No President is Above the Law




Keith Olberman's recent commentary entitled "The Entire Government Has Failed Us" is an essential read. And it evokes a question: How many egregious missteps, abuses, and flagrant suppressions of Constitutional law must a man commit before the Congress REALLY stands up to him? How much spying on Americans? How many extraordinary renditions? How many upendings of the Constitution? How many illegal wars (based upon lies)? How many wars without end? How many illegal privatizations? How many crony contracts? Is there nothing too outrageous (like use our military as hostages) for this president to do?

How does the Congress let this man get away with what he is doing? How do the elected Democrats? I refer everyone to teacherken's article on RK yesterday. So many are acting like this is just another (boring) vote and ho-hum each time another part of our nation is undermined. Others, like Nancy Pelosi act as though they actually accomplished something in recent non-binding time lines and a watered-down final funding bill.

And if absolutely nothing is too outrageous, then why are we all so timid? And why are we silenced every time the "i" word comes up. If we care more about empty electability, and put nothing on the line, will a victory in November 2008 mean anything at all?

Things are so bad now that there is no excuse for Democrats not to step up the pressure in a big ("i-word") way. If our president won't follow the law; holds us, the governed, in contempt; and holds himself as above the law, then we have a moral obligation to press the "i" word.

A high-level elected politician I know once said that he was once advised to determine what line he or she won't cross in order to stay in office? What principles would he or she be willing to sacrifice elected office for? Every single Senator and Congressman/woman needs to confront that dilemma. For those who already have, I suggest that they have set the bar too low. However, I would add that if an elected representative or Senator will let a president flagrantly flaunt the Constitution and use "signing statements to invent the law, the time is long past to stand up to this man. And our representatives who will not stand up to him have lost any morsel of respect or legitimacy. They simply care more about staying in or winning office than about our country. The amazing thing is that Americans wouldn't punish Democrats for showing some spine and doing precisely they were elected to do. So what's taking them so long?


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18831132/

http://www.raisingkaine.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8693