Conyers must read blog today

[MelissaB]

Destroying Checks and Balances with the Stroke of a Pen

What I just read should scare every American. In connection with the spying scandal, where without any court review or supervision the President unilaterally spied on Americans, we now have the purported legal justification for his actions.

The Justice Department has written (PDF) the Chairs and Ranking Members of the Intelligence Committees with its legal arguments. In a nutshell, the letter argues that the President's Article II authority as Commander in Chief allows him to do whatever he wants. He doesn't need congressional authorization or oversight. He does not need to go to any court. His decisions are unreviewable by the Supreme Court. It is a similar argument used to justify torturing detainees.

My assessment of the legal basis for this argument would likely break the rules of discourse on this blog. Suffice it to say, it is not going to fly.

To bolster this pathetic Constitutional argument, the Administration also points to the September 11 use of force resolution. But here they are really playing fast and loose with the facts. In a classic heads I win, tails you lose fashion, we learned today from fromer Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle that the Administration asked for this authority and was denied it (the Washington Post has more ). Having been denied this authority by Congress, they proclaim they had it anyway. See more from Armando at DailyKos.

This appears to be a direct assault on the constitutional prerogatives of both branches of government. The blunt spoken Joe Conason lays out the case in the New York Observer even before the latest disclosures. The bottom line is that this argument postulates that the President can act, do anything -- inside or outside the law, without any limits or oversight whatsoever. If you weren't scared before, you should be now.

One postscript: I was honored that the Republican National Committee responded to my staff's report on the Iraq war lies. The response is as follows: "Republican National Committee spokeswoman Ann Marie Hauser said if Conyers 'spent half the time condemning terrorism that he does condemning the President of the United States, he would be a credible voice in the war on terror.'" I was a little disappointed at the half-heartedness of the response. It's like they are just "phoning it in" when it comes to the McCarthy-ism these days. It is also an unintentionally ironic response, given this nugget and others discussed in the staff report.



Blogged by JC on 12.23.05 @ 11:46 AM ET

Link: http://www.conyersblog.us/

[MelissaB]

1. From the last link

Key Bush Intelligence Briefing Kept From Hill Panel

by Murray Waas
November 23, 2005

Ten days after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, President Bush was told in a highly classified briefing that the U.S. intelligence community had no evidence linking the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein to the attacks and that there was scant credible evidence that Iraq had any significant collaborative ties with Al Qaeda, according to government records and current and former officials with firsthand knowledge of the matter.

The information was provided to Bush on September 21, 2001 during the "President's Daily Brief," a 30- to 45-minute early-morning national security briefing. Information for PDBs has routinely been derived from electronic intercepts, human agents, and reports from foreign intelligence services, as well as more mundane sources such as news reports and public statements by foreign leaders.

One of the more intriguing things that Bush was told during the briefing was that the few credible reports of contacts between Iraq and Al Qaeda involved attempts by Saddam Hussein to monitor the terrorist group. Saddam viewed Al Qaeda as well as other theocratic radical Islamist organizations as a potential threat to his secular regime. At one point, analysts believed, Saddam considered infiltrating the ranks of Al Qaeda with Iraqi nationals or even Iraqi intelligence operatives to learn more about its inner workings, according to records and sources.

The September 21, 2001, briefing was prepared at the request of the president, who was eager in the days following the terrorist attacks to learn all that he could about any possible connection between Iraq and Al Qaeda.

More: http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=15&ItemID=9191

[Liberty Belle]

17. Kick! You should start a new thread with this.

[Trevelyan]

53. Please sign Rep. Conyers letter to begin Impeachment Inquiries

http://www.johnconyers.com/ - Conyer's Action Items

Join me, below, in the sending: Letter Advising President of Censure and Steps to Begin Special Committee Investigation

Congressman Conyers mentioned in one of his posts on Conyers' Blog that he had 8,000 signature. We can do better than that. For Downing Street Memo investigation petition, Conyers got over 500,000 signatures.

Anyone who cares about impeaching these criminals needs to sign right away.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Wow.

I just want to spit nails. Thank God for Congressman Conyers-he is a true hero and patriot!

[bananas]

3. k&r nt

[tiptoe]

4. k&r nt

[Al-CIAda]

5. K&R'd

.

[electropop]

6. just "phoning it in" when it comes to the McCarthy-ism

:rofl:

He insulted their insult! Good one!

[toymachines]

7. Conyers speaks to truth

He is a good man.

