Beat ! Beat ! Drums!

Beat ! Beat ! drums !—blow ! bugles ! blow !
Through the windows—through the doors—burst like a ruthless force,
Into the solemn church, and scatter the congregation,
Into the school where the scholar is studying;
Leave not the bridegroom quiet—no happiness must he have now with his bride,
Nor the peaceful farmer any peace, ploughing his field, or gathering in his grain,
So fierce you whirr and pound you drums—so shrill you bugles blow.
Beat ! Beat ! drums !—blow ! bugles ! blow !
Over the traffic of cities—over the rumble of wheels in the streets;
Are beds prepared for the sleepers at night in the houses?
No sleepers must sleep in those beds,
No bargainers’ bargains by day—would they continue?
Would the talkers be talking? would the singer attempt to sing?
Then rattle quicker, heavier drums—you bugles wilder blow.
Beat ! Beat ! drums !—blow ! bugles ! blow !
Make no parley—stop for no expostulation,
Mind not the timid—mind not the weeper or prayer,
Mind not the old man beseeching the young man,
Let not the child’s voice be heard, nor the mother’s entreaties,
Make even the trestles to shake the dead where they lie awaiting the hearses,
So strong you thump O terrible drums—so loud you bugles blow.

Walt Whitman
(Second Movement of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem)

Executive Privilege

The President is upset that Congress wants to subpoena his people in regard to the US Attorney firings.   The White House has claimed that it is cooperating, and therefore, its  right to its internal workings without interference should be preserved and that subpoena’s issued  by the Congress are  violating Executive Privilege for partisan political reasons. 

Here’s what’s problematic about the Executive Privilege argument… the President claims that he wasn’t aware of any of this while this is going on.  This seems problematic for the Executive Privilege claim on two fronts.  First, if the President didn’t know, it is unclear to what extent the decisions reached can be determined to be protected by the President from the oversight of Congress.  Second, it seems puzzling to me that the President would claim privilege and then PUBLICLY STATE HIS ROLE  THROUGH HIS PRESS SECRETARY!  To claim that it is both irresponsible to seek confirmation of what the President knew about the firings and acceptable to make public statements about what needs to be kept secret is ponderous to me.  I am not sure what type of executive privilege this even means at this point.