David Frost queried Nixon “So what in a sense you’re saying is that there are certain situations…where the president can decide that it’s in the best interests of the nation or something, and do something illegal.” Nixon: “Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal.” Frost: “By definition?” Nixon: “Exactly, exactly.”
When Ted Kennedy asked Attorney General Gonzales why he didn’t follow the legal procedure for domestic spying, he replied “Sir, the short answer is that we didn’t think we needed to, quite frankly.”
When former National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice was asked about the legality of torture, she replied that “…by definition, if it was authorized by the president, it did not violate our obligations under the Convention Against Torture.”
These interviews are available online. The potential for misuse of the Presidency, especially in times of perceived (and manipulated) threat, is a concern that should be met by a watchful and fully-informed citizenry. But getting the whole truth (separate from lies and half-truths) is a challenge that freedom now faces.
Abraham Lincoln said, “Let the people know the facts and the country will be safe.” Guess we’re in big trouble now.
Comment by admin — October 24, 2010 @ 6:43 pm