Bush Won’t Deny Authorizing Hospital Visit

At a press conference today, George W. Bush showed his true colors — again.  This time, he fielded a question on whether he ordered his then-attorney Alberto Gonzales and then-Chief of Staff Andrew Card to go to John Ashcroft’s hospital bed to get sign-off on the NSA wiretapping program. 

As we know, Ashcroft was in intensive care at the time, under heavy sedation, and the acting Attorney General, James Comey, had refused to approve the program.  So Card and Gonzales went to Ashcroft to try to manipulate a very sick man into signing off on something that was, in fact illegal.

So did Bush authorize it, and did he think the behavior was appropriate?  Today at the press conference, Bush wouldn’t say.  He wouldn’t denounce the visit, either.  All he would say was that the NSA wiretapping program was vital to national security.  In other words, the ends justify the means, and no further comment is necessary.

Anyone know whether there was something illegal about the visit?  In any event, I can’t imagine that legal ethics would permit an attorney (that would be Alberto) to seek a signature from a drugged and disoriented man.  Please let me know if you have any facts on the legal end of things.

Either way, the moral bankruptcy of this administration has long been apparent to anyone with open eyes.  The handful of apologists who remain should, by now, be ashamed of themselves.