The House Judiciary subcommittee defied Bush today and voted to “give their leaders the authority to force White House officials to testify on the firings of U.S. attorneys.” Get ready for the showdown…

Not that Dems were even going to go for the BushCo offer, but White House spokespuppet Tony Snow said after the vote “that the administration’s offer for interviews would be pulled if subpoenas were issued.”

“The moment subpoenas are issued it means they have rejected the offer,” Snow said.

Rep. John Conyers, head of the House Judiciary Committee, said during Wednesday’s debate that the committee needed more than a simple conversation with Rove, Miers and their deputies.

“We could meet at the local pub to have that kind of conversation,” he said. “But in my judgment it would not advance us toward uncovering the simple truth in this matter.”

Democrats say transcripts are necessary so any inconsistencies in testimony can be challenged.

Bring them on…

With the authorization in hand, Chairman John Conyers of Michigan could issue them at any time.

Authorizing the subpoenas “does provide this body the leverage needed to negotiate from a position of strength,” said Rep. William Delahunt, D-Mass.

Think Progress has video of former Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA), a former Reagan U.S. Attorney blasting BushCo saying saying “the integrity of the Department of Justice is being used as a political football by the administration to prove who’s the toughest hombre in all this.” Watch it here.

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