NANCY PELOSI DEMANDS INVESTIGATING OF BUSH ADMINISTRATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.01.2009 14:56 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appears to differ
from Barack Obama on at least two issues — tax increases and
investigating the Bush administration.

The speaker said Sunday she wants Congress to consider repealing
President George W. Bush’s tax cuts on those who make more than
$250,000 well before they expire at the end of 2010.

Obama had promised to repeal the tax cuts as well during the
presidential campaign, but he has since backed off that pledge,
signaling he would be willing to simply let them expire.

"We had campaigned in saying what the Republican Congressional Budget
Office told us: Nothing contributed more to the budget deficit than
the tax cuts for the wealthiest people in America," Pelosi said in
an interview broadcast Sunday.

The California Democrat is pushing the president-elect to make good
on a campaign promise that attracted some of the harshest criticism
during the election — that Obama is a typical tax-and-spend Democrat
who would raise taxes once in office.

Obama has fought that label, emphasizing that any tax increase would
be directed at those making more than $250,000. However, since the
election, Obama has been reluctant even to raise taxes on people
making that much.

Lawrence Summers, Obama’s choice for director of the National Economic
Council, signaled again Sunday that repealing the Bush tax cuts would
not be a priority.

"Our overall focus is going to be on increasing spending," Summers
said in a broadcast interview. "Beyond that, there’s going to be a
substantial tax cut for the American people."

Obama’s aides worked with House Democrats to craft their version
of an economic stimulus package. The package, unveiled last week,
includes $550 billion in government spending and $275 billion in tax
cuts. It would leave the Bush tax cuts in place.

Pelosi said she won’t use the stimulus bill to address tax cuts. But
she also said: "I don’t want them to wait two years to expire. Because
they have to prove their worth to me as to how they grow the economy,
how they create jobs."

Republicans disputed the House speaker’s assertion about tax cuts
and the deficit.

"There is no CBO report that says tax cuts for the wealthiest are
the biggest contributor to the deficit," said Don Stewart, spokesman
for Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. "Though we agree
that Congress must carefully pursue ways to strengthen our economy,
raising taxes won’t grow jobs."

A spokeswoman for House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio said
Pelosi’s assertion was "flat wrong."

"Congressional Democrats need to understand that the best way to
get our deficits under control is to confront spending," spokeswoman
Antonia Ferrier said.

Also Sunday, Pelosi said she wants an investigation into whether the
Bush administration broke the law when it fired a group of federal
prosecutors.

"I think that we have to learn from the past, and we cannot let the
politicizing of, for example, the Justice Department, go unreviewed,"
she said. "Past is prologue."

House Democrats last week recommended a criminal investigation to
determine whether administration officials broke the law in the name
of national security. Along with the fired prosecutors, the report
cited interrogation of foreign detainees, warrantless wiretaps,
retribution against critics and manipulation of intelligence.

The president-elect has been more cautious, saying he wants to look
to the future, not to the past.

"I don’t believe that anybody is above the law," Obama said in a recent
television interview. "On the other hand, I also have a belief that
we need to look forward, as opposed to looking backwards."

Pelosi and Obama appear to be on the same page when it comes to
entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare. Obama announced last
week that he would convene a "fiscal responsibility summit" in February
to focus on long-term problems with the economy and the skyrocketing
costs of benefit programs such as Social Security and Medicare.

"I support what he wants to do, to have a summit of that kind,"
Pelosi said Sunday. "We will have our own initiatives in the Congress
to work with him on that."

Pelosi said everything should be on the table, including benefit cuts.

"The only thing we didn’t want to put on the table is eliminating
Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid," she said, the Associated
Press reports.