[pberq]

8. Kick! - Recommended

From the Joe Conason article:

http://www.nyobserver.com/opinions_conason.asp

Bush’s Abuse of Power
Deserves Impeachment


By Joe Conason

Recklessly and audaciously, George W. Bush is driving the nation whose laws he swore to uphold into a constitutional crisis. He has claimed the powers of a medieval monarch and defied the other two branches of government to deny him. Eventually, despite his party’s monopoly of power, he may force the nation to choose between his continuing degradation of basic national values and the terrible remedy of impeachment. . .

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

9. NSA Transition - 2001

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB24/index.htm#doc25

Document 25: National Security Agency, Transition
2001, December 2000. Secret

This document, prepared for the incoming administration of George W. Bush, was intended to provide a background on NSA's organization and mission, as well as of the issues facing NSA in the years ahead. Its main sections include those devoted to management, external process, budget, and personnel, policy/issues. In the discussion of major policy issues, the document notes the changing environment in which the "analog world of point-to-point communications carried along discrete, dedicated voice channels" is being replaced by communications that are "mostly digital, carry billions of bits of data, and contain voice, data and multimedia." In addition, it states that "global networks leave US critical information infrastructure more vulnerable to foreign intelligence operations and to compromise by a host of non-state entities." The creation of global networks also requires, according to the transition book, that "senior leadership understand that today's and tomorrow's mission will demand a powerful, permanent presence on a global telecommunications network that will host
the 'protected' communications of Americans as well as targeted communications of adversaries."

QUOTED
'The fourth amendment is as applicable to eSIGINT as it is to the SIGINT of yesterday and today. The information age will however cause us to rethink and reapply the procedures, policies and authorities born in an earlier electronic surveillance environment.'

'Make no mistake, NSA can and will perform it's mission consistent with the Fourth Amendment and all applicable laws. But Senior Leadership must understand that today's and tomorrow's mission will demand a powerful, permanent presence on a global telecommunications network that will host the "protected" communications of Americans as well as the targeted communications of adversaries.'

[Marnieworld]

10. Merry Christmas Rep. Conyers!

America is truly blessed to have you fighting for it! Thank you!

[AllyCat]

11. Fight terrorism?

The response is as follows: "Republican National Committee spokeswoman Ann Marie Hauser said if Conyers 'spent half the time condemning terrorism that he does condemning the President of the United States, he would be a credible voice in the war on terror.'"

Indeed the best way to fight terrorism is to fight this pResident. Not only has he done nothing to protect us, he has actually made things worse!

[Time for change]

12. So what would happen if the Justice Dept. said that he could

proclaim himself "President for Life" if our national security required it?

Thank you for posting this.

[rg302200]

47. Exactly....

At what point does he stop being an elected president and he starts being Adolf Hitler. The comparison's between the two are frighteningly real and there are many to go around!

Our fore fathers put in the system of check and balances to protect us against just such a person as Bush. Now he is walking all over the very Constitution he swore to uphold!

[Time for change]

70. I think we're getting very close to that

Here's something that I wrote on this topic a few months ago:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=2069007

I think it's just gotten worse since then.

[rosesaylavee]

13. Conyers, you will be remembered as

a true American Patriot!

Now, lets get this over with and throw these thugs in jail!

:patriot:

[Trevelyan]

56. Sign Rep. Conyers' Impeachment Inquiry letter, he needs our help to

get the ball rolling!! http://www.johnconyers.com/ - Conyer's Action Items


"Stand with Congressman Conyers
Demand Censure for Bush-Cheney Misconduct
Investigate Impeachable Offenses

I am taking steps against the Bush Administration’s handling of the Iraq War and its collection of intelligence. I am going to need you to stand with me in fighting for accountability.

Join me to demand censure for Bush and Cheney in addition to the creation of a Special Committee to investigate impeaching the Bush Administration for its widespread abuses of power.

I have sought answers from the administration to questions arising from the Downing Street Minutes, the Valerie Plame leak, and scores of other abominable abuses of power that pervade the activities of this White House. 121 Members of Congress and many citizens like you have joined me in asking these questions of the President.

I have just completed a thorough review of this administration’s misconduct and have produced a 250-page report that provides evidence suggesting further steps to be taken. (A copy of the report may be found at http://www.Raw Story.com and also at http://www.CensureBush.org where additional action items may
be found.)

It is time to take bolder measures in our pursuit of justice. This White House has responded to questions about its conduct with misleading statements, obfuscation, and vicious attacks against their critics. We must take the next step towards restoring accountability in our federal government.

