Feingold for President

Sen. Feingold Proposes Censuring Bush

WASHINGTON — Liberal Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold said Sunday he wants Congress to censure President Bush for his management of the Iraq war and his "assault" against the Constitution.
But Feingold's own party leader in the Senate showed little interest in the idea. An attempt in 2006 by Feingold to censure Bush over the warrantless spying program attracted only three co-sponsors.
Feingold, a prominent war critic, said he soon plans to offer two censure resolutions _ measures that would amount to a formal condemnation of the Republican president.
The first would seek to reprimand Bush for, as Feingold described it, getting the nation into war without adequate military preparation and for issuing misleading public statements. The resolution also would cite Vice President Dick Cheney and perhaps other administration officials
The second measure would seek to censure Bush for what the Democrat called a continuous assault against the rule of law through such efforts as the warrantless surveillance program against suspected terrorists, Feingold said. It would also ask for a reprimand of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and maybe others.
"This is an opportunity for people to say, let's at least reflect on the record that something terrible has happened here," said Feingold, D-Wis. "This administration has weakened America in a way that is frightful."
At the White House, spokesman Trey Bohn said, "We realize that Senator Feingold does not care much for the president's policies."
Bohn said Bush wants to work with Feingold and other Democrats on such matters as supporting U.S. troops, improving energy choices and securing health care and tax cuts for families. "Perhaps after calls for censure and more investigations, Congress may turn to such things," Bohn said.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Feingold's proposals showed the nation's frustration. But Reid said he would not go along with them and said the Senate needs to focus on finishing spending bills on defense and homeland security.
"We have a lot of work to do," Reid said. "The president already has the mark of the American people _ he's the worst president we ever had. I don't think we need a censure resolution in the Senate to prove that."
As for the Senate's top Republican, "I think it's safe to say Russ Feingold is not a fan of George Bush. I think that's the best way to sum that up," said Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
Feingold spoke on NBC's "Meet the Press." Reid appeared on "Face the Nation" on CBS, while McConnell was on "Late Edition" on CNN.

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The history books should show that Congress formally condemned this President, and others in the administration who have so brazenly misled the American people and undercut the rule of law.
Senator Russ Feingold's diary :: ::
As you know, over a year ago I introduced a resolution to censure the President for his illegal wiretapping program, and for the way he misled Congress and the public before and after the program’s disclosure about whether his administration was following the law. I appreciated the strong support I got from all of you for that effort. You really helped galvanize support for that push for accountability, and encouraged people all over the country to recognize how damaging the President's actions were to our basic freedoms.
So, as I announced a little while ago on Meet the Press, I plan to introduce two censure resolutions in the Senate in the coming weeks. These will be broad resolutions, one of which will address the war in Iraq, including the administration's efforts to mislead the nation into, and during, the war, mismanagement of the war, and its attempts to justify this Iraq mistake by distorting the situation on the ground in Iraq. The other condemns the administration's abuse of the rule of law. Because, of all this administration's outrageous misconduct, those are truly the worst of the worst.
This time I am taking a broader approach because the list of administration wrongdoing, misleading statements, and out and out lies, just keeps getting longer. Congress should censure the President not only for the illegal wiretapping program, but for the administration's phony reasons for going to war in Iraq, for trashing habeas corpus, for giving the green light to torture, and the list goes on and on. I want Congress to condemn what the administration has done, both for the American people, and for history. We all know what a disaster this administration is, and generations to come should know it too, so they can avoid a repeat of the misconduct we have witnessed over the past six and a half years.
I know some of you may not believe these resolutions are enough, and I understand that. I am as frustrated as you are about this administration’s actions and I hope the proposal I made today is something you’ll consider helping me with (in addition to other efforts you may support). Together we will hold this administration accountable for its many abuses. The history books will show we were vocal in condemning the President’s abuses of power.
I want you to know how much your honest opinions influenced my thinking on this, and how much I value what all of you have to say. This conversation isn't over by a long shot, in part because these resolutions aren't written yet. I'll be working to put them together, and I welcome your input. So let's keep talking.
Update: Thanks everyone for taking time out of your weekend to offer me some feedback. I want to address some of the comments and questions you’ve posted. I did speak with Senator Reid about this and rest assured I will certainly be making my case to him and my other colleagues. As I said on Meet the Press, even Republican Senator Gordon Smith has had some very strong words for this administration’s actions regarding Iraq. Democrats and Republicans alike should be outraged at the contempt the administration has shown for Congress – from interpreting the laws we pass however they want through signing statements, to writing its own laws like we saw with the illegal wiretapping program, to treating Congress as nothing more than an ATM machine.
As far as impeachment is concerned, as I have stated, I do not believe it is the right course of action right now. Censure is a way to formally rebuke the administration for its misconduct so that the historical record is clear, without putting the country through a very trying process. Again, if the House votes to impeach, I will approach it with all the seriousness I did when President Clinton was impeached, listening to the case presented.
Censure is not a cure all. We need to act to correct the problems created by this administration. We need to get our brave troops out from the middle of what is largely an Iraqi civil war. We need to significantly revise the Military Commissions Act, get to the bottom of the U.S. Attorneys scandal, and find out more about the warrantless wiretapping program before we move forward with a legislative fix. There is a lot more to do and I will work with my colleagues on the Senate Judiciary, Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committees to do it. But I also think that censure is important to show future generations that we formally condemned the actions of this administration.
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By C.K.
June 30, 2007

