Fugitives

Anyone recall seeing Condoleezza Rice around the United States lately?

Maybe she's dodging a pending subpoena? Thursday, she got one from Congress:

The subpoena issued to Rice seeks to force her testimony about the claim that Iraq sought to import uranium from Niger for its nuclear weapons program. President Bush offered that as a key rationale for the war in his 2003 State of the Union address.

When asked about the subpoena, Rice responded that "she was not inclined to appear before the committee"...from Oslo.

"I addressed these questions, almost the same questions, during my confirmation hearing," she said. "This is an issue that has been answered and answered and answered...I am more than happy to answer them again in a letter."

Yet again, Condi proves herself a lying scoundrel. Congress has repeatedly asked for a written response, which she has repeated not delivered. Hence, eat me:

"A subpoena is not a request; it's a demand for information," said Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), chairman of the House oversight committee that issued the bulk of yesterday's subpoenas. "They ought to understand it's no longer a request, it's no longer an option."

She's on the run, as they all are now. Bush is hunkered in the bunker, sending out his shiny new emissary to lie about his "Mission Accomplished" speech in some sort of panicked rearguard action against history ruling it the worst Commander-in-Chief moment in the history of our great nation, and having her also propagate non-committal language intended to absolve El Presidente from having be aware that Pat Tillman had been killed by our own troops. This one reeks of guilt by non-denial:

"There's no indication that the president got any word that there was questions surrounding his death, other than what has been reported in the paper," Perino said.

Of course, "there's no indication". He doesn't use email, he's protected by human kneepads like Alberto Gonzales and Scooter Libby, it more of the John Gotti Presidency. They meet at the club and know when they're being tapped.

Fugitive from justice, hiding out in the White House. Cheney had to have known, if not directed it. Rove had to have known. This was big, minting a campaign commercial in the middle of the war out of a real American hero's tragic death and family suffering. And if Bush didn't know, why hasn't he made a show of firing everyone who kept the information from him and perpetrated the lie?

Because, of course, he knew.

Bush is a fugitive from Congress, from the American people. Tonight, in what was certainly a well-thought out, well-planned, graphics-ready moment in the first Democratic Presidential candidates debate, Barack Obama said a line which might even go down in history:

We are one signature away from ending the Iraq War.

For those who have the desire (and a little patience) to understand the bill, Marty Lederman has an excellent breakdown of the main codicils in "Why the President Would Deny Our Troops the Resources They Need". Cliff Note conclusion (embolden his):

In other words, and just so we're clear: The President will veto this bill -- which provides the troops, and returning veterans, with much greater funding and support than the President himself proposed -- simply because the bill would also, quite modestly, establish a presumption that redeployment is to begin by this July, if the Iraqis are not meeting the President's benchmarks, and if the President is unable to make the case to delay the beginning of redeployment to a later date.

So he's threatened, nay, promised a veto and will make a great show of "steadfastness" with his following through on his murderous act. No one's taking this war away from him, not daddy's friends, not a Democratic Congress, not the American People.

I repeat my claim that Bush will someday be shunned, and that day may be now.

Go ahead and carry out your veto.

Run, Bush, run.