{"id":2812,"date":"2009-01-13T22:34:16","date_gmt":"2009-01-14T03:34:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/1boringoldman.com\/?p=2812"},"modified":"2009-01-13T22:47:48","modified_gmt":"2009-01-14T03:47:48","slug":"scathing-a-new-definition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1boringoldman.com\/index.php\/2009\/01\/13\/scathing-a-new-definition\/","title":{"rendered":"scathing<\/em>, a new definition…"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I’ve never seen anything quite like the report released today entitled:<\/p>\n\n\n
\n
REINING IN THE IMPERIAL PRESIDENCY<\/strong><\/font>
Lessons and Recommendations Relating to the Presidency of George W. Bush
House Committee on the Judiciary<\/strong>
Majority Staff Report to Chairman John Conyers, Jr.
January 13, 2009<\/a><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

It’s 487 pages long [so I’ve only scanned the table of contents and  a few favorite topics – Torture, Signing Statements], but you can start reading anywhere to get the real sense of what the word scathing<\/strong><\/em> means. Heres the Table of Contents<\/strong> from just the Policy Recommentations section: <\/p>\n\n\n
\n
Section 6 – Policy Recommendations<\/strong><\/div>\n
    \n
  1. \n
    The Congress and the Judiciary Committee should pursue document and witness requests pending at the end of the 110th Congress, including subpoenas, and the incoming Administration should cooperate with those requests<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  2. \n
    Congress should establish a Blue Ribbon Commission or similar panel to investigate the broad range of policies of the Bush Administration that were undertaken under claims of unreviewable war powers, including detention, enhanced interrogation, ghosting and black sites, extraordinary rendition, and warrantless domestic surveillance<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  3. \n
    The Attorney General should appoint a Special Counsel, or expand the scope of the present investigation into CIA tape destruction, to determine whether there were criminal violations committed pursuant to Bush Administration policies that were undertaken under unreviewable war powers, including enhanced interrogation, extraordinary rendition, and warrantless domestic surveillance.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  4. \n
    The incoming Administration should review and consider strengthening the policy limiting contacts concerning prosecution and enforcement matters<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  5. \n
    The incoming Administration should continue the customary practice of replacing U.S. Attorneys at the outset of the Administration<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  6. \n
    Congress should expand Justice Department Inspector General jurisdiction<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  7. \n
    The incoming Administration should improve the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) and the functioning of the immigration courts<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  8. \n
    The Department of Justice should rescind the policy prohibiting career voting section employees from making recommendations as to whether the Department should object to proposed voting changes<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  9. \n
    The Department of Justice should revise the Federal Prosecution of Election Offenses Manual<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  10. \n
    Congress should enact comprehensive election reform legislation<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  11. \n
    The Department of Justice should reform its Office of Legal Counsel<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  12. \n
    The incoming Administration should close the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  13. \n
    The incoming Administration should require that all persons arrested in the United States be subject to civilian law enforcement procedures with requisite due process guarantees<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  14. \n
    The incoming Administration should end torture and abuse<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  15. \n
    The incoming Administration should end the CIA program of secret detention and abusive interrogation<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  16. \n
    The incoming Administration should end the Bush Administration’s practice of the extraordinary rendition of terror suspects<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  17. \n
    The President, the Director of National Intelligence, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Director of the National Security Agency should implement policies to ensure that there is no “reverse targeting” used under authorities created by the FISA Amendments Act of 2008<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  18. \n
    The President, the Director of National Intelligence, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Director of the National Security Agency should implement policies to ensure that foreign intelligence surveillance is limited to targeted collection<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  19. \n
    The incoming Administration should ensure full implementation of Inspector General recommendations concerning the FBI’s use of NSLs<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  20. \n
    The incoming Administration should withdraw the proposed Justice Department rule on criminal intelligence system operating policies and carefully review and revise as needed the Attorney General’s guidelines for FBI operations<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  21. \n
    The President should nominate and bring into operation the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  22. \n
    The President should renew efforts to implement U.S. obligations under human rights treaties<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  23. \n
    The incoming Administration should review and consider modifications to Bureau of Prisons use of authority under Special Administrative Measures<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  24. \n
    The President should end abuse of presidential signing statements<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  25. \n
    The incoming Administration should restore rulemaking from the White House to traditional agency authority consistent with congressional intent and the public interest<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  26. \n
    26. The incoming Administration should make rulemaking more transparent, understandable, and informative, thereby permitting greater accountability to Congress and the public<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  27. \n
    The incoming Administration should rein in “Midnight” rulemaking, which implements the priorities of a lame-duck administration even though a new President has been elected<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  28. \n
    The incoming Administration and Congress should restore the full protection of the attorney-client privilege<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  29. \n
    Congress should enact press shield legislation<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  30. \n
    The incoming Administration should limit the ability of Executive Branch officials to prevent victims of terrorism from recovering for their losses<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  31. \n
    Congress should pass legislation holding Administration-designated contractors in Iraq and elsewhere responsible for their criminal misconduct<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  32. \n
    The Department of Justice should issue guidelines to require transparency and uniformity of corporate deferred and non-prosecution agreements<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  33. \n
    Congress should consider legislation concerning the exercise of clemency involving government officials<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  34. \n
    Congress should enhance and strengthen protection for Executive-Branch whistleblowers<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  35. \n
    Congress should enact changes in statutes and rules to strengthen Congress’ contempt power<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  36. \n
    The incoming Administration should establish procedures for asserting Executive Privilege<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  37. \n
    The incoming Administration and Congress should prevent abusive assertion of the state secrets privilege<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  38. \n
    The incoming Administration and Congress should improve the system for classification and declassification<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  39. \n
    Congress should consider legislation requiring the President to publicly announce the declassification of classified materials<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  40. \n
    [omitted]<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  41. \n
    The President should rescind Bush White House memoranda that significantly restrict the use and disclosure of non-classified information<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  42. \n
    The President should place the Office of FOIA Ombudsperson in the National Archives<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  43. \n
    The incoming Administration should restore the accessibility of presidential records<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  44. \n
    Congress should modernize the Presidential Records Act<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  45. \n
    The incoming Administration should clarify the applicability of rules of access to the Office of the Vice President<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  46. \n
    The incoming Administration should eliminate overly restrictive “Gang of 8" briefings in favor of more effective mechanisms<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
  47. \n
    The incoming Administration mandate steps to avoid manipulation and misuse of intelligence<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

    <\/p>\n

    It’s a list of the Bush Administration’s abuses of power [with suggested remedies]. Like I said, scathing<\/strong><\/em>. But we were worried about not correcting the Bush Administration’s corruption of our form of government, it’s going to happen if Representative John Conyers<\/strong><\/font> has anything to say about things. Add in the re-regulation of our financial markets, the problem of restoring our economy, the problems of our two wars, and what you’ve got is an epic Congressional Agenda for the coming years.<\/p>\n

    There will be a lot to be said about this report after next week’s inauguration [and the brave have begun to digest it]. But just reading through the table of contents is a grim reminder of where we’ve been. An amazing piece of work!…<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I’ve never seen anything quite like the report released today entitled: REINING IN THE IMPERIAL PRESIDENCY Lessons and Recommendations Relating to the Presidency of George W. Bush House Committee on the Judiciary Majority Staff Report to Chairman John Conyers, Jr. January 13, 2009 It’s 487 pages long [so I’ve only scanned the table of contents […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/1boringoldman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/1boringoldman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/1boringoldman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1boringoldman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1boringoldman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2812"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/1boringoldman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2812\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/1boringoldman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1boringoldman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1boringoldman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}