To this end I have:

• Introduced a resolution of censure for both President Bush and Vice-President Cheney, and;

• I am calling upon Congress to create a select committee similar to the Ervin Committee, which investigated President Nixon’s Watergate crimes. This select committee should investigate those offenses which appear to rise to the level of impeachment.

This administration must be held accountable for its misdeeds. We have considerable work to do and I am going to need your help to make this effort successful. Join me in sending a message to the President, the media, and the American people that we are not going to stand for an imperial presidency any longer.

Sincerely,

John Conyers"

Nominated :kick: :loveya: :thumbsup:

[formercia]

14. Bush declares himself Dictator

that's what it says.

[Maestro]

15. Incredible!

What ever happened to checks and balances? All hail Fürer Shrub!

[politicaholic]

16. "credible voice in the war on terror."...

Wow, look at how incredibly out of touch the RNC is. They really have their finger on the pulse of a dead horse. You go Anne Marie Hauser, beat it with all your zeal, do mouth to mouth, clear! thump! And when you're done, brush your teeth, then throw every republican around you under the bus to avoid being touched by this scandal.

Ah, the life of the republican mouthpiece.

[WillyT]

18. Recommended, And...

:kick:

[MannyGoldstein]

19. SCOTUS Already Ruled 8-1 Against Bush on This Strategy

I believe that the Supreme Court already ruled against this concept 8-1 in Hamdi vs. Rumsfeld. Only Thomas bought into it. The rest seemed pretty disturbed by the Administration's arguments. Face it - when Scalia rules that Bush is overreaching... WOW.

[lonestarnot]

22. SCOTUS will be our hero in this, I have no doubt!

[dennisnyc]

28. remember "the gwot is not a blank check" from SCOTUS

[HereSince1628]

36. Not surprising Yoo served as Thomas' clerk at SCOTUS

Clarence being ever the lazy lard ass undoubtedly relied on Yoo to write his decisions.

[Peter Frank]

20. K & R...

I think Bush is jealous of Sun Mung Moon, and wants to be coronated in D.C. too.

[lonestarnot]

21. WOOOOO DAMN CONYERS I LOVE YOU!

And on edit you know I recommended!

[Justice Is Comin]

23. Get that democratic select committee hearing started immediately John

John. Don't even take time to take off your New Years hat.

[ClintonTyree]

24. Ann Marie Hauser can kiss my rosy, red ass!

If YOUR president wasn't running amok and running over our Constitution like an out of control freight train perhaps Representative Conyers wouldn't HAVE to oversee everything the petty dictator does! If Republicans like Ann Marie Hauser cared more about their country than their political party we might put an end to this despicable behavior.

To Ann Marie Hauser, "Happy Holidays" and FUCK YOU! :mad:

[bostonbabs]

33. well said!! n/t

[PurpleChez]

50. Can I echo that? FUCK YOU, Hauser!

You lousy hag. Just coz you're willing to bend over and take what the ape gives you, don't expect me to.

[Mr_Spock]

25. This is out of hand. This is insane.

How are we going to get our country back from these crazy people and their sheep followers?

:(

[DJ MEW]

26. Can we please impeach him now

He is way over reaching the power of the office and threatening to dissolve the democracy and turn us in to a Dictatorship. Every thing we need to impeach him and throw him out of office is there, just not the will to do it.

This is dangerous territory for our country and we need to throw out this administration right now.

[radio4progressives]

52. This is my idea for removing Bush NOW....

see this thread i wrote a while ago:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2331300&mesg_id=2331300

[Trevelyan]

58. You need to sign petitions at least if your reeelly want * impeached

http://www.impeachpac.org/
http://www.conyersblog.us/

TELL CONGRESS TO IMPEACH GEORGE BUSH
http://democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/65

http://www.johnconyers.com/ - Conyer's Action Items

"Join me, below, in sending the:

Letter Advising the President of Censure

and

Steps to Begin Special Committee Investigation

Dear Mr. President:

We are brave, proud, patriotic citizens of the United States. We love our country and are writing to express our profound disappointment with you and your administration for your conduct surrounding the Iraq War, the collection and use of intelligence, and your disrespect for the laws of this great nation.

We are calling upon Congress to form a Special Committee to investigate your administration's abuses of power and report any offenses which rise to the level of impeachment.

We are also calling upon Congress to immediately censure you and Vice-President Cheney.

We have great love for our country and faith in the government institutions provided for in our constitution. We believe that the integrity of our nation is at stake and have supported these steps only after your administration has refused to come clean with the American people at every opportunity.

