Russ Feingold has a great solution to the President’s all too frequent flouting of the law: censure him. Yesterday on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Sen. Feingold announced that he has created a resolution by which the Senate, and I presume the House, can censure President Bush for pretending he had authority which he didn’t to wiretap American citizens. I think this is a very sensible plan that should, but won’t, attract bipartisan support. My personal belief is that the actions by this administration, from day one, constitute high crimes and misdemeanors, but I also am a little hesitant to push for impeachment because I think that that route is a very, very serious step and should be used sparingly (I also don’t want to look like the Republican gang that impeached Clinton). Censure gives Congress a way to get back some of the power it has ceded to this president while simultaneously holds the President accountable for his actions. Kudos to my hero Russ. I think this demonstrates Sen. Feingold’s continued adherence to principle in a manner that isn’t strictly determined to bury his political enemies.
The Washington Post also has the story, including Sen. Bill Frist’s response (which was nonsensical in its claim that the censure would be a sign of weakness, as if the president’s flaming poll numbers and the fact that America is not happy with our direction isn’t indicating America’s dissatisfaction!). The Senate website provides info on what censure is and how it has been used. Sen. Feingold’s Senate website also has a statement and fact sheet as well. Don’t forget to check out Mass for Feingold!
Update: I just received an email from Feingold’s Progressive Patriot’s Fund asking to support his censure by signing his petition. I encourage anyone who wants to see the President censured for his actions to sign the petition! Also, take five minutes and read the censure resolution, it is a simple read and well put together.