Turtles and Bugmen

by digby

David Gregory says that he had been under the impression all day that the president was going to handle this press conference by saying that he knew mistakes had been made but that he was hopeful that the Democrats would work with the white house in good faith, blah, blah blah.

Apparently, however, the Republicans had a meeting today that showed a split in the GOP with half the members saying that Bush should dump Abu G, while others, notably the Box Turtle Cornyn (and Tom Delay on TV this morning) told Bush there was no margin in being accommodating and that Bush should “fight” which I’m sure sounded like music to his puerile little ears. It makes him feel like a man.

You can never go wrong telling Bush to act like an ass. He’s the Dad Who Is Always Mad — and it’s just this type of manipulation and advice that’s gotten him — and this nation — into the trouble we’re all in today.

Meanwhile, virtually all the reporters on NBC seem to not know that numerous very close white house advisors were hauled before congress during the Clinton administration. Can’t somebody get them an intern?

Or maybe we could just send them this, from Think Progress today:

According to the Congressional Research Service, under President Clinton, 31 of his top aides testified on 47 different occasions. The aides who testified included some of Clinton’s closest advisors:

Harold Ickes, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff – 7/28/94

George Stephanopoulos, Senior Adviser to the President for Policy and Strategy – 8/4/94

John Podesta, Assistant to the President and Staff Secretary – 8/5/94

Bruce R. Lindsey, Assistant to the President and Deputy Counsel to the President – 1/16/96

Samuel Berger, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs – 9/11/97

Beth Nolan, Counsel to the President – 5/4/00

In contrast, between 2000 and 2004, Bush allowed only one of his closest advisers, then-Assistant to the President for Homeland Security Tom Ridge, to appear in front of Congress. He has also refused three invitations from Congress for his aides to testify, a first since President Richard Nixon in 1972. Clinton did not refuse any.

Gee, I’m tired of MSM incompetence (or bias.)

Update: Greenwald has a post up on executive privilege, illustrated with all the GOP rending of garments over Clinton’s attempts (and failure) to claim executive privilege when Ken Starr was trying to rummage through his underwear in the Lewinsky scandal. It’s especially rich to see Tony Snow’s editorials on the subject.

I wonder if there’s any chance in hell that an intrepid member of the White House press corps reads his blog and gets up the nerve ask the Snowman about it tomorrow.

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