Respectfully,

John Conyers"

[Higans]

75. Well put

[PurpleChez]

27. The whole thing has now gone from infuriating to chilling.

NOW can we compare him to Hitler?

[tavalon]

37. Call him a fascist

as I have been since the beginning of 2004

[Independent_Liberal]

29. Impeach, try and convict!

You heard me.

:)

[bluerum]

30. The president appears to be undermining the constitution! My rant -

"Our Constitution is in actual operation; everything appears to promise that it will last; but in this world nothing is certain but death and taxes." - Ben Franklin


On Sat. Dec 17, 2005 the president of the United States of America admitted that he authorized wiretaps that allowed spying on U.S. citizens. This is in blatant violation of the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. It also displays disregard and contempt for the constitutional checks and balances on the executive branch of our government.

Most aggrievedly, with this act the president arrogantly dismisses the civil rights and liberties of every American citizen. His irrational thought process seems to say that “In order to preserve civil liberties, freedom and privacy; civil liberties, freedom and privacy must be covertly undermined.” The president titillates our fears and invokes the dark specter of international terror to cow us into accepting his actions as necessary to protect the American people from their enemies.

The president also expresses a sense of outrage and claims that by having his covert activities exposed, the security of the United States has been compromised. Is it cynical of me to see this as a bit self serving? It seems outrageously duplicitous in light of the allegations that someone on the presidents senior staff was directly involved in disclosing the identity of a CIA agent for political hay making. Indeed. I do not hear the president registering similar outrage that the vice presidents chief of staff has been indicted for lying to a grand jury about the disclosure of national security information.

The president has also said that disclosing his heinous activities aids terrorists and other enemies of this country. Mr. President. The truth is that riding roughshod over the constitution and privacies of American citizens aids our enemies. The truth is that distorting and twisting the constitution into something that puts the power of our country into one branch of government harms our country and mocks the ideals upon which it was founded.

True enemies of this country, whether they are skulking terrorists who seek to instill fear by causing sudden death and harm, or whether they seek to undermine our most basic doctrines, should always beware of the people of the United States of America, and expect a full purposeful defense of civil liberty and freedom.

The presidents lying and rank hypocrisy has given American citizens and the world more cause to question the purpose of his actions.

[Tactical Progressive]

31. I think Hillary should have unassailable authority too

to wiretap anyone who is a threat to this nation's health and safety, for instance by being against universal health care, and to 'extraordinarily rendition' insurance and HMO executives, and any corporate executive really, who might be potentially working against America's best interests in maintaining an economically successful middle class and providing for the poorest amongst us. Those are the greatest threats to America, for when the broad middle class is economically crushed, the terrorists win.

I'll support her use of whatever measures are necessary to do so and deride anybody who questions her right to do so without account, as traitors to this country.

[me b zola]

32. .

:patriot: Congressman John Conyers :patriot:

[eve_was_framed]

34. the repukian mantra that the pRez already possessed the authority

to sneak and peak doesn't wash because why would he be asking for the authority to do something in which he's ALREADY got the authority to do it. He's an arrogant SOB so if he thought for one minute he had the "inherent" authority to spy on his own citizen's he would have done it in a flash without first seeking approval. IMO there are no grey areas here, anymore than in Nixon's day but the spinning going on is enough to make one dizzy to the point of syncope!

[tavalon]

35. I can't get this PDF to load

Does anybody else have the link in non PDF?

[Up2Late]

45. I always hate to recommend it but, if you use IE6 (on a windows PC)...

...If you right-click, their is a menu item for "Save Link Target As..." You can download it that way.

Other than that, if you don have Acrobat Reader 7.0 yet, get it, it's way better than any previous version.

[Norrin Radd]

64. If you are using Firefox, there is an extension that'll give you the

option of downloading your pdf instead of loading it upon clicking a link.

https://addons.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.php?id=636&application=firefox

And the latest version of Acrobat Reader is way faster than previous versions.

[Up2Late]

72. Thanks, I've used FireFox for a long time and had heard about that...

...extention, just downloaded it. Hope it works.

If you use FireFox, I have to ask, did you hear that the official release version is ready for download for FireFox v 1.5 !?!

I just downloaded it, but have been using the v 1.5 RC1 and RC2 for months, they fixed a bunch of little annoyances, it's great. Here's the link: <http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/>

38. thanks n/t

[thefool_wa]

39. This seems strange to me

I have read nearly countless articles about BushCo's actions and justifications for what they have done in regards to spying on American citizens and I am not sure how they think any of this is legal. There has been precedent upon precedent over the past THIRTY YEARS laid down by both other branches of the government that say not only are these things not within the power of the president UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE (including 9/11), but also that they are HIGHLY ILLEGAL! So, unless our moron president is truly completely ignorant of governmental process (which, after even a year of being president he would not be) there is no justification for his belief that this is OK.

