Let's check James Comey's Bush years record before he becomes FBI director

[xchrom]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jun/21/james-comey-fbi-director-bush-history


President Barack Obama announcing his nomination of James Comey to become next director of the FBI, at the White House, 21 June 2013. Photograph: Win Mcnamee/Getty Images

It had the air of Hollywood. On the night of 10 March 2004, James Comey, the nominee to lead the FBI for the next ten years, rushed to the hospital bedside of his terribly ill boss, Attorney General John Ashcroft.

There, he eventually confronted White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card and White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales, who were trying to get the pancreatitis-stricken Ashcroft to renew a still secret and illegal surveillance program on Americans' electronic communications. Neither Ashcroft nor Comey, then acting attorney general because of Ashcroft's condition, would reauthorize the program. When Gonzales authorized the program to go forward without a Justice Department certification, Comey threatened to resign, along with his staff and FBI Director Robert Mueller.

The threats worked: President Bush blinked, and Comey won modifications to the secret surveillance program that he felt brought it into compliance with the law. This event, now the stuff of DC legend, has solidified Comey's reputation as a "civil liberties superhero", in the words of CNN's Jake Tapper, and may be one of the reasons President Obama nominated him Friday to be the next director of the FBI.

There's one very big problem with describing Comey as some sort of civil libertarian: some facts suggest otherwise. While Comey deserves credit for stopping an illegal spying program in dramatic fashion, he also approved or defended some of the worst abuses of the Bush administration during his time as deputy attorney general. Those included torture, warrantless wiretapping, and indefinite detention.

[byeya]

1. I think we can find a Democrat for this post who will revamp the fbi which is long overdue

But 0bama doesn't wanna do that.

[MotherPetrie]

2. Obama clearly wants someone with dirty hands. Just like with Brennan. Each of these nominations

Exposes what kind of human being Obama is, and it ain't pretty.

[byeya]

3. Nope. At best 0bama is a Rahmulan.

[limpyhobbler]

12. sad but true. nt

[marmar]

4. k/r

[pscot]

5. What does it matter?

Nothing we can say or do will make a bit of difference. This President doesn't care what we want.

[KG]

6. if he's good enough for the prez, how come he isn't good enough for all you

emo-prog firebagging racists?

[xchrom]

7. !

[The Link]

8. He's the best man for the job....just like the asshole they put over Defense.

No good Democrats to lead the FBI.

[xtraxritical]

9. O puts up this Rebuplican to get past Senate filibuster.

[byeya]

11. Obama can appoint someone good to the highest level that doesn't require Senate confirmation

and make him/her Acting Director.

[bobduca]

10. No more fucking republican appointees

"i got no strings as you can see, there are no strings no strings on me"