Nation-Building

I have posted the same diary at DailyKos and RedState . It will be interesting to see the differences in discussion, and responses to the identical poll attached. It will be more interesting to see what the similarities are.

(This post was originally posted at NoEndButVictory . I have deleted it from that site by request of a majority of the Editors.) The key part of Gore's speech yesterday that relates to victory is, in my mind, this: Don't misunderstand me: the threat of additional terror strikes is all too real and their concerted efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction does create a real imperative to exercise the powers of the Executive Branch with swiftness and agility. Moreover, there is in fact an inherent power that is conferred by the Constitution to the President to take unilateral action to protect the nation from a sudden and immediate threat, but it is simply not possible to precisely define in legalistic terms exactly when that power is appropriate and when it is not. But the existence of that inherent power cannot be used to justify a gross and excessive power grab lasting for years that produces a serious imbalance in the relationship between the executive and the other two...

I've done my best to try and promote the basic thrust of Gore's speech in venues that are fairly hostile to critique of the President. I have been invited to contribute at NoEndButVictory.com and at Dean's World. My purpose is to catalyze debate, not promote Democrats or Gore for president or any political aim. At Dean's World , I included the entire transcript in a hidden-text block, and highlighted the statement, I call upon Democratic and Republican members of Congress today to uphold your oath of office and defend the Constitution. Stop going along to get along. Start acting like the independent and co-equal branch of government you're supposed to be. Over at NEBV , I highlighted this longer excerpt: Don’t misunderstand me: the threat of additional terror strikes is all too real and their concerted efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction does create a real imperative to exercise the powers of the Executive Branch with swiftness and agility. Moreover, ...

Congressman Barr and I have disagreed many times over the years, but we have joined together today with thousands of our fellow citizens-Democrats and Republicans alike-to express our shared concern that America's Constitution is in grave danger. Advertisement In spite of our differences over ideology and politics, we are in strong agreement that the American values we hold most dear have been placed at serious risk by the unprecedented claims of the Administration to a truly breathtaking expansion of executive power. As we begin this new year, the Executive Branch of our government has been caught eavesdropping on huge numbers of American citizens and has brazenly declared that it has the unilateral right to continue without regard to the established law enacted by Congress to prevent such abuses. It is imperative that respect for the rule of law be restored. So, many of us have come here to Constitution Hall to sound an alarm and call upon our fellow citizens to put aside partisa...

Al Gore's speech will be carried live on C-SPAN on monday. Here are teh schedule details: 12:00 PM EST 1:00 (est.) LIVE Speech Civil Liberties American Constitution Society Albert Gore Jr., United States Afterwards, the video will likely be availble from cspan.org. Links will be forthcoming.

Former Vice President Al Gore will deliver a major address Monday on the threat posed by policies of the Bush Administration to the Constitution and the checks and balances it created. The speech will specifically point to domestic wiretapping and torture as examples of the administration's efforts to extend executive power beyond Congressional direction and judicial review. The Vice President will make the case that the country -- including the legislative and judicial branches and all Americans -- must act now to defend the systems put into place by the country's founders to curb executive power or risk permanent and irreversible damage to the Constitution. The extent of bipartisan concern over these issues is highlighted by former Republican Rep. Bob Barr's introduction of the Vice President next Wednesday, and by the organizations cosponsoring the speech. The Liberty Coalition brings together ideologically diverse organizations across the political spectrum, including l...