Senator proposes Bush censure for wiretapping

WASHINGTON - A liberal Democrat and potential White House contender is proposing censuring President Bush for authorizing domestic eavesdropping, saying the White House misled Americans about its legality.

“The president has broken the law and, in some way, he must be held accountable,” Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., told The Associated Press in an interview.

A censure resolution, which simply would scold the president, has been used just once in U.S. history — against Andrew Jackson in 1834.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., called the proposal “a crazy political move” that would weaken the U.S. during wartime. Frist said he was ready to hold a vote as early as Monday evening, according to NBC News’ Ken Strickland.

“The censure of the president is important,” he said. “And if they (Democrats) want to make an issue of it, we’re willing to do just that.”

But Democrats objected to a vote so soon.

Democratic Leader Harry Reid said, “The issue deserves more debate, not less debate,” Democratic Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said. Earlier, Reid had declined to endorse the proposal, saying he hadn’t yet read it.

“Some Democrats in Congress have decided the president is the enemy,” Vice President Dick Cheney told a Republican audience in Feingold’s home state.

The five-page resolution to be introduced on Monday contends that Bush violated the law when, on his own, he set up the eavesdropping program within the National Security Agency in the months following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Bush claims that his authority as commander in chief as well as a September 2001 congressional authorization to use force in the fight against terrorism gave him the power to authorize the surveillance.

Resolution: Bush ‘misled the public’
The resolution says the president “repeatedly misled the public” before the disclosure of the NSA program last December when he indicated the administration was relying on court orders to wiretap terror suspects inside the U.S.

“Congress has to reassert our system of government, and the cleanest and the most efficient way to do that is to censure the president,” Feingold said. “And, hopefully, he will acknowledge that he did something wrong.”

Throughout the day, Feingold’s fellow Democrats said they understood his frustration but they held back overt support for the resolution.

Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., said he had not read it and wasn’t inclined simply to scold the president.

“I’d prefer to see us solve the problem,” Lieberman told reporters.

Little support from Democrats
Across the Capitol, reaction was similar. Feingold’s censure resolution drew empathy but no outright support from Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Pelosi “understands Sen. Feingold’s frustration that the facts about the NSA domestic surveillance program have not been disclosed appropriately to Congress,” her office said in a statement. “Both the House and the Senate must fully investigate the program and assign responsibility for any laws that may have been broken.”

MORE FROM POLITICS

Politics Section Front

CQ: GOP presidential hopefuls — You’re on notice Obama prods China to take role on climate Poll: Americans fret over health overhaul costs Newsweek: Would House health bill boost spending? Mutual financial reliance binds U.S., China NYT: Drug firms raise prices ahead of reform From Levi to Letterman: Palin's rough year Carter defends handling of Iran hostage crisis   FDR papers to become public soon Pro-Cuba embargo money flows to lawmakers Politics Section Front   Add Politics headlines to your news reader: