Chris Dodd today released the following statement in response to the claims of former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan that he "unknowingly passed along false information" to the American public and that "the highest-ranking officials in the administration were involved in [his] doing so," including the Vice-President and the President:
"Today's revelations by Mr. McClellan are very disturbing and raise several important questions that need to be answered. If in fact the President of the United of States knowingly instructed his chief spokesman to mislead the American people, there can be no more fundamental betrayal of the public trust.
"During his confirmation process, Attorney General Mukasey said he would act independently. Accordingly, today, I call on the Attorney General to live up to his word and launch an immediate investigation to determine the facts of this case, the extent of any cover up and determine what the President knew and when he knew it."
Comments
Good on you Senator Dodd.
THANK YOU, sir, for doing the right thing.
More of my money is coming your way. Keep leading the fight to restore our Constitutional order.
Cross-posted at the Daily Kos, edited for language.
Investigations are a win-win for the Dems
Dem strategists, put down the Playstations and take note.
If the Senate Judiciary Committee, or the House JC, or whoever, opens an investigation -- a real investigation -- the Democrats win no matter what.
1. The investigation opens up a huge can of worms, Bush and Cheney are tarred with evidence of criminal wrongdoing, and what happens next? Impeachment? Mass resignations? At the least, Bush will be crippled, Cheney will be rendered snarlingly impotent, and the Bush death march will be halted in its tracks. No Iran war. No more attacks on civil liberties. No nothing except squealing and hiding until 2008, when we whale the he!! out of the Republicans at the polls.
2. The investigations get derailed by the famous Bush refusal to obey the law. Let them ignore the subpoenas. Let them refuse to testify. Let them lie under oath. Every time they do, you hammer them. And by proxy, you hammer every Republican presidential campaign not named Ron Paul, who spend half their time "distancing" themselves from Bush and the other half cozying up to him and his policies. Start reading through the rules of order and Senate/House policy manuals, and find out just what you can do to enforce this investigation. Then do it. Send federal marshals to Rove's house and drag him to the Senate to testify, in shackles if he won't hold still. Send the sergeant-at-arms to Cheney's office with subpoenas. Do it for the cameras. Do that and watch your poll numbers shoot up like a Saturn 5 rocket.
There is no downside.
I'll write it slow and with lots of caps to help the strategists still poking at their laptops.
There. Is. No. Downside.
As for Dodd, if he wants to turn himself into a potential frontrunner, all he has to do is use his position to lead the charge for an investigation. The more he hammers, and the more real actions he takes, the more his share of the electorate grows. As a (very minor) added goody, I'll join the local Dodd for President organization the day he takes his first real action.
This is far more than a political issue, it's a radiation shot to the cancer that is metastizing in American democracy. But for the purposes of this post, it's great politics. Absolutely fantastic.
Thanks for taking the time to post this here Max. I think you make a really strong case for Democrats to show leadership and stand up for the rule of law. That's what Senator Dodd is doing and he's not going to stop.
Thank you Matt and Senator Dodd. I have been canvassing for Senator Clinton in New Hampshire - I am a Massachusetts resident. But I will switch if I really see something come out of this. I was truly impressed with Senator Dodd's stand on the telecom immunity, and now if he goes through with pressuring the rest of the Congress to finally stand up to these treasonous men, I will be out on the streets during those long cold days of December canvassing for Senator Dodd. It is not enough to let them pass quietly in the night. They have destroyed our Constitution, our standing in the world, and our children and grandchildren's lives (with the added tax burden). They deserve impeachment and prison time. Please pressure the House of Representatives on the impeachment matter and the Senate and House on investigations. I am 52 years old. My parents left me a wonderful world to raise my own children in, and because of these criminals, I have left my children a world that is depressing, at best, devastating at worst. Please understand, Senator Dodd, we are not "fringe," we are the American people. We demand accountability and reparations for our children and our grandchildren. We don't really matter, but they do.
Thanks for taking the time to post this here Max. I think you make a really strong case for Democrats to show leadership and stand up for the rule of law. That's what Senator Dodd is doing and he's not going to stop.
