What Would Clinton Do?

What is the next president going to do with all of the executive power Bush and Cheney have accumulated? Hillary Clinton spoke about that in her interview with Guardian America. What she would do if elected president, Sen. Clinton said, “I think that I'm gonna have to review everything they've done because I've been on the receiving end of that. There were a lot of actions which they took that were clearly beyond any power the Congress would have granted or that in my view that was inherent in the constitution.”

That sounds great, but let’s see what the next president actually does with all the presidential power accumulated during the Bush presidency.

Presidential Power Grab

PBS’s Frontline just aired “Cheney’s Law” that examined the VP’s rise to power and his efforts through to enhance the power of the executive branch. Chapter 1 of the program shows the reasons why Cheney became a “fanatic about executive power.” When he became vice president, Cheney's philosophy of the executive branch, as boiled down by former presidential adviser David Gergen, was “the Congress, in effect, works for us, not with us. That we’re the lead branch, not a co-equal branch.” In Chapter 2, Cheney is reported as saying on the morning of 9/11, “We will probably have to be a country ruled by men, rather than laws in this period.” The other chapters show how Cheney and his office acted on their own through the Justice Department to build presidential power without regard for Congress and the American people.

In his Sunday Op-Ed piece, Frank Rich talks about “This perfect storm of democratic failure [which] began at the top,” that led to the Iraq war. But his piece focuses specifically on the public’s apathy regarding to Iraq: “As the war has dragged on, it is hard to give Americans en masse a pass. We are too slow to notice, let alone protest, the calamities that have followed the original sin.” A weak Congress, a media that gave a free pass in the run-up to the war, and a fearful public that isn’t informed or willing to participate: It’s not only a perfect storm that led to the Iraq war, but a perfect storm that led to a presidential power grab.

Here Come The Judgments

AP (via MSNBC) reports a federal judge has ruled that two parts of the Patriot Act are unconstitutional. The parts in question are the ones that allow searches without probable cause. You know, Fourth Amendment to U.S. Constitution-foundation of our system of government-type stuff.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed hear arguments on whether lethal injection is constitutional. The Reuters video is below.

Embarrassing

Alberto Gonzales’ appearance in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday is a great example of how you should not testify in front of a Congressional Committee or anyone else: Time Jon Stewart is our Sherpa as we’re taken up Bullshit Mountain. The Daily Show (video)

The current White House Chief of Staff and the former White House Counsel are issued contempt of Congress citations. Washington Post

What’s up with the weather in Europe? 500 people have died in Hungary over eight days in a heat wave. Reuters (video) Britain gets rain, but jeez!! Flooding there could cause 340,000 people to be without fresh water for two weeks. ITV

Iran says it will never abandon its nuclear program. Reuters

Apple stock is up for the quarter. BBC But i-Phone sales haven’t met everyone’s expectations. Wall Street Journal

How were these two able to get up and walk away?

"Confrontation"

The Senate has subpoenaed documents from the White House over the NSA wiretapping program. The White House has previously turned down requests for these documents. Washington Post Trans-Atlantic passengers flying European airlines to the U.S. will have 34 pieces of information about them given to the U.S. The info will be kept for 15 years. BBC

Gordon Brown takes over as the new British Prime Minster. Who is he? BBC Tony Blair’s new job is a “thankless task with four bosses and no office.” Guardian

World opinion is turning negative about large powerful nations like the U.S., China and Russia. BBC

Why did sci-fi and fantasy become so successful on television? Guardian

New York Times tech writer David Pogue got an iPhone before its launch tomorrow. He shows off all its goodies!

"Jewels" On Display

The CIA will reveal the “Family Jewels” this week. The “Jewels” are documents containing information about domestic spying, assassination plots and other illegal activity conducted by the agency between the 1950s and the 1970s. BBC

Vice President Cheney refuses to comply with an executive order to disclose how his office has handled classified documents. Washington Post How big of a liability is Cheney for Bush? Time

How the West could make “martyrs” and “traitors” in the Middle East. Economist

The U.S., France, China, Russia and several other nations begin a conference in Paris today to discuss ways to stop the genocide in Darfur. AFP/France 24

A court has ruled that once an email leaves your mailbox, it’s private: the government can’t look at it unless they tell you. Funny thing is, emails weren’t legally recognized as private before this. Time

It’s not a cure for the common cold, but researchers say there is something that can reduce the chances of catching one. BBC

Let boys be boys. Washington Post

You never know when you might need a “do it to it” waistband.

