George W. Bush Quotes
In retrospect, I probably should have avoided some of the controversy and legal setbacks by seeking legislation on military tribunals, the T.S. P., and the CIA enhanced interrogation program as soon as they were created
The Bush Administration tried to implement secretly 3 very controversial programs and after much rancor, the Supreme Court and the other Federal Courts ruled that they did not have the Congressional authority to implement the programs and some aspects were unconstitutional in any event. Bush received advice not to go to Congress and ask for the authority to operate the programs because the ensuing debates would be very polarizing, would probably not pass the Congress, and would further drive down the public’s approval of Bush which was sinking anyway. However, in retrospect, Bush realized that regardless of the costs, it is worse to try and implement controversial programs in secret and to have to argue that the executive branch implicitly has the power to add to its powers and authority.
George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States, Son of President George W. Bush, Quoted in Jack Goldsmith, “Wrong Mission Accomplished”, New York Times Magazine, September 11, 2011
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
What makes this quotation meaningful is the fact that Roosevelt and other Presidents before had not as a rule contacted or lobbied, much less pressured individual members of Congress about specific legislation. While today this is so common that many members of Congress would feel insulted if they did not get a personal appeal from the President to vote for a bill. This was another “first” for TR. The historical bill in question was the National Reclamation Bill.
Alberto Gonzalez, White House Counsel and later Attorney General who was forced to resign and David S. Addington, Counsel to the Vice President, had come up with a novel view of the powers of the presidency. They argued that since the President is the Commander in Chief, in a war situation or intelligence gathering thereto, has the Constitutional responsibility for that function, he need not obey any laws of Congress as in the conduct of the war Congress would be impinging on the Constitutional separation of powers which itself was prohibited by the Constitution. The argument did not find any significant legal support but for a while the George W. Bush White House behaved as if this were the law, despite the fact that even in the American Revolution and the War of 1812 Congress passed laws regulating the conduct of the armed forces as is provided for in other parts of the Constitution. Yet even Goldsmith would allow the President some powers that many think are unconstitutional and/or belong to Congress. See {32436}.
In the War on Terror, some CIA officers had gotten a George W, Bush Administration green light to torture some captured terrorists using a torture technique known as “water boarding”—a practice for which American military personnel were court marshaled and convicted in the Philippine War. The torture sessions had been videotaped, a normal procedure with CIA interrogations. The fact of the torture had leaked and a national scandal ensued with Americans on both sides of the question. President Bush and his Vice President publicly stated that the United States does not torture. Rodriguez then ordered the tapes destroyed. Later he gave his reasons after the Obama Administration decided not to investigate the matter or determine which, if any, CIA officials might have broken the law, by wither doing the torturing or destroying evidence—“obstructing justice.”
His admonition did little good. That Congress passed fewer bills than any other in history.
This CIA program MKUltra actually too place. In addition to at least one death, there were a number of people whose unwitting massive exposure to LSD maimed them for life. In addition to shoddy research and junk science, the CIA violated the basic ethical rules of research with human subjects. Most had no idea that they were being given massive doses of dangerous drugs. The CIA kept the program secret when it was ongoing, and later CIA leaders kept it secret to avoid the embarrassment and the greater oversight from Congress that was long overdue.
The President and Vice President wanted places to interrogate suspected terrorists where they did not have to obey American law, where the press could be kept away from the prisoners, and there would be no way that a prisoner could get the assistance of attorneys and American Judges could not have any jurisdiction. A number of the prisoners had been picked up by mistake, or were accused by people who had scores to settle, and if the CIA had made a mistake, the public could not find out. Further, they wanted to torture certain prisoners and wanted places where they could use their “enhanced interrogation”—see {637536}--without the public finding out.
George Walker Bush is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush previously served as the 46th governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000. He was born into the Bush family; his father, George H. W. Bush, was the 41st president of the United States from 1989 to 1993.