The Blue Ribbon Coalition bills itself as the voice of the American off-road rider, its mission "to preserve our precious natural heritage," according to its website. It claims to represent some 600,000 off-road-vehicle enthusiasts, though it admits that just 2 percent of that number are dues-paying members. But it's not necessarily Joe Snowmobiler that underwrites the group's $1 million annual budget. Though the coalition does not disclose a breakdown of its funding sources, the supporters listed in its magazine, BlueRibbon, include many companies that have evinced little concern for the orv community, but care a great deal about keeping public lands open for business: timber, mining, oil, and gas interests. Some top backers:
At least 18 large timber companies that log in national forests, including Boise Cascade, the third largest buyer of logs from national forest land; and the $2.2 billion-a-year Pacific Corp., the world's leading waferboard manufacturer.
At least 15 mining companies and associations, including Battle Mountain Gold Co., one of the biggest companies mining on public lands; Echo Bay Minerals Co.; and Crown Butte Mines Inc. (now part of Canada's Noranda Inc.), which once sought to mine for gold in a spot next to Yellowstone National Park that it had bought from the federal government for a mere $135, and eventually sold back to the feds for $65 million.
At least eight oil or gas companies and four oil and gas trade associations, among them ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, and the American Petroleum Institute.
The American Recreation Coalition, which represents interests ranging from the Walt Disney Corp. to the recreational vehicle industry, and which has helped the coalition lobby for a program that directs hundreds of millions in public funding to off-road-vehicle trails.
A 2000 investigation by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (pirg) Education Fund concluded that extractive industries use the coalition "as a front group to advance their agenda"—an allegation that Brian Hawthorne, the group's public lands director, calls "total crap. We struggle to meet our budget every year." Hawthorne adds, "It's a 24-hour begathon for us. The real story is that Blue Ribbon is so effective even though it's such a small operation."
The coalition's accomplishments include filing suit against the National Park Service to keep Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks open to snowmobiles, spearheading the opposition to a Clinton-era initiative to protect roadless wildlands, and filing more than three-dozen lawsuits challenging orv restrictions in areas being studied for wilderness designation. The organization is perhaps most effective, says Wilderness Society lobbyist Kristen Brengel, in pressuring local field offices of federal public-lands agencies. "They have an on-the-ground presence," she notes. "This constituency is loud and extremely aggressive."