Accountable

In a much-needed editorial today, the New York Times outlines one item that Speaker Nancy Pelosi must make a priority before Congress adjourns later this month:

Her list must include a vote to hold Karl Rove in contempt for his lawless decision to defy a Congressional subpoena to testify about the United States attorneys scandal. There is a vital national interest in getting to the bottom of this matter - and in not allowing Congress's authority to be undermined...

Congress's investigation of the United States attorneys matter is of the utmost importance. It now seems clear that the Justice Department under Attorney General Alberto Gonzales operated as a partisan political actor, using its prosecutorial authority to help the party in power win elections. That was a grave abuse, which undermined American democracy...

There are many vital principles at stake, but none is more important than the power of Congress itself. In this era of expanding presidential authority, Congress is a critical check on executive branch abuses. It cannot perform this function if it allows members of the executive branch to flout its subpoenas and its oversight.

To this date, not one of the members of King George's inner circle has been held accountable for his or her criminal behavior. Let's make sure that Ms. Pelosi gets the message loud and clear that it's time for the architects of Bush's abominable reign to answer for their malfeasance.