Reply #4: in the shadows of Gore's speech

[welshTerrier2]

Gore's speech focussed on abuse of power ... it focussed on bush's violations of the Constitution and his illegal spying on Americans ... it focussed on the separation of powers among the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government ...

with the laundry list of things that bush has done wrong, think how much better off we would be if the other two branches had done their jobs and acted as a check of bush's grab for imperial power ... bush has taken on kinglike powers and the other branches of our government have provided virtually no oversight at all ...

and along comes Smiling Sam Alito ... what a nice guy ... how could those mean old Democrats pick on such a good man? well, Smiling Sammy has been a long-time proponent of greater presidential authority ... no matter how many times he was asked during the hearings, all they could get out of him was that bush had to obey the law ... that's nice; it's also meaningless ... the issue is whether the law allows him to do whatever the hell he wants to do merely because he declares a war on terrorism ... Smiling Sammy didn't have much to say about that ...

some have said the Dems were weak during the hearings ... i often criticize Democrats because i think too many of them are afraid to take a bold stand ... but i think they did a good job highlighting the fact that Smiling Sammy is going to yield more power to the executive branch at a time where separation of powers has reached crisis proportions ... and it's not just bush i'm worried about ... Smiling Sammy will be there for life; bush is gone in three years (or hopefully sooner) ...

we cannot allow the erosion of checks and balances in our government ... we cannot allow a dangerous world to make a case for the suspension of civil liberties ... we cannot allow Smiling Sammy to get his paws on the throat of our Constitutional protections ... this appointment is about much, much more than Roe v. Wade ... don't be distracted ... this is about raw power and the final nail in the coffin of the legislative and judicial branches ...

Democrats need to do more than just vote "NO" ... they need to make the case that there is a loss of balance in government and that Alito is the wrong man at the wrong time ... Democrats have no choice but to filibuster ... for the sake of the country, i hope they're up to the task ...