Feingold Calls for Presidential Censure

Politics at their finest.

Saying that President Bush misled Americans about the legality of his domestic-eavesdropping program, Sen. Russ Feingold said Sunday he would introduce a resolution to censure him.

"The president has broken the law and, in some way, he must be held accountable," said the Wisconsin Democrat, a potential White House contender in 2008.

I'd say the mere fact that he is a presidential hopeful in '08 should disqualify Feingold from this type of resolution. Note that he isn't going for impeachment.

The five-page resolution, to be introduced today, contends that Bush violated the law when he set up the eavesdropping program within the National Security Agency after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Bush claims that his authority as commander in chief, as well as a September 2001 congressional authorization to use force in the fight against terrorism, gave him the power to authorize the warrantless surveillance.

That is interesting. No one that has been briefed has called the activities illegal. In fact, most of the reasonable judicial types have said this isn't a topic with any clearly applicable case law.

"Congress has to reassert our system of government, and the cleanest and the most efficient way to do that is to censure the president," Feingold said.

The president's actions were "in the strike zone" in terms of being an impeachable offense, Feingold said, but he questioned whether impeaching Bush and removing him from office would be good for the country.

In the House, Rep. John Conyers of Michigan is pushing legislation that would call on the Republican-controlled Congress to determine whether there are grounds for impeachment.

Still looks to me like the tin-foil crowd is grasping at straws. Instead of having a case to look at the legality they try cheap antics to pander to the extremes of their political base. Being in the same field as Conyers will surely help Feingold in a presidential run. Are they again missing that it's the center that votes in the president and not the wings.

Political BS at its worst.