« September 2005 | IMhO Home | November 2005 »
October 2005
Perjury and Obstruction of Justice
"There is no serious question that perjury and obstruction of justice are high crimes and misdemeanors. Blackstone's famous Commentaries--widely read by the framers of the Constitution--put perjury on equal footing with bribery as a crime against the state. Perjury was understood to be as serious as bribery, which is specifically mentioned in the Constitution as a ground for impeachment. Today, we punish perjury and obstruction of justice at least as severely as we punish bribery. Apparently, the seriousness of perjury and obstruction of justice has not diminished over time."
-- Senator Bill Frist (R) (February 12, 1999)
"Are perjury and obstruction of justice expressly listed as high crimes and misdemeanors? No. Why? Because they are self-evidently so...It is self-evident to me."
-- Senator John McCain (R) (February 12, 1999)
"Lying under oath is an abuse of freedom. Obstruction of justice is a degradation of law. There are people in prison for such offenses."
-- Rep. Henry Hyde (R) (January 16, 1999)
"Lying under oath, and encouraging lies under oath, does go to the very heart and soul of what courts do. And if we say we don't care, let's forget about courts and we'll just have other ways of figuring out how to handle disputes...There is no excuse for perjury -- never, never, never," he said. "There is truth, and the truth demands respect."
-- Ken Starr (11/24/98)
Posted by Coffeerooms October 28, 2005 
Scooter Resigns
Cheney Adviser Resigns After Indictment - Yahoo! News
WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff resigned Friday after he was indicted by a grand jury, accused of obstructing its investigation and lying about an effort to blow the CIA cover of an Iraq war critic's wife.
The article goes on to explain the indictments and some of the events that set the investigation in to motion.
Posted by Coffeerooms October 28, 2005
R.I.P Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks, a black seamstress whose refusal to relinquish her seat to a white man on a city bus in Montgomery, Ala., almost 50 years ago grew into a mythic event that helped touch off the civil rights movement of the 1950's and 1960's, died yesterday at her home in Detroit. She was 92 years old.
Click here for the whole article
Posted by Coffeerooms October 25, 2005
Sauce for the Gander
From E.J. Dionne Jr of the Houston Chronicle - What was good for Clinton isn't good for conservatives
It's especially amusing to see former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay complain about the politicization of justice. The man who spoke of the Clinton impeachment as "a debate about relativism versus absolute truth" now insists that the Democratic prosecutor in Texas who indicted him on alleged campaign finance violations is engaged in a partisan war. That's precisely what Clinton's defenders accused DeLay of championing in the impeachment battle seven years ago.
Click here to comment.
Posted by Coffeerooms October 18, 2005
Miers Backed Ban on Most Abortions in '89
No big surprise, but Harriet Miers' position on Roe V. Wade is clear.
Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers pledged unflagging opposition to abortion as a candidate for the Dallas City Council in 1989, according to documents released Tuesday. She backed a constitutional amendment to ban the procedure in most cases and promised to appear at "pro-life rallies and special events."
Posted by Coffeerooms October 18, 2005
Bush's job rating continues to drop
(CNN) -- President Bush's job approval rating continues to plummet, with 39 percent of Americans surveyed in the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll supporting his performance, compared to 58 percent expressing disapproval.
Bush has seen his approval rating steadily decline since he was sworn in for a second term in January, when 57 percent approved of his handling of the job and 40 percent disapproved.
Click here for the whole article.
Click here to talk about it.
Posted by Coffeerooms October 18, 2005
Frist Subpoenaed in Probe of Stock Sales
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has been subpoenaed to turn over personal records in an investigation into possible insider trading. Authorities are looking into Frist's recent sale of shares of hospital operator HCA Inc., co-founded by Frist's father and brother.
Click HERE for the story.
Posted by Coffeerooms October 13, 2005
2005 White House Office Staff List
Sorted by slaery, name or job title, a list of the White House Office staff totals more than 400 people, not including household or military staff). Information is accurate as on July 2005.
Posted by Coffeerooms October 04, 2005
Bush Picks Miers to Replace O'Connor
President Bush has chosen White House counsel Harriet Miers as his nominee to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
"Having never served as a judge, Ms. Miers has no `paper trail' of judicial opinions, and prospective opponents thus will have a hard time identifying positions to protest or complain about," said Supreme Court historian David Garrow. "What's more, Ms. Miers' professional record as an attorney in Texas is undeniably one of significant achievement and accomplishment, and her proponents will be able to present her as a female trail blazer whose life-record is at least arguably comparable to that of Justice O'Connor."
Senate Republicans said they would press for confirmation by Thanksgiving.
Career: White House counsel, 2004-present; White House deputy chief of staff for policy, 2003-2004; White House staff secretary, 2001-2003; Texas Lottery Commission chairwoman, 1995-2000; attorney in private practice, Locke Liddell & Sapp in Dallas, Texas, 1972-1999; Dallas City Council member, 1989-1991 Education: Bachelor of science degree in mathematics, 1967, Southern Methodist University, Dallas; law degree, 1970, Southern Methodist University School of Law Born: 1945 in Dallas Family: Single, no children Sources: White House, FindLaw, AP
Posted by Coffeerooms October 03, 2005