I, as I suspect the rest of the Kos community, get multiple "action item" emails a day from MoveOn and Working Assests and every Progressive or Democratic organization with an ax to grind. Like a progressive, Pavlovian dog, I bark in agreement and hit the submit button, sending some prewritten email to my congress critters. I know I should personalize the screed, or at least change the subject line, but hey, I’m a busy guy. I have: 2 jobs, a wife, 2 children, currently 3 mortgages and I live in Missouri.
So, after the Libby pardon I hit the button for an Impeachment related letter and chose not to hold my breath for a response. I got the usual form letter stating absolutely nothing from Representative (R) Kenny Hulshoff; no response, as usual, from Senator (R) Kit Bond; and then the following letter from Senator Claire McCaskill:
Thank you for contacting me regarding Lewis "Scooter" Libby, former Chief of Staff to Vice President Cheney. I share your concerns.
I am deeply disappointed by President Bush’s recent decision to commute Mr. Libby’s prison sentence. Mr. Libby was found guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice by a jury of his peers, and an experienced federal judge imposed a sentence consistent with the applicable laws. In commuting Mr. Libby’s sentence, President Bush is sending the negative message that his Administration and its employees are above the law and do not have to face the consequences of their illegal actions.
I am disappointed with the direction that the Bush Administration has taken our country, and the Libby Trial raised further concerns about the credibility and accountability of the Administration’s most senior officials, including Vice President Cheney. However, impeachment should be used in only the rarest of cases. This country was founded on the principle that the democratic process is the best means of choosing leadership - and that is done through the American people and their right to vote. American voters recently expressed their desire for a change in leadership by voting a Democratic majority into Congress. We now have much important work that must be done for America and impeachment proceedings would consume most of the time, resources, and energy of Congress with little likelihood of success
Again, thank you for sharing your concerns with me. As your Senator, I will continue to work with my colleagues to provide stronger oversight of this Administration
All best,
Senator Claire McCaskill
I received this just after listening to the podcast of the Bill Moyers Journal episode, Tough Talk About Impeachment and I was, how shall we say, fired up. I sent her the following response:
Senator McCaskill,
I feel that I must personally respond to your recent response to my form letter regarding impeachment hearings for President Bush and VP Cheney.
I agree with you that, "impeachment should be used in only the rarest of cases." Impeachment, however, is the responsibility and duty of congress as a check to an out of control Executive Branch. I think we would be hard pressed to find a more power hungry Presidential administration in our history. The list of their unethical and un-constitutional actions is voluminous:
• Fixing intelligence to bolster support for an illegal war
• Illegal wiretapping
• Outing a covert CIA agent
• Destruction and misuse of email and other communication
• Contempt of Congress for failing to appear
• Signing statements that effectively disregard law
• Torture and Extraordinary Rendition
• Politicizing the Justice Department and other government agencies
These are not the common crimes of someone perjuring themselves to cover up an extramarital affair (which is also illegal and arguably impeachable); these are truly, "high crimes and misdemeanors." Some border on Treason.
No man or woman is above the law, whether pauper or President. The Framers of our Constitution understood that the Executive Branch had certain inherent flaws and that it was the duty of Congress to prevent abuse by any President. This is why the topic of Impeachment is mentioned six different times in the document. Impeachment is not a Constitutional crisis; it is the precision tool to correct a Constitutional crisis. Yes, it should be used rarely, but every tool has a purpose. Impeachment is the right tool for the job of reigning in an Executive Branch with no respect for the law.
You state that, "This country was founded on the principle that the democratic process is the best means of choosing leadership - and that is done through the American people and their right to vote." Indeed this is true. The American people elect leaders to do their job, and one of the most important jobs of congress, however unsavory, time consuming and necessary, is to serve as a check and balance to the Executive Branch.
I encourage you to watch the Bill Moyers interview with Constitutional Scholars, Bruce Fein and John Nichols.
http://www.pbs.org/...
It is an informative, educational and eye-opening discussion and solidified my opinion that there is no greater duty of congress at this time.
Please speak with your colleagues and leadership. I believe that time is of the essence. Power taken and not checked, can rarely be taken back in the future. History will be the harshest judge, not just of this Administration and their transgressions, but of a congress that failed to act when it was most necessary.
Thank you for taking the time to read this correspondence. I wish you all the best in these difficult times.
I have yet to receive a response (perhaps because the introductory paragraph is pitiously clumsy, doh!), but I wonder how many congress people (or their staff) reply to correspondence from their constituents? Do they respond to form letters or with form letters? Does the actual congress person even see these letters or do they simply see a pie chart of nays and yeas on a given issue?
Dear fellow Kossacks, I’m curious as to your thoughts.