FEINGOLD, HINCHEY INTRODUCE RESOLUTIONS CENSURING PRESIDENT, VICE PRESIDENT AND ATTORNEY GENERAL

[kpete]

FEINGOLD, HINCHEY INTRODUCE RESOLUTIONS CENSURING PRESIDENT, VICE PRESIDENT AND ATTORNEY GENERAL

Resolutions Condemn President and Administration Officials for Misconduct Leading Up to and During Military Involvement in Iraq, and for Undermining the Rule of Law

August 6, 2007

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) and U.S. Representative Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) have introduced two censure resolutions in their respective chambers condemning the president, vice president and the attorney general for misconduct regarding our military involvement in Iraq and for their repeated assaults on the rule of law at home. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) is a cosponsor of both Senate censure resolutions and Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) is a cosponsor of the Senate censure resolution regarding Iraq. The House resolutions have 19 original cosponsors.

“Congress cannot stay silent when the American people are demanding that this administration be held accountable for its blatant misconduct regarding Iraq and its attack on the rule of law,” Feingold said. “These censure resolutions will let future generations know that Congress stood up to the destructive policies of this administration that have weakened our national security, cost more than 3,600 American lives, and undermined the principles on which our country was founded. I applaud Congressman Hinchey for leading this charge for accountability in the House of Representatives.”

“From misleading this country into invading Iraq to establishing a warrantless domestic spy program, this White House has continuously misled and deceived the American people while disregarding the rule of law that guides our democracy,” Hinchey said. “The Bush administration has placed an extraordinary burden on this and future generations to recover from the damage done to our Constitution and national security. While it will take time to get our country back on the right track, we in Congress can act now by passing these censure resolutions to hold the White House accountable and to let the historical record show that an equal branch of government found the actions of this administration undeniably reprehensible. I am honored to be working with Senator Feingold on these censure resolutions and look forward to gathering support in order to pass them in both chambers.”

http://feingold.senate.gov/~feingold/releases/07/08/20070806censure.html
http://feingold.senate.gov/censureiraq302.pdf
http://feingold.senate.gov/censureruleoflaw303.pdf

[babylonsister]

1. I wish censure had some value; if it does, I'd like to know what. nt

[H2O Man]

28. I think it has

some value. It is not the step that I want, but it is a half-step that at least points the congress in the correct direction.

[lonestarnot]

42. I will take it too, since it's the only fucking thing being offered at this time.

Shat!

[lazer47]

2. How about a resolution to have them tried before the World Court

[OzarkDem]

19. Not enought jurors would vote to convict in World Court

of course we don't know who the jurors or judges would be, but we do know they wouldn't be able to get a conviction, so there's no point in even bringing charges against them.

:sarcasm:

[berni_mccoy]

3. Can anyone tell me why this isn't meaningless or that it will have some impact?

[MrCoffee]

5. that's a big negatory, good buddy.

[Amonester]

11. Self-delete (wrong place). n/t

[OzarkDem]

20. No, I can't

and I think I'm going to lose my lunch.

[ORDagnabbit]

4. how bout not fucking gutting the constitution instead?? n/t

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

6. Teensy slap on the wrist, Bad Boys. This is Bullshit once again. It reminds me of an enabling

mother with a child with personality orders. The kid starts the fight, gets reprimanded. The kid starts to cry and mommy hugs and kisses her errant child. And this happens continually, and the child is actually rewarded for bad behavior.
Well Congress hugged and kissed Shrub's recent boo boos by giving him our civil rights. The next law he breaks (and he will), they'll yell at him, and when he makes another demand, they'll give in once again.
I'm getting too old and tired for this bullshit.

[KittyWampus]

7. Well, that's at least a step above an angry letter to the NYTimes

[Breeze54]

8. It's better than nothing!

All we've got now is nothing. :(

I support Feingold! :patriot:

Dear Breeze,

07/30/200

I heard from tens of thousands of people from across Wisconsin and around the country last week,
and the overwhelming majority are pleased that Congress is finally starting to demand accountability
from an administration that has played fast and loose with the Constitution for far too long.
I will continue to lead on this in Congress, but I cannot do it alone.

