If there’s one thing the president has made clear over the last six years, it’s that he doesn’t believe in the notion of accountability. At this morning’s surprise press conference, a reporter challenged Bush on this point rather directly.
Q: Mr. President, I wanted to ask you about accountability. You’re a big believer in it, you’ve talked about it with regard to the public schools. But given the performance of Iraqi leaders, given your decision to commute the sentence of Lewis Libby, you’ve also stood by the Attorney General recently — there have been a lot of questions about your commitment to accountability. And I’m wondering if you could give the American people some clear examples of how you’ve held people accountable during your presidency?
BUSH: Lewis Libby was held accountable. He was declared guilty by a jury and he’s paid a high price for it.
Al Gonzales — implicit in your questions is that Al Gonzales did something wrong. I haven’t seen Congress say he’s done anything wrong. As a matter of fact, I believe, David, we’re watching a political exercise. I mean, this is a man who has testified, he’s sent thousands of papers up there. There’s no proof of wrong. Why would I hold somebody accountable who has done nothing wrong? I mean, frankly, I think that’s a typical Washington, D.C. assumption — not to be accusatory, I know you’re a kind, open-minded fellow, but you suggested holding the Attorney General accountable for something he did wrong.
First, there’s no need to rehash how ridiculous Libby’s commutation was, but the notion that he was “held accountable” is just silly. The president overrode every possible sentencing guideline, ignored his own Justice Department, overrode a federal judge he appointed to the bench, and kept a convicted felon who knows secrets about the White House out of jail. That’s not accountability; that’s scandalous.
Second, perhaps the president hasn’t been keeping up on the news — we know he doesn’t like to read newspapers — but the notion that the Attorney General has done “something wrong” is no longer open to question. He’s lied, repeatedly and publicly, to Congress and the nation. He’s also been caught. There’s ample proof of wrongdoing, which is why senators referred the matter to the DoJ’s Inspector General for a perjury investigation. For that matter, there’s also ample proof of wrongdoing when it comes to Gonzales’ role (pdf) in the U.S. Attorney purge scandal.
Wait, it gets better.
Q: If I could follow — sorry. Given the decision to commute the sentence of Libby and given the performance of Iraqi leaders, is it fair for people to ask questions about your commitment to accountability?
BUSH: I would hope people would say that I am deliberate in my decision-making; I think about all aspects of the decisions I make; and I’m a fair person.
Remember, the original question asked if Bush could think of any “clear examples” of him holding people accountable during his presidency. The best he could do was mention Libby’s guilt and Gonzales’ innocence.
In other words, Iraq need not have accountability, criminals in his own White House need not have any accountability, and incompetents in his midst need not have any accountability (indeed, the more administration officials screw up, the more likely they are to get promoted, receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, or both).
Regrettably, as far as Bush is concerned, there is just one “accountability moment,” and he passed it three years ago.