This brings into light a new and interesting development in the NSA wiretapping scandal:

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Tuesday that President Bush personally blocked Justice Department lawyers from pursuing an internal probe of the warrantless eavesdropping program that monitors Americans’ international calls and e-mails when terrorism is suspected.

The department’s Office of Professional Responsibility announced earlier this year it could not pursue an investigation into the role of Justice lawyers in crafting the program, under which the National Security Agency intercepts some telephone calls and e-mail without court approval.

At the time, the office said it could not obtain security clearance to examine the classified program.

Under sharp questioning from Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Arlen Specter, Gonzales said that Bush would not grant the access needed to allow the probe to move forward.

“It was highly classified, very important and many other lawyers had access. Why not OPR?” asked Specter, R-Pa.

“The president of the United States makes the decision,” Gonzales told the committee hearing, during which he was strongly criticized on a range of national security issues by Specter and Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy , the panel’s senior Democrat.

This is proof positive that Bush believes he is exempt from following the laws of this country. It also gives Senate a perfect reason to call him in and make him testify about what happened. Question number one should be – “What is your reasoning to circumvent the necessities of our democracy in checks and balances”.

Considering the fact a federal judge recently ruled that the FBI had every right to enter the office of a Congressman in a legal search, the same must be held applicable to the President of the United States. We have three equal branches of government that are suppose to be balanced. Why is it that Bush can offset the balance in his favor? The Constitution does not give him that power nor any other ruling in the history of this country. It is time for him to be held accountable for his actions.