Both Republicans and Democracts concerned about President George W. Bush's use of wiretapping packed DAR Constitution Hall for a speech given by former Vice President Al Gore last Monday.
Many in the audience said they went because they feel that Bush's use of wiretapping is illegal.
Kenneth Hammitt, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs, attended the speech. Hammitt said he agreed with Gore and believes wiretapping is against the law and the president shouldn't break laws.
"[Gore] got it down correctly, hit the right cords," he said.
Gore's speech, entitled "Restoring the Rule of Law," was mostly about wiretapping, although he mentioned other topics such as the Abu Ghraib prison scandal and global warming.
"Pervasive wiretapping virtually compels the conclusion that the president of the United States has been breaking the law repeatedly and persistently," Gore said. "As we begin this new year, the executive branch of our government has been caught eavesdropping on huge numbers of American citizens and has brazenly declared that it has the unilateral right to continue without regard to the established law by Congress to prevent such abuses."
On the other hand, some AU Republicans said they did not agree with Gore's beliefs.
"Apparently Gore doesn't feel that lying to a grand jury, as his former boss did, is illegal enough to be a threat to the Constitution," said Jordan Haverly, a freshman in SPA and a member of the College Republicans. "Regardless, it's up to Congress and the courts to decide if President Bush has broken any laws."
Chris Palko, a freshman in SPA, believes that Gore has a right to say what he wants, but some of his comments were "just wrong."
"Al Gore has a sour grace about losing in 2000 to Bush," Palko said.
Gore also commented on Vice President Dick Cheney's comments last week defending eavesdropping on Americans.
"Tragically, he still doesn't know the administration did, in fact, have the names of at least two of the hijackers well before September 11," Gore said.
Gore called upon the Democratic and Republican members of Congress "to uphold their oath of office and defend the Constitution."
"Stop going along to get along. Start acting like the independent and co-equal branch of government you're supposed to be," he said.
Gore called for a special council to investigate the warrantless wiretapping of Americans; protection for government whistleblowers, especially on the executive branch; hearings in both houses of Congress and no more powers to the executive branch in the Patriot Act.
Gore said there is still hope for American democracy.
"As I stand here today, I am filled with optimism that America is on the eve of a golden age in which the vitality of our democracy will be re-established and will flourish more vibrantly than ever," Gore said.
The speech was co-sponsored by the Liberty Coalition, a "trans-partisan network dedicated to protecting civil liberties and human rights," according to a press release.
"Trans-partisan" is a new demographic that can be characterized as beyond the stale and often meaningless terms left and right, according to an article from www.freeliberal.com, an independent journal of trans-partisan thought. Trans-partisans are socially expansive in that they look to create and participate in new communities that transcend, but include, conventional boundaries.