These people need to be told that, just because you say something over and over again and get all your cronies to say the same thing, ITS STILL NOT TRUE! Repetition of a lie doesn't change the fact that it is a lie, and there is no "Senator I do not recall." this time, the bastard is standing before us challenging us to do something about it.

This should have been acted on IMMEDIATELY, the first step should have been the side-barring the Patriot Act (which has wasted too much time already), the second should have been presenting articles of impeachment, and they should have been ready WITHIN HOURS! He admitted on the record to doing these things and says he will continue. He is fully aware of his 5th amendment right to say nothing and enough people corroborate what he is saying that, if any of us had committed a lesser crime and done the same thing, there would be no need for a trial it would be, "Plead guilty and we'll let you off easy, make us try you and you'll do the maximum time."

I can't believe that congress is dragging its heels over this. The entire administration is to blame and when we impeach him, if we can, we need to remover the whole group. California had a recall election, maybe we need a national one.

[Higans]

77. yup

[Joe Chi Minh]

40. "....if Conyers 'spent half the time condemning terrorism

that he does condemning the President of the United States, he would be a credible voice in the war on terror."

It is difficult to imagine a more fatuous response to the monitoring by Congressman and legal eagle, John Conyers, of the President's ubiquitous maladministration, than the above "pronunciamento" by the decidedly uncredible Hauser; to verbally condemn terrorism (or, as per the more intelligent terminology of the experts in the field, "asymmetric warfare") is like its counterpart at the other end of the spectrum, i.e. to verbally extol Mom and apple pie. To expect to be awarded brownie points for simply running off at the mouth like some particularly inept demagogue, is just infantile.

Condemning terrorism to failure by government action is what is required, and even that is fraught with ambiguity, since successful terrorism (apparently the norm these days) depends upon the support of an aggrieved, indeed, outraged indigenous population - who in every country tend to be extraordinarily long-suffering. However, what makes it all the more surreal is that, as well as seeking to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people by a war of aggression, it now transpires that Bush has saught approval from Congress to treat his own countrymen "as foreign combatants"!

Fortunately, the answer to the old saw, "Who will guard the guards, themselves?" is mercifully being answered by patriotic figures in both parties, precisely such as Congressman Conyers; while Ms Hauser evidently draws upon all her forensic skills to deliver vapid platitudes, in the hope of protecting her charge, while he digs the hole he is in, deeper and deeper.

[cornermouse]

41. I guess we should just go ahead and disband Congress?

Since they aren't serving any purpose other than window dressing and props we could get their salaries, perks, and pension money and send it to Iraq too. :sarcasm:

[upperleftedge]

42. I will say it again

"Peace & Impeachment in '06!!" Make it happen. We are the people we have been waiting for.

billy
"Everybody eats, nobody hits."

[lonestarnot]

69. Oh yes and throw all judges out on the lawn!

:sarcasm:

[fooj]

43. OMG! The rat bastard REALLY thinks he's King!

:hide:

Kick and recommend!

Peace.

[Up2Late]

44. Unbelievable! The Letter he speaks of is from YESTERDAY! From the...

...way he wrote about it, I thought he was talking about something from the 2001 files, but NO, This letter is from December 22, 2005!

WTF? :wtf: When did they start smoking Crack at The Department of Just-is?

Due to the fact that this was done in secret, and only revealed to a limited number on Senators and Members of the House, wouldn't this statement, "...Leaders of the Congress were briefed on these activities more than a dozen times...." be an admission of a Government or criminal Conspiracy? :shrug:

And couldn't it be argued that the GOP is a corrupt organization and in violation of the RICO laws?

[McCamy Taylor]

46. Ill bet a nickel NSA was spying on Conyers.

[Canuckistanian]

48. OMG, that is as sober as I've ever seen Joe Conason

He obviously wrote this to stand as a record for the time we live in.

Concise, brief and serious, he lays out the grave consequences if this travesty is allowed to stand.

Awesome.

[BigBearJohn]

49. If Conyers is scared, so am I

[Catrina]

51. Yes, and I remember last year

feeling that Tom Daschle, Bill Moyers and Sy Hersch, amongst others, were scared. Sy Hersch said so. Now I know that Tom Daschle had good reason to be scared. And that Sy Hersch was aware of much he couldn't or wouldn't talk about.

