Impeachment News

Nixon looms over hearing on censure
By James Kuhnhenn
Knight Ridder Newspapers
March 31, 2006

"WASHINGTON — Memories of Watergate, break-ins and cover-ups hovered like the ghosts of shamed presidencies over a Senate hearing Friday on whether to censure President Bush.
There was John Dean, the former White House counsel who exposed Richard Nixon in the Watergate cover-up nearly 33 years ago, calling for Bush's censure.
Of fresher vintage was Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who as a House member eight years ago helped manage the impeachment trial of President Clinton. Though Graham once advocated censure for Clinton, on Friday he made a case for sparing Bush."
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For those who require a bit of a history lesson, Richard Nixon resigned rather than face the impending impeachment that was being put together in the House. One of the articles being debated involved illegal wiretaps and searches of American citizens. The FISA Act was a direct result of Nixon's actions.

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"The motion has attracted only two other co-sponsors and only two of the Senate Judiciary Committee's eight Democrats showed up Friday at a hearing convened by Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa. No votes were taken.
Significantly, however, the panel's top Democrat, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said for the first time that he "is inclined to believe" censure is an appropriate sanction against Bush.
"We know the president broke the law," Leahy said. (emphasis added) "Now we need to know why."
Graham and Specter disagreed with Bush's claim of having the legal authority to wiretap U.S. citizens ( emphasis added) but rejecting that the president deserves an official reprimand."..."Conservative legal scholar Bruce Fein, an active supporter of Bush's judicial nominees, condemned the president's wiretapping program and said Bush's justifications undermine the government.
"You can lose a republic on the installment plan every bit as efficiently as, at one fell swoop, with a coup d'état," he said."

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So here we have it; republicans and Democrats alike agreeing that George W. Bush has broken the law and violated the US Constitution. If you are keeping score, we are now at three Senators who favor holding him accountable and 97 who are looking for a rock big enough to hide under.

Peace,

Chad (The Left) Shue