Prominent Conservatives Launch Effort To Restore Civil Liberties Under Assault By Executive Branch

[pberq]

Source: Huffington Post

The Huffington Post | Melinda Henneberger | Posted March 20, 2007 11:29 AM
Contact/tips: [e-mail]

Four prominent conservative thinkers are set to launch a campaign "to restore checks and balances and civil liberties protections under assault by the Executive Branch," arguing that, "since 9/11, the President has acquired too much power."

Former Georgia Congressman Bob Barr, who led the effort to impeach President Clinton, is one of the organizers of the effort, called the American Freedom Agenda. Others are David Keene of the American Conservative Union, writer and conservative direct mail pioneer Richard Viguerie, and constitutional scholar Bruce Fein, who served in the Reagan administration as associate deputy attorney general.

At a 1 p.m. news conference today at the National Press Club, they will pitch a legislative package "to restore congressional oversight and habeas corpus, end torture and extraordinary rendition, narrow the President's authority to designate 'enemy combatants,' prevent unconstitutional wiretaps, email and mail openings, protect journalists from prosecution under the Espionage Act, and more."

In a statement, the four said the president "has encroached on the power of Congress to make laws, and on the power of the courts to interpret the law - a scenario that the Founding Fathers foresaw and warned against." As a result, they said, "We are issuing this call to Americans of all political and philosophical persuasions to join us in urging Congress to enact The American Freedom Agenda."

. . .

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/melinda-henneberger/prominent-conservatives-l_b_43859.html

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Thom Hartmann was just discussing this on his show.

[BOSSHOG]

1. Trying to undo what they enabled bush to do

I'd appreciate it if these good Patriots would apologize and come clean with their complicity to bush's rise to power. Its like those two sluts wolfowitz and perle slinking away from their dirty work and washing their hands of bush.

[WindRavenX]

2. Bob fucking Barr??

Good lord--I think my head just exploded from the irony of this situation.

[dogfacedboy]

10. Hey, I know he's a rightie, but Barr is real about this kind of crap.

He's always been hard-line on civil liberties.

[WindRavenX]

12. Oh I know, I just think the context of this all is pretty, well, surreal

Know what I mean? But glad he's being vocal on this--too many spineless neocons out there who don't give a rip that W and his goons are shitting on the constitution.

[Spider Jerusalem]

17. Barr actually went to work as an ACLU consultant after he got booted out of Congress...

which is something I can respect, even though I haven't got much use for his politics otherwise (and it doesn't quite balance out his hypocrisy and his role in the Clinton impeachment).

[WindRavenX]

19. that's interesting--I did not know that.

Still...why did they wait this long to speak up, I wonder?

[Sapere aude]

18. His attacks on Clinton enabled Bush to take power. It effected the 2000 election.

Barr does not have clean hands here. I agree he is a hawk when it comes to protecting rights but he should have seen it coming back in the 90's.

[dogfacedboy]

20. You are correct, but I'll take any anti-Bush move. n/t

[Benhurst]

27. He's been against the so-called "Patriot" Act since the beginning,

back in the days when most of our "leaders" were voting for it and later when they were playing Hamlet while renewing it.

Credit should be given where credit is due.

[no_hypocrisy]

13. To quote Shirley Maclaine in "Terms of Endearment":

"Who'd ever think that you'd turn out to be a nice guy . . . "

[youngdem]

34. Yeah, Bob Barr is a real Repuke, for better or worse

He believes the wingnut stuff and actually lives by it, instead of using it like a preacher uses the gospel, to extort his flock.

[Raven]

3. Well, good for them...

they can get in line behind a few Democratic congressional committees. I wonder where these guys have been all this time.

[woodsprite]

4. What do they say about themselves being part of the problem

and paving the way for der Resident to raid our Rights and Freedoms? Methinks they're just trying to save themselves.

[niyad]

5. so where in the HELL have they been the last 6 years? have we heard one peep from them regarding

the shredding of our constitution? one peep about the mis-named patriot act? one peep about legalizing torture? the "free-speech" zones? gutting habeus corpus? the detention camps?

I am not impressed, and I wonder what the real agenda is.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

26. barr has been making noise about this for some time.

it is just that the MSM was been ignoring him.

[Benhurst]

30. Barr is hardly one of my favorites; but he has been outspoken against

the "Patriot" Act from the beginning.

The corporate media gleefully reported every word he had to say about Clinton's sexual conduct; but has shown little interest in what he has had to say about the "Patriot" Act and the shredding of the Constitution. He's been there; but he hasn't been covered by the press.

Does this remind you of the coverage our best people get? If a tree falls and there is no one to hear it fall, does it make a noise?

[Beetwasher]

6. Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is, Run A Third Party Candidate

I dare you.

[cspanlovr]

7. I'm watching this now (Thank you Tivo!) It's incredible. I've never

heard republics speak so eloquently against the abuses we've had to endure.

[niyad]

9. abuses they themselves were complicit in fomenting, people, let us not forget that.

[datadiva]

8. I just read this and my eyes about popped out of my head

It seems Conservative American's may be waking up to the reality of what we've lost in the last 5 years. I am so skeptical lately that I have trouble wrapping my brain around this. That is something else we've lost. Trust. I guess we have to wait and see what happens with this and if it goes anywhere. I sure hope it does.

[drm604]

21. I'm not so sure about that.

It seems Conservative American's may be waking up to the reality of what we've lost in the last 5 years.

I think that all they've woken up to is political reality due to the results of the last election.

[baldguy]

11. Isn't "conservative thinkers" an oxymoron?

[dogfacedboy]

16. The true conservatves have been drowned out by the

subversive radical right. In a twisted way, I kind of feel sorry for them. True conservatives have little or nothing to do with the right-tards. I know a couple. They constantly surprise me.

[formercia]

14. This is just a lot of smoke

to try and disassociate themselves from the monster they created and remove power from the next Democratic president that might just want to go after them for their treasonous conduct.

[sakabatou]

15. How many heads will explode over this?

It just seems a bit surreal that this is happening on the Republican side...

[Hekate]

22. So "unitary executive" isn't working so well for them? I just hope it's not too late for all of us.

I am exceedingly grateful to whatever gods may be that some conservatives are waking up to the what the radicals that call themselves conservative are actually doing to this country.

As I said, I just hope that it's not too late for all of us.

Hekate

[rodeodance]

23. ledt radio out of Madison WI was talking of this last evening. It was a

good segment.

[LiberalFighter]

24. They are part of the problem

[Greeby]

25. Bob Barr was on the board of directors of the NRA

Guess he figured since Shrub had trashed all the other amendments, that his precious second amendment would be next :eyes:

[Doctor_J]

28. Which of Richard Viguerie's rights have been trimmed over the last 6 years?

Smirk's unemployment and economic disaster have probably reduced his revenue stream, but I am sure his phone hasn't been tapped, nor has he been sent to a Free Speech Zone, nor has his right to call his attorney been refused.

Krugman's right - This is what the 80's would have looked like if Dutch had had a GOP Congress.

[hatrack]

29. Sensing a Democratic president in 2008, it's suddenly time for them to remember the Constitution

Buncha fucking Munsingwear skidmarks, one and all.

[IndianaGreen]

38. Not quite! Bob Barr has opposed PATRIOT for a few years now.

PATRIOT, military commissions, rendition, suspension of habeas corpus, etc., are threats to our liberties, and it doesn't make any difference whether we have a Democrat or a Republican in the White House.

We must restore the Constitution and the Republic!

[LearnedHand]

39. ROTFLMAO! That is the BEST insult I've read in a LONG time!

And I'm logging it in my "remember to use this next time" book right now. Shakespeare would be proud of you! :toast:

[robinlynne]

31. I think it's great no matter what the twisted reasoning behind it.

[Joanne98]

32. The American Freedom Agenda! I love it.

[Golden Raisin]

33. Blah blah. Less talk, more action. How about

they start really twisting some arms of their comrades --- Republican Congresspeople --- and convince them to join and vote with Democrats in impeaching & convicting the bastards in this administration who have destroyed our Constitution and democratic rights.

[truthisfreedom]

35. Imagine what powers a Democratic President could end up with. Powers to declare the enemies of this

country's freedoms "enemy combatants" even within our borders. Imagine who those combatants may be.

[heatstreak]

36. At least a few pubs have a conscience

[IndianaGreen]

37. This is an alliance that cries for Americans from both sides of the ideological divide

Who cares that it is Bob Barr or Richard Viguerie! What is at stake is the Constitution and the fate of the Republic.

[grannylib]

40. While I agree that those are necessary things, it's hilarious to look at the

people involved...
This conservative takeover has been building for decades; it's not new to the Chimpster and his handlers; and a couple of these folks were pretty hopped up about how nifty it was that Raygun was God and all was RIGHT with the world...and some of us could see this shit coming, and knew that the trend was toward more and more of an Orwellian world, where rePiglicans talked and talked about values and limited government and fiscal conservatism, and failed MISERABLY on all counts...

And now we have Chimpy saying "When we're talkin' about war, we're really talkin' about peace" and Coultergeist says the 1984 attack ad on Sen. Clinton is right on in that the DEMOCRATS are the party of 'newspeak' and 1984???

My head spins, really...