More Censure

Russ Feingold is again looking to censure the President, unwilling to press for impeachment and reasoning that this is the best that can be done at this time.

Over the recent months and years, we've learned that this President, and his administration, have used mistruths, spin, lofty-rhetoric, hyped-up intelligence reports, and scare tactics to drag this country into a war that can only be described as the worst foreign policy mistake in our nation's history.

In addition, the administration, in an attempt to justify this mistake, has repeatedly distorted the situation on the ground in Iraq.

And the President continues to keep our country bogged down in Iraq – in a civil war that has no military solution and actually hurts America's ability to fight those who attacked us on September 11th, 2001.

What's equally dangerous is the blatant disregard President Bush has had for the rule of law on which our country was founded.

Future generations must understand that at a time in our nation's history when the very foundation of our government was threatened, Congress was not silent.

Regardless of whether you are for or against the impeachment of the President, Vice President, and other administration officials, Senator Feingold's censure resolution is a powerful way to hold this administration accountable.

Feingold's in kind of a tough spot, since as a Senator he can't introduce impeachment resolutions. And I believe he feels boxed in by the similar Democratic groupthink that impeachment would be a distraction for the country. Indeed, Harry Reid doesn't even want to waste a moment even on censure.

REID: I’m sure Russ Feingold will try to find a way to offer that amendment. The Republicans won’t let us vote on it. They’ll block it.

SCHIEFFER: So would you go along with it if they let you vote on it?

REID: Bob, frankly, we have so many other things to do. The president already has the mark of the American people that he’s the worst president we’ve ever had, and I don’t think we need a censure resolution in the Senate to prove that. We have to do…

SCHIEFFER: So you’re not going along with it?

REID: Well, at this stage, Russ is going to have to make his case as to why we should do that rather than do our appropriation bills, finish the defense authorization bill, Homeland Security appropriation bill.

SCHIEFFER: OK.

REID: We have a lot of work to do.

It's obvious that this President had committed untold crimes that warrant impeachment. Censure is actually an intermediate step to get the Senate on the record as saying that these crimes merit serious condemnation. And when it fails to reach even 30 votes, it'll be even more clear that there is not enough time to make removal a reality. There's just not enough time, and the Republican caucus is not nearly independent enough to make this successful. I support it because clueless Beltway consultants don't, and my belief is to be completely counter-intuitive to them. But that doesn't mean it'll be successful.