But these deceivers never counted on the American people waking from the fear-induced coma they were forced into by their lies and fear-mongering. I have never seen so much anger, even more so among those I know who initially trusted them. Those of us who never did have become accustomed to their deception, never believing them in the first place. But for those who placed their trust in them, the anger is growing as the lies and the crimes become impossible to ignore anymore.

The magnitude of their crimes is breath-taking. From the Abramoff scandals, to the lies about the war, to the use of intimidation and smear tactics to silence critics, to the Spies in the Pentagon, the Valerie Plame affair, the Niger forgeries, the buying of the press, propaganda, lies, deception! I hear it more and more these days, that this is the most criminal and corrupt administration this country has ever seen.

Impeachment of all who can be impeached should start NOW. Investigations should have already begun. I am truly thankful to Rep. Conyers and all those who love their country enough to speak out and relentlessly pursue the truth.

No more will I tolerate any rightwinger who attempts to use 'national security' or 9/11 as an excuse for the violations of the law we now know they are responsible for. The president has admitted it in public. And their tired old defenses, and smears and attacks are becoming not only less effective, but are now adding to the anger people feel. They never should have assumed that the American people would tolerate their sheer arrogance. I find it hard these days to find many people who are willing to defend them.

Thank you Rep. Conyers ~ you have millions of supporters because the American people are growing impatient with this lying administration, and because you are doing what their bought and paid for media did not do.

[Trevelyan]

59. Sen. Kennedy has a Blog and many Petitions if you want to get involved

"Delivering a Message to the White House
We went to deliver our petition on the Iraq documents to the White House this morning – a group of supporters joined staff to show the White House that more than 60,000 Americans demand answers on how we ended up in this war. In addition to delivering the petition, our group handed out flyers in the area around the White House and at the nearby subway stations.

"This was a tough morning to come out – it was 19 degrees out when we started walking to the White House. We were resilient, and knew it was worth it to try and get this message to the President. We approached the gates as a group, and one of our volunteers stepped right up to the buzzer for the guard station. The guards were very polite and professional, and explained that they would not accept any packages at the gates. They said we could make arrangements with someone in the White House to receive the package, or send it through the mail – both options that sounded like dead ends to us. We decided we would mail in the petition, while we continue to collect signatures and come up with other ways to get our message to the White House. We also continued to hand out information to the people passing by us outside the White House. We will not stop pursuing this until the truth is told – Senator Kennedy is working on legislation to get the President to hand over the relevant Presidential Daily Briefs to the Senate Intelligence Committee so that they can give a full report of how the Administration made the decision to go to war and how the war is being managed.

"While we did not get the outcome we wanted in the delivery of the petition, we did take another step to raise awareness of the duplicity of this White House. We will continue to fight for the truth – and with your help, we will get it! More and more Americans are realizing that the President’s strategy has everything to do with “spin” and avoiding the truth on the ground and nothing to do with reality. The President owes the American people more than empty assurances and canned speeches that avoid the facts Americans would like to know. More than 60,000 of you came together to support the truth, and together we can continue to spread our message around the country – on this and so many other important issues. To those of you who signed the petition – thank you! We may have hit a speed bump today, but it will not stop us! And to those of you who braved the cold to join us at the White House – thank you for your hard work and willingness to stand up in the face of intimidation. Standing up to this Administration is no small feat, and to do it on the front lawn of the White House is even more intimidating. We will continue to raise our voices on issues that matter and make a difference!

–Crystal Patterson~"
"None of us can forget the images from Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad that shocked our nation nearly two years ago and stained the United States in the eyes of the world. The American people suddenly realized an unpleasant truth -- the cruel practice of torture had infected the ranks of the world's finest military.

"Finally, on October 5th, by an overwhelming vote of 90-9, the Senate passed strict provisions as part of the Defense Appropriations Bill that would take the current military regulations against torture and turn them into law. Nine Republican Senators voted against the anti-torture provisions, and President Bush has threatened to veto the Defense Appropriation Bill unless the provisions are dropped:
http://www.tedkennedy.com/page/petition/antitorture

~~http://www.tedkennedy.com/page/petition/rebuilding ~~ "Last Friday, I visited the Gulf Coast with a congressional delegation to meet with survivors. They obviously need all of the help we can give them. Vicki recently urged you to donate to charities that are helping with the relief effort, and we're both grateful for anything you can do to provide help for the people of these devastated communities to rebuild their homes, their lives, and their future

"It's essential to see that Congress and the Administration act responsibly in meeting this vast challenge as well. Initial controversies make clear, however, that inappropriate partisan efforts are likely to undermine the all-important process of recovery and reconstruction.Bringing everyone around a common table is the only realistic way to enable the nation to come together and support the people of the Gulf Coast with worthwhile jobs in the modern economy, and provide opportunity and hope that is so urgently needed.

