Quite a few people have speculated over whether Tony Snow really meant to say that Congress had no right or ability to conduct oversight of the executive branch. The claim is belied by the US constitution and all US history down to the present day. But I strongly suspect that it was no accident, slip of the tongue or loosely general statement the White House won’t stand behind.
The simple truth, I think, is that there’s too much criminality waiting to be uncovered.
In the US Attorney purge, yes. But that’s only the start of it.
The only and perhaps the best approach for the White House is to fight what in military terms you might call a forward engagement, gumming up the very concept and premise of oversight itself in the courts for long enough to wait out the clock. That’s what this is about.
Late Update: In this morning’s gaggle Snow said that Congress can oversee the executive departments, just not the White House. That’s a slightly more defensible position constitutionally speaking, but only slightly. It’s still basically bogus. What Snow and thus the president is saying is that ‘executive privilege’ is the rule rather than a seldom invoked veil that the president invokes to guard his own communications and deliberation and thus prevent the balance of power between the branches of government from becoming too tilted toward the legislative branch.
