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Feingold Calls for Censure of President, Administration Officials Over Iraq & Attack on Rule of Law
by angryindian | July 23, 2007 at 01:45 am | 410 views | 7 comments
by angryindian
Can we all of sound mind and conscience support this measure?
---------------------------------------
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold announced today
that he will introduce two censure resolutions condemning the President,
Vice President and other administration officials for misconduct relating
to the war in Iraq and for their repeated assaults on the rule of law.
Feingold called the resolutions appropriate and necessary steps for
Congress to rebuke an administration that is responsible for some of
the worst misconduct and the worst abuses of the law in American history.
“Censure is about holding the administration accountable,”
Feingold said. “Congress needs to formally condemn the President
and members of the administration for misconduct before and during the
Iraq war, and for undermining the rule of law at home. Censure is not
a cure for the devastating toll this administration’s actions
have taken on this country. But when future generations look back at
the terrible misconduct of this administration, they need to see that
a co-equal branch of government stood up and held to account those who
violated the principles on which this nation was founded.”
Feingold will work with his colleagues, as well as seek input from
his constituents and the American people, as he crafts the final language
of the resolutions. The first resolution will condemn the President
and others for misconduct relating to the war in Iraq including:
- Overstating the case that Saddam Hussein had WMD, particularly nuclear
weapons, and falsely implying a relationship with al Qaeda and links
to 9/11. - Failing to plan for the civil conflict and humanitarian problems
that the intelligence community predicted. - Over-stretching the Army, Marine Corps and Guard with prolonged
deployments. - Justifying our military involvement in Iraq by repeatedly distorting
the situation on the ground there.
The second resolution will focus on the administration’s attack
on the rule of law with respect to, among other things:
- The illegal NSA warrantless wiretapping program.
- Extreme policies on torture, the Geneva Conventions, and detainees
at Guantanamo. - The refusal to recognize legitimate congressional oversight into
the improper firings of U.S. Attorneys.
In March 2006, Feingold introduced a resolution censuring the President
for authorizing and misleading Congress and the public about the illegal
NSA warrantless wiretapping program. In January 2007, the administration
finally brought its wiretapping program within the FISA statute.
“At my town hall meetings, online, and everywhere I go, I hear
the American people demanding that the President and his administration
be held accountable for their misconduct, both with regard to the disastrous
war in Iraq and their flagrant abuse of the rule of law. Censure is
a relatively modest response, but one that puts Congress on record condemning
their actions, both for the American people today and for future generations,”
Feingold said.
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July 23, 2007 at 01:45 am by angryindian, 410 views, 7 comments
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Comments (7)
at 08:11 on July 23rd, 2007
Censure is the second best solution. Why you might ask. Because we all know that Congress won't impeach.
Original Content at http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_br...reason_bush.htm
July 22, 2007
The REAL Reason Bush and Cheney Will Not Face Impeachment
By Bruce Allen Morris
Because of:
MONEY! MONEY!
NOT ISSUES.
NOT CHARACTER.
NOT THE WAR(S)
NOT THE ECONOMY
NOT EVEN “VALUES VOTERS”
MONEY.
IT WAS FUCKING MONEY!!!!
at 08:18 on July 23rd, 2007
while I may not subscribe to the views of the below I thought you all would find it of interest...
Act on impeachment, now
Friday, July 20, 2007
BY MARY ELLEN MARINO
http://www.nj.com/opinion/times/editorials....xml&coll=5
The Constitution states that the president and vice president can be impeached for "high crimes and misdemeanors."
If
we do not impeach President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick
Cheney, we establish that it is permissible for future presidents and
vice presidents to deceive Congress and the public into futile wars,
engage in widespread illegal spying on Americans, detain prisoners
without charge, engage in torture, operate in secrecy and re fuse to
execute laws passed by Congress. In writing the Constitution, our
Founding Fathers chose impeachment as the primary check on federal
officials who act as despots while in office. They had just removed a
king and had no interest in replacing him with an elected one.
This
was the message we, a group of constituents and leaders of the Central
and South Jersey Impeach Groups, brought Rep. Rush Holt, D-Hopewell
Township, on July 9. We delivered an impeachment resolution passed by
the Princeton Community Democratic Organization (PCDO), hundreds of
signed petitions, and our passionate belief that our Constitution and
democracy are in grave danger. The actions of Mssrs. Bush and Cheney
continue to parallel the offenses that caused the House to impeach
Richard Nixon 33 years ago.
We asked Holt to co-sponsor HR
Res. 333, the resolution to impeach Cheney introduced by Rep. Dennis
Kucinich, D-Ohio, on April 24, which now has 15 co-sponsors.