As you know, last Sunday I proposed censure resolutions aimed at holding the President,
Vice President and administration officials responsible for misconduct relating to the war
in Iraq and for their repeated assaults on the rule of law. I am pleased to announce that
Congressman Maurice Hinchey has joined me in this effort. Thanks to the input of thousands
of Progressive Patriots like you, we plan to formally introduce these censure resolutions
later this week. But I still need your feedback. So if you haven’t already, please let me
know your thoughts on this vitally important issue. I will be sure to keep you posted as
we move forward.

And last Thursday I was joined by Senators Feinstein, Schumer and Whitehouse in asking the
U.S. Solicitor General to appoint an independent Special Counsel from outside the Department
of Justice to investigate Attorney General Gonzales for potential charges of obstruction of
justice, false statements, and perjury in his testimony before Congress.

It is clear that this Attorney General, in concert with the President and others, continues
to orchestrate one of the biggest assaults on the rule of law this country has ever seen.

Now is not the time for members of Congress to back down.

Now is the time to demand accountability.

Thanks to your constant feedback and your steadfast support, the Progressive Patriots Fund
has turned into an organization that not only supports candidates financially, but also
pushes a strong progressive reform agenda forward.

Support the Progressive Patriots Fund http://www.progressivepatriotsfund.com/

We will continue our effort to move our country forward – but we cannot do it alone.
Please take a moment today to show your support with a financial contribution to the
Progressive Patriots Fund.

Thanks again for your continued feedback and support.

Sincerely,

Russ Feingold
United States Senator
Honorary Chair, Progressive Patriots Fund

The Progressive Patriots Fund is dedicated to promoting a progressive
reform agenda and supporting candidates across the country.
-Senator Russ Feingold, Honorary Chair

[MrCoffee]

9. a failed attempt at censure is better than a failed attempt at impeachment

at least no one will understand censure. is American Idol on yet?

[Breeze54]

10. What's

"American Idol" ? :shrug:

[MrCoffee]

13. tehehe...

:rofl: good one.

:hi:

[spotbird]

21. No, it's worse. No trial.

It's embarrassing.

[MrCoffee]

23. there's no trial with impeachment, either

but what the hell, we don't know anything about impeachment, but we're gonna scream the roof down unless we get it, right?

[OzarkDem]

26. Bullshit

Could the anti-impeachment folks please do us all a favor and spend a couple of hours doing some actual research on the impeachment process and how it works?

You're making fools of yourselves.

[MrCoffee]

27. impeachment in the House does not involve a trial...that's the Senate's job.

[OzarkDem]

30. Duh!

That's what I was trying to tell you. As I said, the anti-impeachment crowd needs to do a little research if they want to engage in meaningful discussion.

[KoKo]

29. Yes there is investigation by the House forcing witnesses to appear without

having to abide by "Executive Privilege" then the Senate tries them on the evidence produced by the House. So, starting impeachment to get the information we need to prove all the crimes is important.

[OzarkDem]

25. No investigation, nada, nil

My Dem leaders just keep shooting themselves in the foot, looking more and more like partners in crime.

Please do us a favor Russ - tell your fellow Dems to just shut up and apologize for screwing up. Stop insulting us with meaningless gestures and lame PR campaigns. You're only making it worse.


Stop now while you still have some grassroots Dems left who support you.

[riona]

12. It's a start

and a good litmus test for further action.

[flyarm]

14. where in the constitution does it mention CENSURE? it doesn't!

our constitution does not make censure a means to protect this nation from high crimes and misdomeanors by our executive branch!

but 6 times impeachment is dealt with in our constitution as the only means to hold our leaders accountable for breaking our laws!

fly

[rateyes]

15. This is a slap on the wrist, and by bet is...

the Democratically-controlled Congress won't even do that!! Tell me I'm wrong.

