Senator Byrd on George W. Bush

Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia had a very different childhood than George W. Bush. His mother died when he was one and he was raised by his aunt and uncle. He came of age in the Great Depression; there was no money for college and he had several jobs before entering politics. While serving in Washington, he went to night classes for ten years and eventually earned a law degree. He made mistakes in his life but corrected those mistakes. He made himself an expert on the rules and history of the Senate. It has been said there is no one presently serving in Congress who knows more about the US Constitution than he does.

Senator Byrd has known ten presidents from Eisenhower to George W. Bush. He understands the responsibilities of Congress and the reasons why the writers of the US Constitution crafted the checks and balances that we have known to this point. He believes this is a nation of laws and that the US Constitution is currently under stress. It would be fair to say that he finds George W. Bush wanting.

Truthout is carrying one of Senator Byrd's latest statements. Here are the first few paragraphs:

Senator Byrd: No President Is Above the Law
t r u t h o u t | Statement

Monday 19 December 2005

Americans have been stunned at the recent news of the abuses of power by an overzealous President. It has become apparent that this Administration has engaged in a consistent and unrelenting pattern of abuse against our Country's law-abiding citizens, and against our Constitution.

We have been stunned to hear reports about the Pentagon gathering information and creating databases to spy on ordinary Americans whose only sin is choosing to exercise their First Amendment right to peaceably assemble. Those Americans who choose to question the Administration's flawed policy in Iraq are labeled by this Administration as "domestic terrorists."

We now know that the F.B.I.'s use of National Security Letters on American citizens has increased one hundred fold, requiring tens of thousands of individuals to turn over personal information and records. These letters are issued without prior judicial review, and provide no real means for an individual to challenge a permanent gag order.

Through news reports, we have been shocked to learn of the CIA's practice of rendition, and the so-called "black sites," secret locations in foreign countries where abuse and interrogation have been exported to escape the reach of U.S. laws protecting against human rights abuses.

We know that Vice President Dick Cheney has asked for exemptions for the CIA from the language contained in the McCain torture amendment banning cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment. Thank God his pleas have been rejected by this Congress.

Now comes the stomach-churning revelation that through an executive order, President Bush has circumvented both the Congress and the courts. He has usurped the Third Branch of government - the branch charged with protecting the civil liberties of our people - by directing the National Security Agency to intercept and eavesdrop on the phone conversations and e-mails of American citizens without a warrant, which is a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment.