Sunday, July 22, 2007

Accountability

From Sen. Russ Feingold:
As I have said before, I believe the President and Vice President have likely committed what our Founding Fathers would have thought of as 'high crimes and misdemeanors.' However, at this time I do not believe it is in our nation's best interest to put important issues facing our country on the back burner to go through months and months of a divisive impeachment process. Some may disagree with that, but at a minimum we can agree that censure resolutions, holding the President and his administration accountable for the actions I've outlined above, are needed.

History must show that when confronted with an administration which does not recognize the separation of powers, which continually acts as if the executive branch is above the laws of our land, the American people and their elected officials stood up, in one voice, and demanded accountability.

I've heard from people in Wisconsin and across the country in recent months on what we can do to hold this administration accountable for its actions surrounding the Iraq war and its deliberate disregard for the law. Please click here to read more about my two censure proposals, tackling both issues, and give me feedback on both topics."


I've written to Sen. Feingold in support of his censure resolutions, but with the caveat that launching an impeachment inquiry (in the House) may be legally advisable to support and buttress Congressional oversight activities, in the face of Presidential assertions of executive privilege and refusal to co-operate with legitimate Congressional demands for both documents and witnesses in the service of its responsibilities (and assertions that the Justice Dept. would refuse to enforce contempt of Congress prosecutions). Could anyone be more contemptuous of Congress--and of the American people--than this Administration?

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