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Durbin: Cheney 'Way Beyond' the Constitution

Also, Palin resignation 'surprised' McCain; she 'did not call me'

By Wesley Oliver, Newser Staff

Posted Jul 12, 2009 10:46 AM CDT

(Newser) – The revelation that Dick Cheney ordered the CIA to withhold information from Congress “absolutely” warrants an investigation, Sen. Dick Durbin said today. “To give the president unbridled authority goes way beyond the United States Constitution,” Durbin told This Week. Over on Fox News Sunday, Sen. John Cornyn agreed Congress should have proper oversight, but criticized Democrats for trying to “out” Cheney and provide “political cover” for Nancy Pelosi.

Caught between sex scandals and tomorrow's Sotomayor hearings, Republicans dominated the headlines from the Sunday talkers today:

Sen. Judd Gregg accused Democrats of “basically undermining efforts to collect intelligence” on State of the Union, saying they are turning the CIA into a “whipping boy.”
John McCain told Meet the Press he doesn't support a potential Justice Department probe into torture, and said he was surprised by Sarah Palin's resignation "because she did not call me."
Cornyn said Senate Republicans will be careful in their questioning of Sonia Sotomayor during her Supreme Court confirmation hearings. But the Texas senator, whose constituency is one-third Hispanic, vowed to examine whether Sotomayor has an “ethnicity focus.”
Rep. Eric Cantor conceded the personal scandals of philandering Republicans Mark Sanford and John Ensign were “not good,” but added that the GOP is “not just about personalities. It’s about ideas.”

[Images (3)]

[Videos (1)]

Senate Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is calling for an investigation into whether the CIA concealed a covert spy program from Congress for more than a decade. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

Senate Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is calling for an investigation into whether the CIA concealed a covert spy program from Congress for more than a decade. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)

The New York Times reported that Dick Cheney ordered the CIA to withhold information from Congress. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

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Sen. John McCain tells NBC's "Meet the Press" he was suprised by Sarah Palin's resignation. (msnbc)

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 13 comments

armywife

Jul 13, 2009 12:07 PM CDT

i think what fondue was saying was not that sarah made an oath to the republican party, but she that she DID make an oath to serve the people of alaska, an oath that she broke. i dont personally think it's a big deal that she resigned, governors have done it before and no one made a fuss. it's only a "big deal" to some because she talked such a big game of not being a quitter and then quit, see? the oath has nothing to do with party affiliation and everything to do with making a promise to one's constituents.

Fondue

Jul 13, 2009 4:18 AM CDT

Kind of close Armywife. What I was saying in the original post is that Mr. McCain claims not to know if Sarah made a promise to AK, when in fact he knows very well that she did through her oath of office for Governorship. Every elected official does. For the most part I just wanted to point out that nuance.

Observer

Jul 12, 2009 11:42 AM CDT

Cornyn is finally showing his pissy, white-supremist millionaire Republican colors. Protect freedom not slimey CIA operators Johnny Boy. You know the law. Act like it.

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Dick Cheney • CIA • intelligence • John Cornyn • Dick Durbin • Judd Gregg • Eric Cantor • Sonia Sotomayor

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Durbin: Cheney 'Way Beyond' the Constitution