number we need to be rid of is just slightly over half.

We've got 105 in the House we need to remove, and 34 in the Senate.

Don't worry, we're ready for that fight, too. We're getting there...
.

[Binx101]

It would seem a truly respectable point of strategy to concede a battle and still focus on wining the war. (The War in Wash DC that is)

Binx101
The Almost Daily Binx
http://binx101.wordpress.com

[bikerdude]

Hold Rove accountable for what he has done to us. Outing a covert agent in time of war comes to mind first...Ho­ld B'ush accountable by starting the impeachment proceedings. The way to stop this is to show with great clarity that if you commit crimes like these two have, that you will pay the maximum price that the law permits. If we don't, there will be a line of opportunests waitn for their turn to do the same...Jus­t like any other common criminal.

[RSU]

Rove did not out a covert CIA operative.

1) Plame was not covert.

2) Richard Armitage was the source and admitted to being so within days of Novak's article being released. Armitage then told the US attorney and the FBI. Fitzgerald knew within days of being appointed but swore both Novak and Armitage to secrecy while he snooped around Washington milking a sweet job and working his name into the annals of our history books.

3) Joe Wilson outted his own wife by talking to no less than three reporters about his trip (tea) to Niger which caused others to look deer into his background.


Bush has committed no crime.

1) He received authorization not only from our own congress to enforce the ceasefire agreements but from the UN as well with a unanimous decision.

2) Bush did not out Plame. But, even if he did (which he didn't), as President of the United States and Chief of the Executive, he has the right to declassify anything he deems necessary for national security reasons. Since Wilson was saying that Bush was lying, it is possible that it was necessary to show that it Wilson was the one lying . . . lying about why he was sent, who sent him, and what he did and (didn't) find.

3) If there were any impeachable crimes, Pelosi would not have said that impeachment is off the table. Is that because she knows what many of us know . . . that Congress

[Peddler]

Waxman is truly a political hypocrite. If you were to take away every elected officlal staff advisors, there would be no one left to do the business of the people and since Congress is a do nothing body, get rid of all them and let the people run the government. I think it states, "government by the people for the people."

[RTIII]

Waxman can't do anything with any real punch - it's up to NANCY to do it. As speaker, she controls the entire agenda of where REAL power is weilded. She is a sell-out - or, more likely, a blackmail victem (in which case she should resign).

You can help us remove Nancy in November. Please give generously to CindyForCongress.org
.

[WLA]

A taxpayer funded political campaign run from the WH is cool with you? And you dare sing the "by the people" garbage?

[glesslib]

WTH does that mean?

[Wombat]

So !! We will make new rules to tie the hands of the next democratic president.­. Then the "rules" will change in time for the conservative prsident whof ollows. It all goes to prove that the "rules" are for the liberals and to keep libaerals in line, while the unitary Repug president, representative, congressman or dog catcher can do whatever the hell they want.

[lovethesinner]

Where is the MSM in all this. This is a big story... oh, that's right. I forgot. We don't have a free press, anymore.

They're in on it with him.

[speakingtruth2power]

The corporatist MSM was bought up by the MIC after lessons learned from Vietnam.

[Amennyc]

Do we even have a Congress? I hear the word but see nothing...­.

[Clarabell]

Yes, we do have a congress. But the experts say we don't have enough of a majority to get anywhere, but it's so convenient to blame the "Dems" for not getting anything done.

[IntelligentDesign]

"Never Again" was born out of the Nazi Holocaust and it became a catch phrase to symbolize the abject horror of that time, it is once again applicable - in fact after we arrest Team Bush and confiscate their assets we should funnel a portion of it to fund building a monument on the Mall to commemorate this dark time in our history, and we should prominently display "Never Again" with due reverence and full force and effect of its origin.

[Thron]

For him, Guantanamo or Iraq jail for 100 years no more no less.

[demfriend]

Roveshould have never been a part of the white house. He built the campaignfor bush and he should have been a non person after that but instead he was given a title and an office paid for by us. Now he has refused congresses invite to come and talk to them even when done with due process and yet congress cannot make him tesitify? Sad to think a government employee paid for by us is not answerable to us. I still think Congress should use every legal means to drag him into session in front of them and answer for things done with and by him. No other gov. employee would get away with the crap he and whats her name are doing.

[Thron]

Dear congress

Do Not let this CRIMINAL go free. He must be accountable for what he did to America. The American people have paid a great deal for his behind the scene political tricks. It is pay-back time in jail.

[willfarnaby]

Dear congress

Do Not let THESE CRIMINALS go free. He must be accountable for what he did to America. The American people have paid a great deal for his behind the scene political tricks. It is pay-back time in jail.

[macintoshsauce]

Sure... If you believe Congress will do something, then I have some fabulous land in Southern Florida to sell you.

[JRGris]

A deck of cards like Bush/Cheney made for the Iraq invasion is in order. Hunt them all down and put them in jail. Start with Rove, Bush, Cheney, . . . . . . .

[pattio66]

If Congress subpeonas me, can I just refuse and still walk around freely?

[Clarabell]

Probably, if you have enough power and money.

[jennbeez]

Economies of scale. If your crimes are big enough, yes, you can refuse a congressional supeona and walk free.

[syllepsis]

Since the Dems have no intrinsic merit, they decided to let rove and Cheney run amuck for a couple of years till people would not be able to stand it any more.
That is what the Dems have on offer. And a new 'law' or two to distract their base while they screw us all over again.

[willfarnaby]

That's why they're the Military-Industrial Complex Lite Party!

[Economike]

Blame the victim? Go back to your freedom fries.

[trollsbwild]

This could be the most incoherent argument ever made. BTW, the Dems were not in control of congress in 2000, let alone a raxor thin majority in the Senate, with Joe Lieberman!

[Wanjiru]

...its great to consider taking preventative action, however, we still have criminals now IN THE PRESENT...­so how'z about we deal with them first?

.