Woodward was on the Today Show this morning, talking with Matt Lauer about Iraq.
The interview turned to the fact that the White House used $700 million that Congress authorized for use in the war in Afghanistan and instead spent it to prepare for war in Iraq.
Woodward wouldn’t comment on the illegalities, but he shared this tidbit:
“As one of the top White House people involved in this said to me, ‘We didn’t want to disturb the karma of Congress.’ Congress got had.”
Two quick reactions. One, this White House seems to look at the legal process as a mere suggestion that should be followed when it’s convenient. Congress appropriated money for one purpose; the White House spent it for a secret war plan. The administration might have considered sharing this information with its co-equal branch of government, but it was concerned about Congress’ “karma.”
This points to an enormous legal problem. The White House simply does not have the luxury of conning Congress when it sees fit. Woodward said the “Congress got had.” But this isn’t just a competition between rivals; this is the Constitution and the legal process of the United States. This isn’t a matter of the White House deciding that it doesn’t feel like sharing information with Congress — the administration isn’t supposed to have a choice in the matter. That is, unless Bush is prepared to forgo law and order to establish his own extra-constitutional system.
And two, karma? Are we dealing with Karl Rove or Deepak Chopra?