Thanks for taking the lead on this and other issues.
I did not know who you were when the campaign started but now I am developing a tremendous amount of respect for your courage and leadership abilities.
Thanks!
Thanks for your support Cooksey-Talbott. I'm glad that Senator Dodd's leadership has impressed you and been something you're looking for.
From my understanding, this is the perfect chance for Fitz to find out if he got accurate information during his grand jury investigation into PlameGate. Drag Scotty onto the Senate floor and let him make his accusations. This was a hit job straight out of the VP's office and everybody knows it! Nuff said.
Thank you Senator Dodd. For having the courage to lead you have my respect and my NH Primary vote. This administration deserves noting less than orange jump suits and leg irons. PLEASE press on with investigations.
Thank you for your support Rambler, we look forward to continuing to earn your vote in the NH primary.
The investigation should start with acquiring an advanced copy of Scott McC. book for additional revelations. Then drag his behind in front of congressional investigators. However, I'm sure Bush would invoke executive privilege again to block it even though Scot would have to defend statements and assertions made publically.
I think Scott probably went into his job idealistically, imagining all that could be accomplished and left feeling betrayed by the reality of the corruption. This book combined with Judith Regan's accusations should keep the GOP covering their behinds for awhile.
Scott and Colin are probably feeling like blood brothers right now.
Unfortunately, one has to believe that McClellan actually didn't understand he was passing along false statements, which I don't. How could so many of us citizens understand this, and not the White House Spokesperson?
Either Scott is so stupid he believed it, or he knowingly lied to us as well. Neither of which puts him in any good standards.
Thank you Senator Dodd.
Like some of the other posters, I will enthusiastically jump on the Dodd '08 bandwagon if I see some real follow-through on this. Max seems to have said it best: There is no downside. Let's finally see some "upside" for the American people.
Senator Dodd is a straight ahead guy. About McClellan, when did he realize he'd been lied to, and did he resign the following day?
This issue needs to be explained & investigated. Of course, I am not surprised. The Bush administration has a history of lies, deciet & corruption. S. Mclellan is trying to sell a book so I hope he comes out with a plausible explanation for why he came out with this just now and when he learned he'd been duped...again by bis masters.
I'm very glad to see Chris pursue this, it is the correct thing to do within the context of returning from the brink of failure of the co-equal branches of government model.
Thank you, Senator Dodd. This administration has lied to us too long. Please continue to show that we could once again have a government to be proud of.
Thank you sir, the silence of some of your opponents on this is deafening and tremendously saddening.
Keep fighting the good fight.
Thank you sir for standing up for what's right, both on this issue and the telecomm immunity bill. America needs somebody of your character to lead.
To Çhris Dodd,
I have not yet made my decision on which candidate to support, but I will jump in with
both feet in support of the person who makes the hard decisions and the hard follow-up moves needed to set this government back on its feet.
Here's looking at you, Chris..................
Floyd, VNvet, retired teacher.
Crimes against American citizens continue, unrestrained while key Dept of Justice personnel utilize taxpayer dollars to defend white-collar acts of racketeering that are stealing public equity entities "ad hoc".
The acts of betrayal of trust to public Oaths of office demonstrate inner circle power groups the size of which no press or person ever previously thought possible.
US Attorney in Wilmington Delaware has refused to prosecute crimes, admitted acts of perjury, by the law firm that he was formerly a partner with, prior to becoming a US Attorney.
Now, Colm F Connolly is being rewarded with a Federal Judge position.
Over $300 million in fraud has benefited Bain, which is a client of Colm Connolly's partners and associates at Morris Nichols Arsht & Tunnel (MNAT).
Bain is owned by a Presidential hopeful and now the General Counsel of the Dept of Justice EOUST office has entered into the appeal in the 3rd Cir 07-2360, in order to cement the Cover up.
http://fraud-corruption-mnat.townhall.com/Default.aspx
Pay attention to the facts.
You will not believe this can happen in modern day America. But it is.