Quotes of the Morning: Stand By Your Hit Man

“Calling the Democratic response to the firing of eight federal prosecutors a ‘partisan fishing expedition,’ President Bush rejected lawmakers' call Tuesday to subpoena White House staff for testimony related to the matter.”
-MSNBC, March 21, 2007

“That’s right. The office of the President of the United States cannot have his people questioned about unimportant and partisan issues. This demand by Congress is unprecedented and offensive!”
-Skippy

“As a general matter, the president has a right to confidential communications with his top advisers; routinely bringing White House officials in to testify before Congress or demanding their e-mail would chill their ability to provide frank advice. But this is no routine matter, and the misleading conduct of Mr. Bush's Justice Department has opened the door to departing from general principles. It wouldn't be the first time: President Bill Clinton's top aides were routinely hauled before Congress to testify on everything from Whitewater to presidential pardons.”
-Editorial, Washington Post, Macrh 16, 2007

“..except when it happened to Clinton all the time. Then questioning all the president’s men was needed and permissible. Still, this is obviously just the Democrats going after the President again.”
-Skippy

“The Senate voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to end the Bush administration's ability to unilaterally fill U.S. attorney vacancies as a backlash to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' firing of eight federal prosecutors.
[…]
…the Senate by a 94-2 vote passed a bill that would cancel the attorney general's power to appoint U.S. attorneys without Senate confirmation. Democrats say the Bush administration abused that authority when it fired the eight prosecutors and proposed replacing some with White House loyalists.”
-Associated Press, March 20, 2007

“Wow.. 94-2? That kinda sorta sounds like even the Republicans are worried about this issue.”
-Skippy

“If the staff of a president operates in constant fear of being hauled before congressional committees ... the president would not receive candid advice and the American people would be ill-served.
I’m sorry the situation has gotten to where it’s got, but that’s Washington, D.C., for you. You know there’s a lot of politics in this town.”
-George ‘Dubya’ Bush, March 20, 2007

“Yes, it is a sign of the politics in Washington that lawmakers are questioning the White House’s firing prosecutors because of politics. Fearless Leader has a solution though that should make everyone happy.”
-Skippy

“Bush said his White House counsel, Fred Fielding, told lawmakers they could interview presidential counselor Karl Rove, former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and their deputies — but only on the president’s terms: in private, ‘without the need for an oath’ and without a transcript.
The president cast the offer as virtually unprecedented and a reasonable way for Congress to get all the information it needs about the matter.”
-MSNBC, March 21, 2007

“See? As long as there is no transparency, no accountability and no record of what is said Congress can ask whatever they want. I’m sure that will make everyone happy.”
-Skippy

“After telling a bunch of different stories about why they fired the U.S. Attorneys, the Bush Administration is not entitled to the benefit of the doubt. Congress and the American people deserve a straight answer. If Karl Rove plans to tell the truth, he has nothing to fear from being under oath like any other witness.”
-Senator Harry Reid, March 20, 2007

“Some people are never happy.”
-Skippy