John Dean: Even Nixon Never Went This Far
Wednesday, October 3, 11:00
Thirty years ago, John Dean gave legal advice to a president who thought he was above the law. But in a conference call with the Campaign for the Consitution on Oct. 4, Richard Nixon’s one-time White House counsel said the Bush administration’s muscular view of executive power is “filled with steroids.”
Dean’s new book, “Broken Government: How Republican Rule Destroyed the Legislative, Executive and Judicial Branches,” asks what we can do to bring back America’s system of checks and balances.
“The system is pretty clearly laid out in the Constitution, and when people start messing around with it, people get it,” he said.
Dean took on Vice President Dick Cheney’s claim that Vietnam and Watergate weakened the presidency. “This is a totally falacious argument,” he said.
Instead, Congress “leveled the playing field” after Nixon’s Watergate-era power grabs. “Bush and Cheney have gone way beyond that,” Dean said. Even during the Cold War, “we somehow managed in keeping our civil rights in place.”
“I consider myself a Goldwater conservative on a lot of issues, which puts me well left of center these days,” Dean added ruefully.
As in our recent conference call with psychologist Drew Westen, the talk turned to fighting the politics of fear. Dean said the administration has made the “war on terror” a “cause celebre.” “When you frighten people, that means the terrorists are winning,” he said.
But he sounded optimistic about recent efforts in Congress to oppose the government’s positions on secrecy, torture, and military commissions. “We’re starting to see some unraveling, we’re starting to see some pushback,” he said.
About John: Thirty years after he served as White House counsel to President Richard M. Nixon, John Dean has become one of the most trenchant and respected commentators on the current state of American politics. He is also one of the most outspoken and perceptive critics of the Bush administration through his New York Times bestsellers “Conservatives Without Conscience” and “Worse Than Watergate.” He writes a regular column for Findlaw.com
About Cenk: Cenk Uygur is co-host of “The Young Turks,” the new morning show for Air America Radio, 6-9AM/ET. An irreverent take on politics, pop culture, and news, “The Young Turks” has grilled Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, DNC Chair Howard Dean, actor Matt Dillon, Brian Williams of NBC News, and many others. Uygur has a law degree and founded “The Young Turks” on Sirius Satellite Radio, where it was the network’s first original talk show. The show can now be heard on XM Satellite Radio, as well as, your local Air America station. Visit the show’s website.
About “Broken Government”: In John Dean’s new book, “Broken Government: How Republican Rule Destroyed the Legislative, Executive and Judicial Branches,” the former White House counsel faults Republican mismanagement for the current state of government. Buy the book at the Amazon.com website.
