A Democrat Calls for Executive Accountability
by John Nichols
snip//
Bush and Cheney served as monarchs, launching undeclared wars, spying illegally, authorizing torture and attaching signing statements to legislation with the intent of allowing themselves to operate outside the rule of law.
Obama may be somewhat more responsible on some issues. After all, he taught Constitutional law before swearing an oath to defend the document.
But to rely on one man, even a good man, to renew the system of checks and balances is as naive as it is dysfunctional.
Congress must act to renew the separation of powers and the whole of the Constitution.
"Over the past several years, serious questions have been raised about the conduct of high ranking Bush/Cheney Administration officials in relation to some of the most basic elements of our democracy: respect for the rule of law, the principle of checks and balances, and the fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Bill of Rights," argues Wisconsin Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, a key member of the House Judiciary Committee. "We must restore Americans' faith that in a democracy, we follow the rule of law and that nobody - even the President and Vice President of the United States - is above the law."
To that end, Baldwin has introduced the Executive Branch Accountability Act of 2009 (H.Res. 417), which calls on President Obama to reject and reverse the illegal actions of the Bush-Cheney Administration and to work with Congress to restore a proper balance between the legislative and executive branches of the federal government.more...
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/05/08-14
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