In an interesting article on Bloomberg.com about how Congress is seeking a special prosecutor to investigate whether Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez repeatedly lied under oath, Tony Fratto, a former lobbyist turned Deputy White House Press Secretary, is quoted as follows:

Bush spokesman Tony Fratto said Leahy is “more interested in headlines” than in reaching accommodation with the White House and passing spending bills and other legislation. “Every day this Congress gets a little more out of control,” Fratto said.

Getting out of control?

It shouldn’t be surprising that some members of the President’s inner circle have a dimmer view of Congress, now that it isn’t simply rubber-stamping White House policy. It is, though. Surprising, that is, that members of the administration would let their attitude toward Congress slip like this. Rather than an equal to the Executive branch, the Legislature is apparently seen as something that falls under Executive control. Indeed, how else can one explain Fratto’s comment outside of an expectation that Congress, up until recently, has been very much under the control of the White House? How else can one explain the near total submissive obeisance of the Congress before the White House in the years between 2001 and 2006, without some measure of inequality between these two branches of government? How else does one explain the imperial attitude of Bush administration officials in the absence of an increase of Executive powers and a coincident decrease of Legislative powers?

I’ll tell you: You can’t.

And that’s why more and more people, from all across the political spectrum, are starting to seriously consider impeachment proceedings against this President and Vice President. They have usurped power that does not belong in the Executive branch, and in so doing, and diminished our republic and have done harm to the Constitution of the United States of America.

I, for one, hope the Congress remains more than a little out of control.

[Thanks to Lisa for the Bill Moyers link!]

Share It:

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.