Here is the end of Congressional power. Witness the BushCo stacked deck.

[Fire Walk With Me]

And the drive to complete power for the office of the President? Am I being too dramatic here, or is this exactly what it appears to be? Please tell me that I'm wrong.

An email from Congressman Wexler, with video link:

Our Constitution is under threat and the most basic principle of checks and balances is being undermined. Not since Watergate has a president so openly disregarded the will of Congress.

During hearings in the Judiciary Committee yesterday, I told Attorney General Michael Mukasey that I called for impeachment hearings because of the stonewalling and blatant abuses of the Bush Administration. He responded by stating that he will NOT enforce a contempt of Congress citation against Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten for refusing to testify before Congress. The video is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7M9sjRLCtQ

Alberto Gonzales may be long gone, but the Bush Administration continues its executive overreach with the new Attorney General.

We can debate the need for Impeachment hearings. We can argue its effects on the election or our agenda. But one thing is abundantly clear:

If Congress' right to require testimony is undermined, then our country's leaders - Democrat, Republican, or Independent - will be immune from accountability.

The power of the subpoena - to call officials before us - is one of the most fundamental safeguards in our system of government. To have it effectively discarded - by virtue of the President instructing Administration officials to ignore a congressional subpoenas and not even appear before Congress - is unprecedented. The idea that the Attorney General would willingly defend this position - despite Congress' constitutional right to call such witnesses, is outrageous.

Impeachment hearings could render this moot: The President, Vice President, and all officials under them would no longer invoke executive privilege. There would be no more smokescreens.

In one week, I will be delivering my letter calling for impeachment hearings to Chairman John Conyers. Already, 16 Members of Congress have joined my call, including 3 Judiciary Committee members. I am hopeful for more in the coming days, but it is important for you to reach out to your representative in Congress to express how you feel. You can view the current list of signers, here: http://www.wexlerforcongress.com/news.asp?ItemID=230

I do not know how Congress will react, but I do know this: I will pursue this course aggressively. I will not compromise away the constitutional role of Congress. Your support is invaluable. Please know that I am working everyday to ensure that the Bush Administration is held accountable.

Please continue to support this movement at www.wexlerwantshearings.com.

Yours truly,

Congressman Robert Wexler

[havocmom]

1. Can't Congress send out Sgt At Arms to enforce contempt charges against admin witnesses?

Seems they do have some law enforcement privileges, don't they? They need to stop hoping some other 'sheriff' will bring law and order and DO THEIR JOBS.

[RaleighNCDUer]

2. And when armed executive security people stand in their way and

say no, what then? A shootout in the executive office building?

I think they WILL push it to that limit. Anything to stonewall. They know the Sgt At Arms will stand down. Who would they turn to then? US Marshals? And who do the US Marshals answer to? Mukasey.

[havocmom]

3. So, we just give up to bullies? Shit, the bullies are counting on that

It is bullies' stock and trade, the wager that victims will not stand their ground due to fear. Well, if you don't stand the ground (and yes, face the likelihood of some fight) you will ALWAYS live in fear.

That is not what America used to be - paralyzed by fear. If it takes a confrontation to ENFORCE THE LAW, yeah, swat teams and beat cops do it all the time. Why is Congress so paralyzed by fear that they let the crooks keep them cowering behind steroid use in sports? If there are REAL threats so heinous that lawmakers on the Hill cannot do their jobs, they should out the bullies and if that means personal political suicide, fine. Do it for the future of America, or be just as bad as cheney.

The whole world is watching as Congress does nothing. The whole world would be watching any confrontation also.

Something HAS to be done. The status quo of criminals getting more and more entrenched and America being sold/destroyed by enemies domestic (and in official offices) must stop. Congress must do it's lawful duties of oversight. Period.

[Fire Walk With Me]

4. Mukasey was just like Bush on 9/11 in that classroom. Cowering.

They're taking calculated risks, they know it, and at each point that we let them, they're walking away with massive power. It is a "slow" dictatorship, because a fast one would justify rebellion.

Yes, we need to stand fast againt them at each and every step. Congress must use all of its power or lose it. If Congress uses its power and are resisted, then they have further reason to act in the name of the Constitution against those who specifically resist lawful Government process.

Cowards will take every inch you allow them. They have no true power, only the power they can trick us into perceiving. And when we believe that they have that power, what can we then do againt it?

It's a mindfuck. We just have to say NO.

[RaleighNCDUer]

8. The point is, it would spark a constitutional crisis; a crisis that some

see just going away come election day.

I, personally, don't think it will go away. At best, it would take a breather, but in 4 years they'd come back stronger than ever, just as they did in 2000.

On my more pessimistic days I think we are watching the absolute and final collapse of American representative democracy, abetted by a weak-willed congress which fears that a confrontation will bring about exactly what non-confrontation will. The difference is, confrontation will bring the people with it - non-confrontation will just breed apathy.

[Fire Walk With Me]

9. You are correct. I believe that BushCo are -waiting- for just such a move

to call it treason or a crisis or some other reason to use their own weapons.

Edit: Nice double-bind, eh? Force a confrontation, and then call the respondent illegal. They are cowards.

[havocmom]

5. dupe

DU is buggy today: post a reply page not always going to reply posted page. Whazzup?

[WinkyDink]

6. The JCoS. The military would need to step in and over-rule the tyrant.

He would no longer be the lawful CiC.

[havocmom]

7. I truely believe one of the many reasons for military, reserves & Guard deployed overseas...

is to prevent them from defending America from the enemies sitting in D.C. offices.

[Fire Walk With Me]

10. That makes (scary) sense.

[RaleighNCDUer]

12. The Tsar was not overthrown

until the troops came home from the front.

They do NOT want a couple million pissed off vets here at home.

[havocmom]

13. Abslutely correct! The PNACers/neocon Chicken Hawks are students of history

They have seen where despotic systems have triumphed and failed. They planned this all very carefully. It has been a long time in the making.

And they do not intend for survivors of the staged war in Iraq.

They redeploy until the troops roll snake eyes.

They send over unstable people, criminals, people too infirm to be able to defend themselves and their comrades.

But, they did force out all those gay people, many of whom were speakers of languages which would make things better for the troops.

They took a system where the military did their own provisions and they jobbed it out. Now we have troops being killed just so private contractor convoys can go back and forth, providing billing hours to be paid to KBR.

And they are making it harder for older Americans to stay alive long enough to give younger Americans the benefits of years of observation and perspective. We are abandoning our elders and our experienced workers. That too, is all part of the plan. Young and naive is so much easier to control in workforces.

Thinking about workers being stressed to do more and more, in private and in government. LOTS of pressure. People go home too exhausted to be able to think, let alone keep up and DO anything about the rabid spin of America down the toilet.

Students of history can see all the connections.

[Fire Walk With Me]

11. Credit to DU'er L. Coyote for already having started two threads on this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x92189

[Fire Walk With Me]

14. Kick.

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

15. No. I don't think you're being overly dramatic. I consider the behavior a high crime,...

,...against this nation.

I've signed Wexler's petition even though I am clueless HOW impeachment proceedings could ever even get started. It's kinda' scary to consider what may have to take place in order for those proceedings to go forward.

*sigh*

[Orsino]

16. This is Congress giving itself less and less to do.

It's not just corruption; it's also laziness. Much easier just to sit back and count the corporate campaign contributions, while lobbyists type up legislation and while staff type up sufficiently populist talking points to win reelection.

[bbgrunt]

17. kick.