Thank you so much for your involvement and concern,

Edward M. Kennedy

"Teachers can't be fired for opposing discrimination against girls in our public schools. Patients can get a second opinion when an HMO tries to deny them care. Our water is cleaner, because citizens can stop polluters who dump toxins into our waterways.

"Each of us has a stake in protecting these rights and I want every one of us to be part of this discussion about how to protect them and who is best able to do so as a Supreme Court Justice. This is not an inside-the-beltway battle - it is important to every American in every community in the country. We need to hear your own stories about why your rights are so important to you:
http://www.tedkennedy.com/page/petition/scstories
http://www.tedkennedy.com/page/petition/iraqdocuments
http://www.tedkennedy.com/page/petition/iraqstrategy "

[Catrina]

62. Thank you,

I wasn't aware of this ~ and will pass it on to others ~ good for Sen. Kennedy. I hope other Senators and Congressional members will finally now put their country before their own ambitions or fears and do what needs to be done.

I have little faith in anyone from the Republican party even understanding what is at stake. After reading an article today about the Abramoff/Kidan alliance, involving murder, corruption, lies, the mob, cheating and how these were them men who bought the Senate and Congressional seats for those now supporting this administration in the Republican party, I have lost all hope that they are anything other than thugs.

Bob Ney, Tom Delay, Burns, who knows how many, all bought and paid for with dirty money. There has to have been knowledge of these nefarious alliances with Abramoff. His partner Kidan is a suspect in a murder!! Yet, these are the people who were described as 'honest, men of integrity'!! The Republican Party is no more, imo. It was taken over by mobsters and thugs. That is why it is a waste of time to even deal with them, imo.

Rep. Conyers and all those who are fighting to save this country from these thugs will have a difficult time, and will need all the support they can get. I am stunned by what I am finding out. But at least I feel vindicated that my instincts were right and that these were nasty people.

[Terran1212]

54. He's gone a long way from Fahrenheit 9/11

He's a firebrand radical wanting to take down corruption; Shame most of Washington won't join him.

[lfairban]

55. Seen it before.

When Nixon started doing this crap, his days quickly became numbered.

But that was then.

[williesgirl]

57. Signed - this is beyond comprehending by reasonable Americans. n/t

[carolinalady]

60. There is so much wrong with this I can not even wrap my mind

around it tonight. I will at some point this week re-read it, but just off the top of my head-a few questions. How does force = spying? When was FISA passed-a case in the arly 70's is quoted as justification, so I need to check this. At the end they are inserting the US, and if I read Daschle correctly, the US was taken out of the authorization. I also got a vague feeling that they did to this what they did to the UN resolutions which was to "broadly interpret" them to suit their needs. Too tired to get real smart about this, but I am not a lawyer and I can see the BS.

[Trevelyan]

61. Dangers of Court-Stripping and Graham-Levin Amendment

http://www.ccr-ny.org/v2/reports/report.asp?ObjID=VJQl1vGD5N&Content=684==Center for Constitutional Rights Statement on Dangers of Court-Stripping and Graham-Levin Amendment

Synopsis

As Congress supposedly outlaws torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment by its support of the McCain Amendment, it will at the same time foster both torture and indefinite detention without judicial oversight if it supports the Graham-Levin Amendment. What McCain gives with one hand, Graham-Levin, as now proposed takes away with the other...

Further, Graham-Levin prevents any victim of torture at Guantánamo from filing a lawsuit against those responsible. The message that Graham-Levin therefore sends is that regardless of what Congress says in McCain, there will be no public airing of torture when and if it happens, no sanctions for engaging in torture, and no compensation for victims of torture. For centuries, torture has been the most reviled thing that one person can do to another. This law will deny to victims of those acts the right they have held for centuries, to go to court and sue.

Most disturbing, Graham-Levin will eliminate the historic right of habeas corpus for anyone held at Guantánamo. Federal courts will be stripped of habeas jurisdiction for the first time in well over a century. By undertaking a major change in the jurisdiction of federal courts, by way of eliminating a right, the origins of which go back to the Magna Carta in 1215, Graham-Levin constitutes a beachhead in what we fear to be a campaign to undermine fundamental rights in the United States and around the world.

