One Man's Constitutional Crisis ...
I have to say that I am in total agreement with the New York Times when it comes to US Senators reactions to the FBI's decision to raid the offices of William Jefferson.
Suddenly Senators seem remarkably united at this "attack on the constitution."
Our first question is where all these concerned constitutionalists have been for the last five years.
Time and time again, Congress has played dead when the executive branch refused to provide it with information, answer questions or follow laws that the legislative branch has passed.
Currently, the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has not been the worst offender, is tinkering dangerously with the laws covering domestic wiretapping by the National Security Agency. It could end up endorsing a program that the White House won't even fully describe to a vast majority of lawmakers.
It is remarkable that these same men who have sat on their hands whilst the Bush administration tore the constitution to pieces now have the temerity to object when his actions impend upon themselves.
The constitutional claims made by the Congressional leadership on the Jefferson case seem overblown. House and Senate members are protected from arrest while going about their official business to shield them from intimidation and meddling by the executive branch in the affairs of state, not to deter law enforcement officials from doing their lawful duty to investigate possible felonies.
But members of Congress who have been politically comatose or complicit as the Bush administration built itself an imperial presidency, immune from the historical powers of the legislative branch, are up in arms. The House Judiciary Committee, which has been in the forefront of the long-running cave-in, has scheduled a hearing that the chairman has titled "Reckless Justice: Did the Saturday Night Raid of Congress Trample the Constitution?"
It seems like a phony approach to a real problem.
Perhaps, at long last, those same Senators will understand the very real outrage that Bush unleashed when he said the constitution was "just a bit of paper."
Either way, it is hypocritical in the extreme that these same men - who allowed Bush the unrivalled political leeway that he now enjoys - should object when he acts like a King.
After all, it was they who placed the crown on his head. And is was they who bought his theory that nothing is illegal if it is the President who is doing the action.
Their hypocrisy on this is staggering.
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2 comments:
While i agree that most of the Congress has deafened us with silence over the past five years i can't help but be on their side. Now that they feel threatened they are finally starting to wake up. That is not a big surprise. They are mired in self interest.
It is still our responsibilty to fight for and stand by the Constitution at all times. It does not matter if we are fighting for the rights of an American detained without trial or the rights of the KKK to hold a demonstration.
We either believe the Constituion is valid or, like George W. Bush, we don't.
There are things in the Constitution i disagree with but i will have to stand by the whole document. With one caveat; if the day comes that it is ammended to infringe on anyone's right's i will have to walk away from it.
Hypocrits have rights too. I won't trade theirs away any more than i would trade my own.
Nice site, by the way. :)
I sincerely hope you are right and that this is their wake up call.
I feel slightly more ccynical.
I feel they'll make a huge ballyhoo when one of their own are under attack then slip back to sleep in a wave of partisanship.
I do hope that you are right and that this particular glass is half full!
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