[flyarm]

24. i will not tell you , you are wrong..this is worthless flap trap crap! eom

[mopinko]

16. aren't they in recess?

if this was supposed to have any impact, besides derrière covering, it would not be introduced while everyone is packing to get out of town.

[rucky]

17. Keeping our powder dry and our noodles wet. n/t

[The Cleaner]

18. And Bush & Cheney Laugh; And Congress Gives More of our Rights & Freedoms Away...

:cry:

[OzarkDem]

22. High Crimes & Misdemeanors

Deserve far more than a slap on the wrist.

It is worse than doing nothing because it lowers the bar for the standards we hold our leaders to uphold.

[radfringe]

31. catch 22

anti-impeachment logic: we don't have the VOTES so I'm not going to SUPPORT it

congress logic: we don't have the SUPPOERT so I'm not going to VOTE for it.

[stirlingsliver]

32. Oh, Swell!

Well, isn't that lovely?

Where the hell are the fucking ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT???

[AntiFascist]

39. This happens in the HOUSE not the SENATE!!!!!

and with the general tone of this thread, it will be a wonder if anything gets done.

A handfull of representatives in the House are signing onto HR 333, a resolution calling for the impeachment of Cheney. The snooze news can always point to this handful of progressives and try to paint them as nutball conspiracy theorists. The list of various crimes only muddies the water.

When distinguished Senators call out both Bush and Cheney pointing to the specific crime of lying us into war through criminal means, then it becomes an entirely different matter. Congress must now deal with these issues.

[debbierlus]

33. b.s. - Feinstein voted for the bill & now wants a imaginary slap on the wrist

One of the 16 traitors...

I am NOT interested in appearances of doing things, I am interested in IMPEACHMENT. Period.

[Breeze54]

34. It's -- FEINGOLD --

not Feinstein! ;)

[PeaceNikki]

37. FeinGOLD voted against the bill. Oh, AND he was sole vote against the US PATRIOT Act, too.

Get your Fein's straight!!

http://senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00309#position
Grouped By Vote Position
YEAs ---60
Allard (R-CO)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Burr (R-NC)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Inouye (D-HI)
Isakson (R-GA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCaskill (D-MO)
McConnell (R-KY)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Roberts (R-KS)
Salazar (D-CO)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)
Webb (D-VA)

NAYs ---28
Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Brown (D-OH)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Clinton (D-NY)
Dodd (D-CT)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Obama (D-IL)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)

Not Voting - 12
Alexander (R-TN)
Boxer (D-CA)
Bunning (R-KY)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Gregg (R-NH)
Harkin (D-IA)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kerry (D-MA)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
McCain (R-AZ)
Murray (D-WA)

[AntiFascist]

35. K&R, EXCELLENT!!! They've cut to the chase....

now, this should hopefully convince some of the holdouts in the House on supporting HR333. Write to your House representatives and point to the content of the Senate Censure resolutions. This is serious stuff!

[babylonsister]

40. Hinchey IS a holdout who hasn't signed 333; go figure. nt

[Rex]

36. They impeach of a blowjob, the censure over an invasion based on lies.

Go figure, at least they are doing something! What are the Repukes doing to stop one of their OWN, beside 'distancing' their political asses? :eyes:

[BornagainDUer]

38. Mothafaaaack!! What a crop of slimey little

shits they are. Do they really think they can one day let Bush strip us of still more Constitutional rights and the next produce some crock of shit like this and expect it to all be better???

The sum total of the democrat win in November has been to increase troop levels in Iraq and take away more of our rights.

Fuck em' all!!

[blues90]

41. This should scare the hell out of them

They will mock and sneeze and go on about thier business of ruining what' little is left of this country .

[goodgd_yall]

43. Wimps n/t