Perhaps the most hilarious statement to leave President Bush's mouth during his presidency was that he wanted to restore "honor and integrity" to the White House. With each passing day of the first term, Democrats sat idly by as George W. Bush threw honor and integrity to the wind in both domestic and foreign policy. Instead of calling Bush out on his desire for war with Iraq, regardless of evidence, we voted for it. And to those such as Howard Dean and Russ Feingold, who opposed the USA PATRIOT Act, we labeled them as extreme, and let the President betray the oath he took. Now it's the Republicans and George W. Bush in the fetal position.
Russ Feingold's call for a Bush censure is anything but extreme. In fact, a new poll, shown on Fox News, believe it or not, shows 38 percent of Americans supporting the censure of the President, with 45 percent opposing. The approval of such a measure has increased, and as more facts about Iraq and the illegality of the NSA's wiretapping emerge, we can count on it gaining more support.
Feingold should be praised for running the table on the Republicans here. Bush did break the law, a 1978 law that prohibited the president from spying U.S. citizens without being under review by a special court. And what response do Republicans, who claim to have the lock on moral clarity, have to such a charge? Silence. When former Nixon counsel John Dean testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding censure, Republican Senator John Cronyn did what all republicans do when confronted on their hypocrisy? He called Deans testimony "very odd" because he was a "convicted felon" allowed to speak in the U.S. Senate. Instead of staying to debate Dean's accusations, Senator Cronyn made his personal attack and then left before Dean's testimony.
The only "very odd" thing about this hearing was that Republicans, who love to chide Democrats for being "unclear" and "weak" on defense, defended their President not by citing laws, but by calling Deans testimony "an apples and organs" argument. Dean was trying to warn the committee of similarities between Bush's spying program and the Watergate break in. We simply can't trust Republicans with honor, integrity, or our national security if they can't confidently defend the policies of their President. Bush's declining numbers and pattern of corruption needs to be capitalized on here and now if we are to re-take Congress and ensure justice is done to this President. After six years, he has proved he won't restore honor and integrity to the White House. And after more evidence of mounting Republican corruption at all levels of government, it's time we do it for him.