The New York Times called the Graham-Levin amendment "a malignant measure" in a critical editorial today, and warned that it "would do grievous harm to the rule that the government cannot just lock you up without showing cause to a court. This fundamental principle of democratic justice must not be watered down so the Bush administration does not have to answer for the illegal detentions of hundreds of men at Guantánamo Bay and other prison camps." The Center for Constitutional Rights stands with all the leading civil and human rights organizations to condemn the Graham-Levin amendment.

http://www.ccr-ny.org/v2/home.asp

===United States in compliance with the statute. Warrantless wiretapping against citizens Read more. . .

==Shut Down Guantánamo
It’s time to shut down the prison camp at Guantánamo Bay once and for all. Guantanamo does not represent American values. Shut it down
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/ccr/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=831
=Using the form below, please add your name to show your solidarity with Witness Against Torture. http://www.witnesstorture.org/signletter

[rman]

63. and so we come full circle

Senator William Jenner, 1954:
"Today the path to total dictatorship in the United States can be laid by strictly legal means, unseen and unheard by Congress, the President, or the people. Outwardly we have a Constitutional government. We have operating within our government and political system, another body representing another form of government, a bureacratic elite which believes our Constitution is outmoded and is sure that it is the winning side. All the strange developments in foreign policy agreements may be traced to this group who are going to make us over to suit their pleasure. This political action group has its own local political support organizations, its own pressure groups, its own vested interests, its foothold within our government, and its own propaganda apparatus."

[annabanana]

65. I guess it's "All Hail King George" from now on..

If he decides that he should not step down at the end of his term, because of all the imminent threats by terrorism. . . then we're screwed, pretty much.

[No Exit]

66. Rep. Conyers, you just don't understand.

Be honest, now. When was the last time you saw "The Wizard of Oz"?

Obviously, what happened was: the President and his pals made a long, perilous, journey to the halls of Congress, to seek the power to surveil any/all Americans they wanted to eavesdrop on, just because. But, sadly, Congress told them that even they, the great and powerful U.S. Congress, could not grant this wish. To the suprise of the President and his friends, after they had asked Congress for this power and had been disappointed, some Good Witch (perhaps Kay Bailey Hutchison? who knows?) told them, "You have had that power all along. You are wearing the Ruby Slippers. All you ever had to do to get your wish was to click the heels together three times, and say repeatedly 'I want to eavesdrop with no oversight'".

When informed of this, I hear that President Bush asked the Good Witch, "But... why didn't you tell me this before I made this perilous journey?" To which the Good Witch replied, "Because you wouldn't have believed me."

Suffice to say that President Bush is not the only one who might have trouble believing all this shit.

[ktlyon]

67. Now he invokes the force resolution when he didn't live up to it.

The force resolution said he had to be at the end of all negotiations and the world should be on board. Neither of which were true. The inspectors had not even finished and they had not confirmed anything Bush and friends had declare to be facts. The UN only gave permission after it saw Iraq was spinning out of control.

The occupation began after he landed on the carrier and declare victory. The war was over then and now we are in the illegal occupation faze which is forever (ie.permanent bases being built).

[baal]

68. And his wife has a mean left hook too

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-briefs24.2dec24,1,6822849.story?coll=la-headlines-nation

[No Exit]

71. At least she didn't "forget" her wallet and leave it with her coke dealer.

Oh, goodness! Such bad taste to attack politicians' families, isn't it?

Conyers is clearly getting to them--as shown by the new smear attempt.

[Rex]

73. The executive branch authorizes itself to be above the law.

It always troubled me that Congress critters get to set their own salary and SC judges are not voted on. We vote for our local judges and constables so why not them? We live in a constitutional crisis era, just look at all the damage done by Nixon and Reagan. Repukes think they are above the law.

[Joe Chi Minh]

74. It was good to read Ackerman's observation quoted from

Slate.com, and also Parabasis' comment on it at the URL below:

http://parabasis.typepad.com/blog/2005/12/yes_man.html#more

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

76. You Know Things Are Getting Really Bad When Even Our Congressmen Are

walking around terrified of the regime that has taken over our country. I mean politics of the past congressmen on either side of the aisle (depending on who's in power) could complain and express dissatisfaction with policy. But I can never remember a regime so corrupt that some Congressmen are actually terrified of how bad it is. That speaks volumes.

Not that John Conyers is any ordinary congressment. He's known what's up all along :)