But Feingold's call for censure of president won't fly

[ralps]

Here's an article that is in today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

But Feingold's call for censure of president won't fly

By CRAIG GILBERT
[email protected]

Posted: Mar. 18, 2006

Washington - While most senators recoiled last week from Wisconsin Democrat Russ Feingold's resolution to censure the president, many of them agreed with one of its basic premises: that the wiretapping of Americans without a warrant is against the law.

Doubts about the legality of the government's once-secret domestic surveillance program can be found among both liberal and conservative scholars and on both sides of the aisle in Congress.

In other words, unlike his proposal for censure, Feingold's claims about "illegal wiretapping" are well within the mainstream of congressional debate on the issue.

But critics of the censure resolution make two very different arguments about those claims.
snip
The rest of the article is here- http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=409240

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[0007]

1. junior must be stopped!

How clear is the law?

This question was batted around by the legal experts who testified before Specter's committee late last month. They debated not only whether the surveillance program is legal or illegal, but also whether the law itself is gray or black-and-white in this area.

Yale Law School Dean Harold Koh told the Senate panel that the eavesdropping program is "as blatantly illegal a program as I've seen."

Koh, a liberal scholar who served under President Clinton, said the program lacked the basic standards required under the Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches and seizures.

Two conservative legal scholars also told the panel the program was illegal, though they disagreed over whether it was a close call.

"This case is very easy," said Bruce Fein, a former Reagan administration official, who cited a landmark 1952 Supreme Court ruling involving the government's seizure of a Youngstown, Ohio, steel mill. In that case, Justice Robert Jackson held that presidential authority is at its high point when it's used in concert with congressional authorization, but that it's at its "lowest ebb" when it's "incompatible with the expressed or implied will of Congress."

Another conservative scholar, Robert Levy of the Cato Institute, agreed that Bush's inherent powers don't allow him to ignore the 1978 surveillance law. Levy called the eavesdropping program "illegal" but also called it a difficult question.

[Jack Rabbit]

2. What do they want to do?

If Bush is breaking the law by wiretapping Americans without a warrant and continues to say that he has the authority to do whatever he wants, what do members of the the Senate who oppose Feingold's resolution propose to do about it?

Impeachment Bush and several other admisnistration officials is in order, but that is up to the House, not the Senate.

The cnesure resolution is on the table. Voting against it without proposing an alternative would send the message that Bush is right when he claims that he is sas dictatorial powers. That would be a cowardly act of omission by the Senate.

So, those who seem terrified of censuring Bush need to come up with an alternative. It would be unthinkable to let this tyrant's behavior go unchallenged any longer. There is no getting around that.

[lanah]

3. ugh!

Unitary executive theory- rewrite laws as necessary, make retroactive

We must force congress to do what is constitutionally required- which really is impeachment which requires only one ONE representative to begin impeachment proceedings by introducing articles of impeachment for illegal wiretapping on the Floor of the House of Representatives. Then that person goes to the press and makes announcement ala Feingold. The press will not be able to ignore it.

The case is easily made by the witnesses from Conyer's hearing alone. If we just stick to illegal wiretapping, the case will be made easily and quickly and Bush will be off to his next trial at the Hague.

on edit: Even if it looks hopeless, we must force the issue and see where the process is getting hung up. After everything we have witnessed, things now seem to be getting hung up at the democratic opposition. Very few senators are willing to support Feingold in even a slap on the hand for illegal behavior:wtf:

Now we have to push our 'leaders' into doing their jobs. And question why it is they don't feel they need to win our votes anymore?(hint:diebold) Democrats and Republicans alike are ignoring the will of the people!

Either DO YOUR JOB or we're throwing you out!
www.NotOneIncumbent.com

[ralps]

4. Kick

:hi: :loveya: :hug: :pals:

[lanah]

5. well if the DINOs would quit clipping his wings

Feingold's call might get some air

[ladjf]

6. The resolution has already flown Feingold up to the head of the

Democratic hopefuls class, left them in the dust, wondering what hit them.

[ralps]

7. Kick

:hi: :loveya: :hug: :pals: