Feingold NYT:'Exec Branch Has Little Respect For Principals Of Democracy'

[kpete]

The President and the Law (1 Letter)


Published: September 24, 2006
To the Editor:

John Yoo, a former deputy assistant attorney general in the Bush administration, acknowledges that President Bush’s unique approach to the law, which the president has insisted is necessary to fight terrorism, is motivated by the “broader’’ goal of strengthening executive power (Op-Ed, Sept. 17).

Mr. Yoo cites this goal as a reason the administration has fought a “pre-emptive’’ war, “data-mined communications in the United States to root out terrorism,’’ detained terrorists without “formal’’ charges and conducted “harsh’’ interrogations.

The agenda includes the reclassification of government information and the withholding of information from Congress and the courts, and has been buttressed by the president’s “signing statements,’’ which Mr. Yoo asserts claim the president’s right not to enforce “unconstitutional’’ laws.

In our system of government, it is the courts that determine the constitutionality of laws, not the president.

But Mr. Yoo takes his argument further, asserting that the president can ignore laws like the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act because they have produced “dysfunction.’’ Indeed, according to Mr. Yoo, the president can ignore both laws and judicial decisions that he deems “wrongheaded’’ or “obsolete.’’

These views are clearly offensive to our constitutional system. It is long past time for Congress to reassert its proper role in checking an executive branch that has so little respect for the principles that have sustained our democracy for more than 200 years.

Russ Feingold
U.S. Senator from Wisconsin
Washington, Sept. 19, 2006

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/opinion/l24feingold.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

[AX10]

1. K & R!

[drmondo]

2. Clinton said it right today...

when he mentioned that there is more to freedom and democracy than majority rules.

Bush keeps conflating the two, both at home and abroad. Bush not only has no respect, he has no understanding.

[Raffi Ella]

13. you got that right - well said and

Welcome to D.U. :toast:



Russ sounds like a man for the times.

Thanks for the post.:kick:

[Double T]

3. bushco is pushing democracy and democratic governments.........

throughout the world, while HE ignores, overrides, replaces, dismantles and destroys democracy and our democratic government HERE! The 'hard work' of a madman.

[me b zola]

4. Tying bush*s failed domestic policies to bush*s failed foriegn policies

Give Russ a big microphone, let him drive the message home!

[lyonn]

5. Meanwhile, back at the borders .....

We allow any and all to cross!

We do not have money to scan cargo entering our ports (too costly since we are going in debt fighting the wars in 2 countries and plans to invade other countries with no other country willing to participate).

Securing potential sites here in the U.S. such as nuclear, water, power, etc. that go unsecured.

This list is longer but bottom line, we have ignored security here for the War Games!

[Vidar]

6. Thank you, Russ.

[bobthedrummer]

7. It was the "decision" of SCOTUS that installed the "decider"

and one of the few voices (and the only Senator to vote against Viet Dinh's influenced PATRIOT ACT) articulating what should have been done with these treasonous war criminals and universal fascists has been Feingold.

Among other things my Senator has called for: the repeal of PATRIOT, resignation of Rumsfeld, recall of our troops from Iraq...Feingold has seen his work about campaign finance reform trashed-and as a result of the power struggles within the Democratic Party his loyalty and true patriotism in regards to our Constitution and Bill of Rights has been questioned.

Meanwhile, the decider issued a notice that his EO 13224 "national emergency" would be renewed for another year-the language of that makes anyone he declares a terrorist, this is very close to totalitarian. I'm sure Senator Feingold or you or I or anyone else could be rounded up if this continues. If the rallying point isn't our Constitution and the illegal "legislation" repealed and the BFEE criminals prosecuted there could be overt civil war instead of this covert one imo.

Here's a link to the renewal of the "national emergency".
http://cryptome.org/pn092106.htm

[NOLADEM]

8. Can't wait for the Feingold Adminstration

Anyone else?

[dogday]

9. I am holding out for a hero and Russ is it

I just love the way this man loves the Contistution....

[elehhhhna]

10. Me too. Rec7

[DavidDvorkin]

11. Fortunately, Feingold wrote "principles"

For a moment, I thought I'd have to pledge to vote against him.

[chill_wind]

12. Res ipsa loquitur

Always gives me great happiness to to be able to kick a Russ Feingold thread.

[BeFree]

14. I see your kick, and I raise ya one!

I hope Russ can survive, he's pissing on some mean mofos.

Luckily, he's got the constitution on his side.

[chill_wind]

17. Love him. America isn't anywhere near ready for him.

He's got way too much character, conviction and principle, intelligence, articulate fire, and class. We've forgotten as a populace what all those things look like and how to value and reward them. We'd rather keep on electing the corporatist snakes and dipshits we've been putting in charge for years now.

[alfredo]

15. Kick for Russ

[gumby]

16. Kick for Senator Feingold.

:kick:

[bobthedrummer]

18. Feingold blasts Bush's priorities: Expanding power is an obsession,

Senator says.

Speaking to members of MoveOn.org in Philadelphia Russ Feingold again articulated what many people have known for years-the Bush administration is using the war on terror and the expansion of broader police and surveillance powers as a "cover to justify changing our system of government".

Russ Feingold also spoke the truth about elements within the Democratic Party (without naming them) that have enabled the war criminal president administration's goals.


http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=503116