Bush invokes executive privilege, defies Congress

President Bush today defied subpoenas for testimony from two former top aides involved in the politically-motivated firings of federal prosecutors. Senator Leahy issued a response to the President's refusal:

“This is more stonewalling from a White House that believes it can unilaterally control the other co-equal branches of government. What is the White House trying to hide by refusing to turn over evidence it was willing to provide months ago, as long as that information was shared in secret with no opportunity for Congress to pursue the matter further?”

Given that Bush refused even to give an explanation for invoking executive privilege, what are we to make of this move? The attempts to block a Congressional investigation, like the commutation of Scooter Libby's sentence, are not acts of a man with nothing to hide. As Frank Rich of the New York Times says, "they reveal the continued ferocity of a White House cover-up and expose the true character of a commander in chief whose tough-guy shtick can no longer camouflage his fundamental cowardice."