Censure? How About Impeachment?
for release 03-13-06
Washington D.C.
Ya gotta love Russ Feingold. He's the only Democrat who has anything remotely resembling cajones. I'm not talking big stones here, but at least more than the typical neutered Democrat.
On ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Feingold called for the censure of George Bush for his blatant disregard for the law in the matter of authorizing domestic wiretaps and other non-warranted eavesdropping on American citizens. Feingold said, "This conduct is right in the strike zone of the concept of high crimes and misdemeanors."
It sounds like grounds for impeachment to me, but at least censure is a step in the right direction.
The only president to be awarded censure by the U.S. Senate was Andrew Jackson in 1834. In the second year of his second term, the Senate voted 26 to 20 to censure Jackson for assuming power not conferred by the Constitution. Sound familiar?
Feingold went on to say, "We, as a Congress, have to stand up to a president who acts like the Bill of Rights and the Constitution were repealed on Sept 11, [2001]."
There is ample precedent for the Executive to assume near dictatorial powers during time of war. Lincoln did it during the Civil War and Roosevelt during WWII. But those were real wars, you know, wars where there were actual armies from two or more countries fighting each other over principles or resources or territory or treasure.
The only place that this so-called war on terra exists is in the mouth of the president. Acts of extreme vandalism perpetrated by some rag-tag regiment of religious fanatics do not constitute a war. They amount to a criminal nuisance. But George Bush has used the spectacular events of 9/11 as a license to declare this mythical war and assume the powers of a war-time president.
But it looks like the veneer is starting to wear thin. The two recent events of the NSA eavesdropping and the Dubai ports deal heaped on to the utter stupidity of our Iraq invasion have caused even the most die-hard Bush supporters to take a step back.
It's good to see someone like Russ Feingold stepping up to the mark to challenge this administration on it's wanton usurpation of Constitutional powers. Since 9/11 this bunch of corrupt thieves and war-mongers have assumed that they have unlimited license and they can blithely coin powers that are reserved for other branches than the Executive. In our system, the Executive branch doesn't invent the laws, the Executive is sworn to uphold and obey them. The boys at BushCo have forgotten this.
Now comes Russ Feingold with his motion for censure. Where are your balls, Russ? Don't settle for a censure, which amounts to a slap on the wrist. Impeach the moron and the band of thieves and pirates that he brought with him. Prove that you have more nuts than Hillary Clinton.
The Poet's Eye sees that Russ Feingold is taking a baby step when he needs to take a giant step. But this whole Congress has been playing Mother May I since 2001 for fear of being called un-patriotic. Or is it just fear of fear itself?
"This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."
--Franklin D. Roosevelt's first inaugural speech 1933
I say we vote independent, hell they can't do much worse then then an ass or an elephant. 