Wolfie Nearly Out

Paul Wolfowitz, one of the architect’s of the Iraq War, is negotiating how hard he will get kicked out as head of the World Bank. Why? He gave his girlfriend a big raise. Washington Post What does the World Bank do? BBC

The White House tried to get then-Attorney General John Ashcroft to extend the NSA eavesdropping program while he was “extremely ill and disoriented” in the hospital due to gall bladder surgery. New York Times

It pays to be a millionaire when you run for president. Washington Post

Bono says the goals made to raise money for developing countries at the G8 summit two years ago aren’t being met by some countries. The reason they may have been made in the first place was sympathy after the 7/7 bombings. Guardian

The military has banned the use of some sites - MySpace, YouTube for example - on military computers. It’s not censorship, because they can use the sites on other servers, but it’s not going to easy or cheap for troops to get on the web. U.S. News & World Report

For those of you thinning - or have lost it - up top, there may hope: A cure for baldness. Sydney Morning Herald

Even though it’s a comedy, it’s hard to believe somebody would spend money to make this movie. Yes, it’s a real movie!

It's A Date

The House of Representatives passes $124 billion spending bill for Iraq. It says U.S. troops must begin to withdraw by October 1. Washington Post

Testify! A House panel votes to subpoena Condoleezza Rice over pre-war intelligence. She and the White House are reluctant to accept the invitation. Reuters

An obit on “Tsar” Boris Yeltsin: Russia’s first democratically elected leader who died on Monday. The Australian He had some memorable moments including dancing and making Bill Clinton howl with laughter. Here’s a list - including video - of his not-so-greatest hits: Guardian

Alberto Gonzales gets the “Brownie, you’re doing a heckuva job,” type of support from Bush. Which means he doesn’t have a lot of job security. Bloomberg

Is the BlackBerry software sweeter than the device? Washington Post

Ever fearful you’re on next Oceanic flight #815? Statistically, air accidents are more or less likely depending on where you go. Economist

He cuts taxes and cuts a rug. Bush boogies at a White House event. Brace yourself. It’s as bad as you think.

"Showdown" ..Not Quite Yet

Everyone’s getting ready for what could happen between the White House and Congress after subpoenas were approved (but not issued) for Karl Rove and four other Administration officials to testify in front of a House committee. New York Times Executive Privilege: What is this privilege and how much of it can the chief executive use? Time

Escalating: An Angolan paramilitary force, feared for their brutality, has been dispatched to back up Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe. (London) Times If you don’t know the background on Zimbabwe, here it is: BBC

i-TV: We were told that one day we would easily download movies and shows easily from the Internet and watch them on our TV. Apple wants us to think that day has arrived, as long as you download from the i-Tunes store. New York Times

Letterman regular Larry “Bud” Melman has died. AP/Yahoo

Here’s some advice: Don’t listen to athletes about drugs, cars, coffee makers or anything else outside the realm of their sport. Sports Illustrated

We’re not sure where you would hold a Jujitsu class, but look on the wall in the background and see where this Jujitsu Sensei is kicking the crap out of these people.

Four Years And Counting

A comprehensive poll about Iraqi opinion four years after the Coalition invasion of the country. ABC Violence by the numbers. BBC Iraqis are turning against al-Qaeda and turning them in. Channel 4/Guardian (video)

Voluntarily or by subpoena, Karl Rove may testify in front of a Senate committee about those U.S. Attorney firings. Reuters

As Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe’s oppressive regime begins to break, here’s a look at how he stayed in power for 27 years by oppressing, starving and kicking Zimbabweans out of their homes. Telegraph

The U.N. is watching, but doing nothing, about the atrocities in Darfur. Economist

She speaks: Valerie Plame, whose outing as a CIA officer lead to former Cheney chief-of- staff Scooter Libby’s conviction of lying to the FBI and a grand jury, told a House committee her side of that long complicated story. Washington Post

Here’s why some conservative Republicans don’t like presidential candidates who are more concerned with the Second Commandment than the Second Amendment. Time

Take a look at what Fido and Whiskers are eating. There is a major pet food recall linked to 10 pet deaths. USA Today Here are the 50 brands of dog food and 40 brands of cat food being recalled.

