DU - please wake up RE: Feingold's Censure

[jsamuel]

I am amazed at DU. After one of the best days in the US Senate in a very long time, some on DU want to be contrarians. Well, I just couldn't stand to let these things fly by.

STOP!

What are you saying?


We should be impeaching, not censuring:
* Why not both?
* Senators cannot impeach, it must be started in the house.
* Feingold said he supports impeachment in his speech (if you even listened to it).

If censuring fails, it will hurt the possibility for impeachment:
* Says who? What basis do you have for this?
* Censuring Bush now puts the spotlight on the President of the United States breaking the law in defiance of the Legislative and Judicial branches.
* Censuring is an OFFICIAL act (not just some appearance on hardball) that puts impeachment in the public mind.

If we are going to censure Bush, it should be for the Iraq War:
* People are ALWAYS complaining about how Democrats muddy up simple issues.
* The Iraq War is an extremely complex issue, if only in the minds of the US public.
* Wiretaps are 300% easier to actually PROVE because we already know they did it.
* Impeachment because of the Iraq war would require an investigation of "what Bush thought" - not easily prosecuted for a sitting President.
* Censuring Bush on an array of issues would probably water down the main thrust of Feingold's argument, accountability for breaking the law.
* If you really want to work the Iraq War into this, they were spying on americans simply for being against the Iraq War.

Conyers was all over this before, I don't like Feingold for intruding on Conyers turf.
* What the heck is wrong with you?
* There is no "territory" here.
* Every person is a plus.
* Feingold never ever ever ever said that Conyers was wrong/stupid or anything of that sort and mentioned that impeachment must start in the house.

Feingold is just doing this so he can look good for a presidential run.
* Was he just trying to look good for 2004 when he was the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act?
* Why would you not like someone who stands up for the right issues?


Feingold said two things on the senate floor yesterday that gave me tingles, like I have been tense for the past 5 years and I finally had some release:

- "This President exploited the climate of anxiety after September 11, 2001." (Refers to both the Patriot Act and the Iraq War - blaming congress as well, but congress gave no authority to do these wiretaps)

- "I'll tell you what is a terrible signal. That we're so weak in response to this terrorist threat, that we're going to let the President of the United States break the law of this nation and not do anything about it. Now that's a victory for the terrorists. That we won't even stand up for our system of government, because everybody has to be afraid to mention that this President broke the law."