Have
there been "high crimes and misdemeanors"? The Supreme Court found that
the treatment of Guantánamo prisoners violated the Constitution and an
appellate judge ruled that Bush's secret wiretapping and electronic
surveillance were a felony. Most of the administration's offenses need
no further investigation. Bush and Cheney are both on videotape
admitting them. Others, such as the mishandling of the devastation of
Hurricane Ka trina and the scandal at Abu Ghraib prison are visible to
all. New offenses emerge daily, such as the refusal to honor
Congressional subpoenas.
Until recently, many Democrats have
hesitated to call for impeachment following House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi's declaration that impeachment is "off the table." Now public
opinion is shifting. Journalist Bill Moyers presented bipartisan
experts who echoed our arguments warning of the expanded tool kit that
could be used by any future president if action is not taken now on the
abuses perpetrated by this administration.
Holt, who is a
prime leader on voting reform and who opposed the Patriot Act and the
war in Iraq, agreed that the administration committed illegal and
criminal acts, but he did not think the American people understood
impeachment.
The American people do understand. Forty-three
towns and counties across the country have passed resolutions for
impeachment, as well as 15 state Democratic parties and the Green
Party, three unions, and many other local groups like the PCDO.
A
poll by the American Research Group this month showed that 54 percent
of Americans are in favor of bringing impeachment proceedings against
Cheney in the House of Representatives and 46 percent support the
impeachment of President Bush. A Newsweek poll in October 2006 found
that 52 percent of the respondents, a clear majority, thought
impeachment should be a high priority.
The Constitution gives
the House of Representatives the power to impeach, i.e. to bring
charges. This would be enough to start a thorough public investiga tion
and set a precedent that Bush and Cheney's actions violate our
Constitution and must be stopped. When Nixon was impeached by the House
for similar offenses, he chose to resign. Impeachment is its own
punishment. It requires only a simple majority of the House. There is
no obligation for the Senate to even hold a trial after someone is
impeached.
Bush's recent commutation of Scooter Libby's
sentence was aimed at obstructing justice by removing any incentive for
Libby to reveal the truth. In this respect, it was similar to Nixon's
fir ing of Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox.
Bush and Cheney
can still do a great deal of damage before they leave office. For what
goal are more Americans and Iraqis dying every day in Iraq? We need to
remove the president and vice president from office to end our brutal
occupation in that country, prevent a planned attack on Iran, end the
assault on our civil liberties, restore competence in political
appointments and prevent widespread election fraud as oc curred in 2000
and 2004.
If we do not impeach now, we are all complicit in this administration's crimes.
If we do not impeach now, we effectively remove impeachment from the Constitution.
If we do not act now, we are accepting Bush and Cheney's "unitary executive" theory.
If we do not impeach now, we destroy the balance of powers designed to preserve our freedom and democracy.
If
not now, when? What further offenses must occur before our legislators
act to uphold the Constitution in accord with their oath of office? The
momentum is building. MoveOn, the massive 3.2 million member political
action group, now supports impeachment of Bush and Cheney. Keith
Olbermann of MSNBC's Countdown demanded their resignation with a
powerful list of accusations. Even Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa.,
introduced a bill declaring signing statements an "unconstitutional
attempt to usurp legislative authority."
We hope and expect
that Holt will respond to the growing impeachment movement in his
district and across the nation, and become a co-sponsor of the
impeachment resolution to protect the Constitution and restore the rule
of law. We urge constituents to call Rep. Rush Holt at (202) 225-5801,
or their own lawmakers in Congress at (202) 224-3121 and request that
they co-sponsor HR 333 to restore the rule of law. Urge Speaker Pelosi
at (202) 225-4965 to allow impeachment proceedings to begin.
Mary Ellen Marino is co-chair of the Central Jersey Impeach Group, a member of the Princeton Community Democratic Organization.
at 08:21 on July 23rd, 2007
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_ji...for_not_wai.htm
July 22, 2007
The Case for Not Waiting Out This Presidency
at 08:24 on July 23rd, 2007
[b]VIDEO REPORTS [/b]
[b]Bill Moyers:
On Impeachment
07.14.07 [/b]
at 08:34 on July 23rd, 2007
Is Censure Enough?
Katrina vanden Heuvel: Sen. Feingold announces plans to censure President Bush, but the country wants more.
at 08:42 on July 23rd, 2007
America has no surplus democracy to export
If we can't impeach Bush, then we'll be left with solid proof that the U.S. has no surplus democracy to export.
at 11:30 on July 24th, 2007
Kearney, damn good follow-up journalism! Actual News Guy will praise you because this is exactly what he has been asking for.