Americans should be “outraged” with Bush Administration

At the House Judiciary Committee hearing on “Executive Power and Its Constitutional Limitations,” Bruce Fein, Deputy Attorney General under President Reagan, said that many high crimes and misdemeanors were committed under the Bush Administration. He said that the executive branch “destroyed the Constitution” and the order of checks and balances that it supported. Fein explained that a claim of fighting terrorism can be used to arrest anyone without question and flout any restriction on gathering foreign intelligence. This means that the president can kidnap or detain anyone he thinks necessary, and open mail and burglarize homes if he thinks it necessary — a very “frightening power” according to Fein. Fein also said that “short of impeachment,” there is nothing Congress can do to punish the Bush Administration.

Vincent Bugliosi, the author of “Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder,” said he had evidence “beyond a reasonable doubt” that President Bush entered into war without good reason and is therefore guilty of murder. Bugliosi said that in 2002, the CIA told its officials that Saddam Hussein did not present imminent threats to the U.S. and published these findings in a white paper. However, Bugliosi explained that when the white paper was given to Congress, the part saying Hussein was not a threat was deleted. Because of this deletion, Bugliosi said that the Bush Administration got away with thousands upon thousands of murders in Iraq, exclaiming that Americans should be “outraged,” a statement which was greeted with applause from the public in attendance.

Jeremy Rabkin from the U.S. Institute of Peace tried to “add perspective” to the situation. He said that the “conspiracy charges” against the Bush Administration are “wildly improbable,” and tried to remind Congress that this situation is not unique to the Bush Administration. Rabkin said that the actions of the Bush Administration are much more understandable under the context of wartime and was “astonished” by the “tone in the room.” He also said that America’s enemies are not Democrats or Republicans but rather the “terrorists who want to kill us.”

Frederick Schwartz, Senior Counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, said that the Bush Administration abandoned the rule of law and has gotten away from the checks-and-balances structure of government. Schwartz said that because of the Bush Administration’s actions, America is “less free and less safe.” He said that the “full story” needs to be told, and an independent, bipartisan committee needs to look at what’s been done wrong and what’s been done right. Schwartz did not recommend impeachment because he said that it would make a mature, responsible, and detailed investigation impossible. He said that the U.S. must not adopt “the tactics of their enemies,” but rather strive for a “future that will be worthy of the best of our past.”