OregonLive.com
Hooley blasts Bush’s “stonewalling” of Congress
WASHINGTON — In an interview Friday afternoon, Rep. Darlene Hooley, D-Ore., described the frustration that caused her to introduce a resolution calling for “full cooperation” from the Bush administration with congressional investigations.
Hooley, who unlike some other Democrats has not ruled out the possibility of impeachment, said she was prompted by Bush administration statements that it would invoke executive privilege for congressional oversight attempts and oppose subpoenas of White House officials for congressional investigations.
“One of our constitutional responsibilities is oversight,” Hooley said. “There’s a reason we have a system of checks and balances. I feel very strongly that we need to be doing our job and we need the president not to be stonewalling us.”
Hooley’s resolution is modeled after one passed in 1998, calling for former President Clinton’s administration to cooperate with congressional oversight. Hooley was among the 342 U.S. representatives who voted for that resolution.
“I would hope that if it’s brought to the floor that we would get Republican support for it,” Hooley said. “This is literally almost identical to the resolution that was passed during the Clinton administration overwhelmingly.”
Her resolution has 54 original co-sponsors, including Democratic Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio and David Wu of Oregon.
None of her colleagues refused to co-sponsor the resolution when she approached them this week, Hooley said.
“I’m not the only one who feels strongly about this,” Hooley said.
Hooley said she has not yet had a chance to speak with the House Democratic leaders about the resolution.
White House spokesman Alex Conant said the administration “has turned over hundreds of thousands of documents and spent countless hours responding to Congressional inquiries this year.
“Meanwhile, Congress has failed to send the President important legislation, including next year’s appropriations bills,” Conant said in a written statement. “Members of Congress should ask themselves if they want to pass legislation for the American people, or continue to prioritize politics and investigations.”
Unlike other Democrats, Hooley has not ruled out impeachment.
“I wouldn’t take impeachment off the table because that’s one of our constitutional privileges,” Hooley said. “You need oversight. You need hearings. There’s a process you have to go through, wherever that process leads you. But I would never take anything that is one of the privileges and rights that our forefathers gave us off the table.”
— Jeff Kosseff
(Original Article)
I think that Congress should put a moratorium on ALL spending until such time as the issue
of Iraq is cleared up, part OF the problem here is runaway spending-on-demand, and it’s not
just the Pentagon demanding money, it’s parties from all over that want this or that or
the other spending. Our national debt, not this year’s deficit, but the grand total DEBT,
now is headed north of 9 trillion dollars, and responsibility for the condition of the national purse is ALSO part of Congress’ responsibility.