Mr. White
07-28-2007, 12:54 AM
U.S. REP. Maurice Hinchey plans to introduce two resolutions in the House of Representatives calling for censures of President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and other administration officials, the congressman's office announced on Thursday.
Hinchey's resolutions, companions to ones proposed on Sunday by U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., seek to formally admonish the Bush administration for misleading the American people about the reasons for invading Iraq, mismanaging the war and the military occupation of Iraq and abusing the Constitution through such practices as warantless surveillance, according to a prepared statement from the Hurley Democrat.
Hinchey and Feingold plan to introduce the resolutions in Congress next week. A censure is a formal reprimand but carries no punishment.
"The American people have reached a breaking point with this administration, and they are demanding that Congress step up and hold the president, vice president and others in the Executive Branch responsible for their actions," Hinchey said in the statement.
Hinchey, a longtime vocal critic of the president and the Iraq war, said Bush and Cheney have operated "as if they are leaders of a monarchy" and that censures would send a message to this and future administrations that abuses of the Constitution will not be tolerated.
"It is not as if the Bush administration has acted improperly once or twice," Hinchey said. "This is a sustained assault on our democratic republic, and Congress must firmly address this abuse and misuse of power. History must show that Congress stood up to this administration and formally condemned it."
The effort to publicly scold the president through a censure bill has yet to generate broad support in Congress. An attempt by Feingold last year to censure Bush over the warrantless wiretapping program attracted only three co-sponsors.
Hinchey and Feingold said they are working on language for two separate censure bills - one regarding the justifications for the Iraq war, the other involving certain parts of the administration's anti-terror efforts, like the warrantless surveillance program.
Hinchey previously sought to generate support among federal lawmakers to begin impeachment proceedings against Bush, but he found little interest among his colleagues.
Hinchey, a member of the House since 1993, represents New York's 22nd Congressional District, which stretches from the Hudson Valley to the Southern Tier and includes all of Ulster County.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
?Daily Freeman 2007
Reader Comments
Hinchey's resolutions, companions to ones proposed on Sunday by U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., seek to formally admonish the Bush administration for misleading the American people about the reasons for invading Iraq, mismanaging the war and the military occupation of Iraq and abusing the Constitution through such practices as warantless surveillance, according to a prepared statement from the Hurley Democrat.
Hinchey and Feingold plan to introduce the resolutions in Congress next week. A censure is a formal reprimand but carries no punishment.
"The American people have reached a breaking point with this administration, and they are demanding that Congress step up and hold the president, vice president and others in the Executive Branch responsible for their actions," Hinchey said in the statement.
Hinchey, a longtime vocal critic of the president and the Iraq war, said Bush and Cheney have operated "as if they are leaders of a monarchy" and that censures would send a message to this and future administrations that abuses of the Constitution will not be tolerated.
"It is not as if the Bush administration has acted improperly once or twice," Hinchey said. "This is a sustained assault on our democratic republic, and Congress must firmly address this abuse and misuse of power. History must show that Congress stood up to this administration and formally condemned it."
The effort to publicly scold the president through a censure bill has yet to generate broad support in Congress. An attempt by Feingold last year to censure Bush over the warrantless wiretapping program attracted only three co-sponsors.
Hinchey and Feingold said they are working on language for two separate censure bills - one regarding the justifications for the Iraq war, the other involving certain parts of the administration's anti-terror efforts, like the warrantless surveillance program.
Hinchey previously sought to generate support among federal lawmakers to begin impeachment proceedings against Bush, but he found little interest among his colleagues.
Hinchey, a member of the House since 1993, represents New York's 22nd Congressional District, which stretches from the Hudson Valley to the Southern Tier and includes all of Ulster County.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
?Daily Freeman 2007
Reader Comments