Evander Holyfield is on the comeback trail and doing well, but maybe “The Real Deal” should throw in the towel while he’s ahead. Sports Illustrated

We wonder what these guns would sound like with silencers.

9/11 Confession

In a transcript released by the Pentagon, alleged 9/11 plotter Khalid Shaikh Mohammed confessed on Saturday to being the mastermind behind the attacks on NYC, the Bali bombing and attempts at other terrorist attacks. He implied he had been tortured in captivity, but not to make this confession. New York Times

People get fired from their jobs everyday, but here’s why there’s this hub-bub over the Justice Department’s removal of those 8 federal prosecutors. San Francisco Chronicle

Conservative Republicans are looking for another Reagan to win the Oval Office in 2008. They may have found him several times over, but don’t realize it. Time

Dozens of Zimbabwean protesters were arrested horribly beaten by president Robert Mugabe’s unapologetic regime. Guardian Mugabe’s hold on power may be nearing an end. It won’t be soon enough. Telegraph

The charges against former Hewlett-Packard chair Patricia Dunn have been dropped due to her health. CNN Money

How likely is it that Viacom will win its $1 billion lawsuit against YouTube? CNET

We don’t normally like “scare the sh*t out of you” stories, but here’s one way to steal your identity you probably didn’t know about: AP/Wired Meanwhile, cyber-stalking your ex- will be more private as Google says it will add an extra layer of security to search queries. AP/Yahoo

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a Chardonnay? Pub life is changing. On Monday we told you darts in England are on the decline, now we hear Guinness sales are sinking in Ireland. Reuters

Will consistency make a difference to get Pete Rose admitted to the Baseball Hall of Fame? “Charlie Hustle” said he bet on the Reds to win “every night” when he was their manager. ESPN

Before you head out to get blitzed in honor of St. Patrick, “the patron saint of bar fights,” Mark Day has some ideas on becoming a modern-day saint.

Gone Fishing

The FBI has been playing fast and loose with it’s Patriot Act Powers by fishing for info on U.S. citizens. Between 2003 and 2005, the Bureau “issued more than 143,000 requests for information on more than 52,000 people” about half of whom were U. S. citizens and asked the phone companies for “more than 3,000 phone numbers -- often without a subpoena, without an emergency or even without an investigative case” by using National Security Letters. Washington Post What is a National Security Letter? AP/Houston Chronicle

“First Step:” The U.S. and Iran met with other countries to figure out what to do about Iraq. New York Times Iran may already be in Iraq (not how you might think). And why would they be so happy to get the U.S. out of Iraq? Independent Iran wants to take its nuclear case to the U.N. Security Council. AP/MSNBC Bush asks for more troops for Afghanistan and even more troops for Iraq. He wants to cut some domestic programs to pay for it. USA Today

Good news from the Bureau, considering the top post today: The FBI has set up a task force to prosecute the “last of the lynchers” thought to be involved in Civil Rights Era crimes. Guardian

There are very few ways to escape that 2-year sentence known as a cell phone contract, but it’s not impossible. New York Times

The game of darts is under fire in - of all places - England, where only 10% of bar-goers surveyed have thrown a dart in the last year. Telegraph

It’s NCAA Tournament Time.. And therefore Tournament Pool Time. Here’s the bracket: Sports Illustrated


The criminally-minded folks that used to produce “The Man Show” put a smart-mouthed boy scout in front of a liquor store to see if people would buy him beer. We wonder if a “contributing to the delinquency of a minor” charge followed this clip.