Senator Proposes Censuring President Bush

Senator Russell D. Feingold said Sunday that he would introduce a measure in the Senate to censure President Bush over the domestic eavesdropping program.

“What the president did by consciously and intentionally violating the Constitution and laws of this country with this illegal wiretapping has to be answered,” Mr. Feingold, Democrat of Wisconsin, said on the ABC News program “This Week.” “Proper accountability is a censuring of the president, saying: ‘Mr. President, acknowledge that you broke the law, return to the law, return to our system of government.’ ”

Mr. Feingold, who has said he will consider a run for the White House in 2008, said he planned to introduce his legislation on Monday. He said his censure proposal was not “a harsh approach, and it’s one that I think should lead to bipartisan support.”

But Senator Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican and the majority leader, called the censure proposal “a crazy political move.” And Senator John W. Warner, a Virginia Republican and chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said it was “the worst type of political grandstanding.”

Feingold cites three instances over a year-long period in which Bush outlined the necessity of a court order or a judge’s permission prior to a domestic wiretap of a U.S. citizen.

As the Moderate Voice points out:

• Censure is basically condemnation — not impeachment. Even so it’ll be rough sailing on getting this one through.
• His measure is unlikely to get far at all, in terms of a vote. No Republicans will support it. Democrats who need to attract Republican votes in their states will never vote for it. Democrats in tough re-election drives are even less likely to vote for it — unless those who support it conduct an overpowering telephone campaign. And even then it may be too risky for many professional politicians.
• This is more of a send-him-a-message gesture — something that’ll be noted by the media and drive home a Democratic point on warrantless wiretaps.

Source: NY Times (registration required).