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Two Bush Administration departments, Justice and the CIA, were involved with the destruction of videotapes of torture carried out by the CIA, with the input of White House lawyers, Justice Department lawyers and the former Attorney General himself.

Now those two departments — part of the executive branch — have informed courts and congressional committees that they should shut down their investigation of the conduct of the CIA and Justice department. Why? Because the CIA and Justice Department plan to investigate themselves, and investigations by these other bodies would interfere. “We cannot estimate how long this process will take or where it will lead, but pledge to advise you as soon as we conclude that our efforts are no longer at risk or that these requests can be fulfilled without jeopardizing our inquiry,” write the CIA and Justice department. In other words, we’ll be in touch, don’t call us, we’ll call you, in, oh, about a year or so, or whenever that inauguration thingy is.

In case you haven’t noticed, the Bush administration has sparked a constitutional crisis. On the one hand is the Bush administration, which is asserting not only that wrongdoing agencies should investigate themselves, but that the other branches of government have no business investigating the actions of the executive branch. On the other hand is the Constitution itself, which sets up the other two branches of government in oversight of the executive branch. Which will prevail: checks and balances, or the unchecked exercise of power? I’m sad to say that under the Bush administration, the latter has held advantage. With every step toward unchecked power, we teeter further toward the edge of tyranny. Help push us back from the edge by electing a president with a greater respect for the Constitution and a greater willingness to be held constitutionally accountable.

(Source: CNN December 15 2007)