IF A TREE FALLS IN THE FOREST WILL BUSH HEAR IT-- IF IT DOESN'T FALL ON HIS HEAD?

In the L.A. Times this morning, Richard Serrano reported that "Senior Justice Department officials began drafting memos this month listing specific reasons why they had fired eight U.S. attorneys, intending to cite performance problems such as insubordination, leadership failures and other missteps if needed to convince angry congressional Democrats that the terminations were justified." The lists were put together as part of the massive Bush Regime cover-up they are attempting-- poorly-- to perpetrate in front of the eyes of a suddenly more awake American Congress, media and public.

As Harry Reid pointed out yesterday, lying, half-truths, secrecy, cover-up, deception have been the hallmarks of the Bush Regime since it's first days in power. That's why Rove-- the worst of the entire lot of these criminals-- must be compelled to tell the truth... or face prosecution.

So, appropriately, the House and Senate committees looking into the cascading scandals emerging from the Bush DoJ have rejected Bush's offer to let them have an informal, off-the-record chit chat session with the criminals involved with turning American Justice on its head. Replying to his bluster about "fishing expeditions" and "executive privilege," they voted this morning to issue subpoenas to the offenders.

On the House side, Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers said his staff is still negotiating with the Regime and that he would hold off on serving the subpoenas while negotiating was under way. Today's CongressDaily points out that "the decision to delay serving the subpoenas put off a constitutional showdown between the executive and legislative branches that would probably end up in court. But the ceasefire might not last long; shortly after Conyers spoke, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said the offer to allow private interviews but not sworn testimony was not negotiable."

It is no coincidence that one of the strongest voices on the committee opposing subpoenas was that of Florida's most crooked congressman, Tom Feeney, who was part of the culture of corruption bunch along with Duke Cunningham, Duncan Hunter, Virgil Goode, John Doolittle and Jerry Lewis, who had the most to gain from the firing of U.S. Attorney Carol Lam. He insisted that subpoenas should not be considered unless the committee turned up even more evidence of criminal behavior of the part of the Regime. Apparently he doesn't understand clearly understands the purpose of an investigation.

Rep. William Delahunt, D-Mass., said clearing the way for subpoenas put the committee in a position of strength as it negotiated with the White House on access to Rove and others. Democrats contend the prosecutors were fired for political purposes, a view that Feeney seemed to have trouble taking seriously. "I am shocked, just like in 'Casablanca,' that politics might have been involved," Feeney said. Cannon told reporters that Democrats might end up agreeing to Fielding's offer because issuing subpoenas would be a time-consuming process, especially if President Bush followed through on his vow to invoke executive privilege and challenges the subpoenas in court. Democrats "should take what they can get for now" and consider serving subpoenas later in their investigation, he said.

Oh, and speaking of Fox propagandist White House whatever they call him Tony Snow, he had a very different outlook on all these when the crime wasn't the mere destruction of the Justice system of the United States but the very serious matter of an adult president getting a bj from an adult woman. John Aravosis refers us to some quotes from Snow in the Chicago Tribune way back when Clinton was perpetrating real crimes against the Republic-- and impeachment was on the table.

"The wall of separation between Mr. Clinton and his deeds remains strong because minions have stuck to their alibis. But now comes an episode in which the Man from Hope stands alone. It is his recent attempt to claim executive privilege for counselors Bruce Lindsey and Sidney Blumenthal and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"Mr. Clinton can't blame his lawyers for this latest feint. He alone can assert the privilege. The maneuver places him at the heart of his administration's ongoing effort to use executive privilege as a way of concealing the truth about whether the president exposed himself....

"Earlier in this administration, then-White House legal counsel Lloyd Cutler decreed that the White House never would assert privilege in the face of a criminal investigation. He merely was reiterating long-standing executive-branch policy along those lines. President Ronald Reagan didn't invoke privilege in Iran-contra, and neither did President George Bush.

"But precedent is gone, and Mr. Clinton wants to protect conversations about a chubby intern from Hollywood. In so doing, he becomes the first president since Richard Nixon to use executive privilege in a criminal inquiry.

"Evidently, Mr. Clinton wants to shield virtually any communications that take place within the White House compound on the theory that all such talk contributes in some way, shape or form to the continuing success and harmony of an administration. Taken to its logical extreme, that position would make it impossible for citizens to hold a chief executive accountable for anything. He would have a constitutional right to cover up.

"Chances are that the courts will hurl such a claim out, but it will take time.

"One gets the impression that Team Clinton values its survival more than most people want justice and thus will delay without qualm. But as the clock ticks, the public's faith in Mr. Clinton will ebb away for a simple reason: Most of us want no part of a president who is cynical enough to use the majesty of his office to evade the one thing he is sworn to uphold the rule of law.''

UPDATE: OVER ON THE EXTREME RIGHT, NO SYMPATHY FOR GONZALES... OR BUSH

Today's Evans-Novak Political Report isn't exactly brimming over with good news for the Regime. "It is impossible to find a Republican on Capitol Hill who believes either that Alberto Gonzales will survive as attorney general or that he should survive. That typifies the poor congressional relations of the Bush Administration that are rooted in arrogance. And this from the crew that likes these folks! Others are less kind-- including more and more former employees coming out of the woodwork with the horror stories we all knew were there.