I say ignore him and pass the legislation that we want. If Bush wants to veto it, then the Republicans can run on that record in two years. We'll see how bipartisan they want to be. Since the election all Bush has done is nominate a bunch of unacceptable judges...again.

Don`t hold your breath!w always speaks openly to the public and then does the opposite!His stupidity is only matched by his stubborness.I believe he will force the Democratic Party to impeach he & Cheney.They will run the war and make as much money as they can.

WE THE PEOPLE MUST FREE OURSELVES FROM THE "POLITICS OF FEAR"

Here is a letter a member of my family received from the ACLU that deserves to be posted:

For the past five years, our nation has been held hostage to the politics of fear --- with Democratic and Republican leaders afraid to speak out for the values of liberty and justice that are truly the hallmark of democracy.

But now, we have finally had an election where fear-mongering failed and attempts to silence critics with cries of "soft on terrorism" failed to convince a majority of voters. More and more people across America have come to realize what over 550,000 ACLU members have argued all along -- that it is crucial for America to be both safe and free.

But an election without fear won't matter much if all it produces is a Congress without the courage to act boldly to demand answers, end abuses, restore justice, and expose wrongdoing.

Your gift today will kick start a process that can't wait another minute --- a process of demanding that our newly elected leaders --- Democrats and Republicans alike --- begin the hard work of restoring accountability, checks and balances, and respect for civil liberties to our democracy.

After five long years of profound abuses of power by the White House and shocking failures of accountability by Congress, a great deal needs to be done. The new Congress should immediately:

* DEMAND a thorough investigation into the NSA's warrantless eavesdropping, Congress needs to stop funding this illegal program and start investigating it instead. We need to know the scope of the program, who has been spied on, what has been done with the information that's been gathered illegally, and who has been involved with authorizing and implementing illegal spying on innocent Americans.

* END government secrecy. The Bush administration has sought to shroud important policies and practices in secrecy; shutting Congress, the courts, and the public out of the process. Congress should pull back the veil by strengthening the Freedom of Information Act, protecting whistleblowers, and limiting the "state secrets" doctrine and the use of SSI (Sensitive Security Information) designation for otherwise unclassified material.

* RESTORE respect for human rights by undoing the damage done by both the Bush administration's despicable practices and by the recently passed Military Commissions Act. We must begin to immediately push for the restoration of due process and the writ of habeas corpus, a cornerstone of our Constitution and our legal heritage.

Congress should move to shut down Guantanamo Bay, end the practice of holding prisoners for years without charges and without trial, ban the use of coerced evidence in the military commissions, limit the president's expansive authority to define torture and abuse, and prohibit our government from kidnapping people and rendering them to countries that engage in torture.

* EXPOSE massive invasions of our personal privacy and the monitoring and suppression of those who dare to disagree with government policies.

It's time to end "Big Brother" practices aimed at tracking and monitoring us all. We need to do away with FBI monitoring of peace activists and religious organizations that have done nothing more than criticize the government or practice their faith. And we need to end unfettered government access to our private financial, health care, and communications records through National Security Letters, the SWIFT Program, and other intrusive surveillance programs.

On these and so many other fronts --- from stopping the funneling of billions of dollars to religious institutions in ways that weaken religious liberty to ending racial profiling to defending reproductive freedom --- we've got a lot of work ahead of us. And it is going to be up to the ACLU to press forward in the weeks and months ahead.

Make no mistake about it. You and the over 550,000 active members of the ACLU deserve a great deal of the credit for helping lift the cloud over our democracy. But we are not done yet. It has been you and not partisan politicians who have stood firm and insisted that we must not yield to an administration intent on abusing its power and silencing its opposition.

It's still up to you if we truly want to see an end to those abuses and the utter absence of accountability that have been the hallmarks of our government over the last five years.

Your determination and steadfast financial support have helped the ACLU stand up for freedom during a period of intense challenges to our civil liberties. Now, your immediate and generous year end donation can play a vitally important role in helping the ACLU begin the work of reclaiming our Constitutional heritage and restoring the full vibrancy of our democracy.

The key to doing that is dogged determination in every aspect of our work. We must pursue our legal work aimed at stopping the NSA spying program and other abuses. We must activate our base of support to make our voice heard in Congress while we continue to build on the strong coalitions for reform that we've cultivated for the past five years. And we must continue to reach out to the American people with a clear, compelling message about reclaiming our lost liberties.

Only with that kind of effort will we be able to restore the checks and balances that have been so tellingly absent over the life of the Bush administration.

In recent years, we haven't just seen the Bush administration's stunning dismissal of the rule of law and an astonishing willingness to trample on the Constitution. We've also seen members of Congress on both sides of the aisle fail, time and time again, to accept their constitutional responsibility for checking the power of the President by investigating abuses, demanding the truth, and acting with conviction.

It's that combination --- a White House eager to abuse its power and a Congress unwilling to hold it in check --- that has done such profound damage to democratic principles and institutions.

The fact is that the Bush administration has been aided by the reticence and timidity of Democrats and Republicans alike --- and its abuses of power will be ended only by ending that reticence and timidity.

If all these elections bring is subtle shifts in policy and the moving around of a few nameplates on Capitol Hill, the changes we need won't come.

With your generous year-end support, we'll make absolutely certain that's not how these critical next few months unfold.

So, while we've got a lot of work ahead of us in Congress, in the courts, and in communities all across America, I'm confident that we can make real strides in restoring our lost liberties. All you need to look at is how much we've been able to accomplish even with the deck stacked against us. With your support, we've already had some significant successes.

Just recently, we prevented Congress from rubberstamping the NSA spying program. And, as you know, in August, we won a critical courtroom victory in our ACLU v. NSA case when a federal judge ruled this warrantless spying program unconstitutional. We're busy now defending that victory both in the courts and in the halls of Congress.

The political landscape isn't all that's changing --- as we move into the new year, we are also waiting to see how the newly constituted Supreme Court will rule on a whole host of important issues. In fact, the day after the elections, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two critical cases challenging the federal abortion ban. At stake is the long-standing principle that no abortion restriction can take effect if it risks the health or life of the woman.

If the court rules the wrong way, it could launch a flurry of state-by-state efforts to restrict reproductive freedom. And the ACLU, with on the ground legal resources in all 50 states, stands ready to act on a moment's notice. And we'll need the full reach of those state resources to battle state-by-state abortion restrictions, vicious attempts to discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation, racial profiling, and more.

For five long years now, the ACLU and its members have worked to expose the facts about unconscionable assaults on our fundamental freedoms. We've stood firm on principle --- even when that meant standing alone.

And, we've acted at every turn to challenge those who would abuse their power and undermine our freedom --- whether that meant bringing to light the frightening extent of the Bush administration's involvement in prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay --- standing up to those who seek to inject religious dogma into our science classrooms --- leading the charge against the freedom-stealing Patriot Act --- or defending peaceful protestors targeted by FBI and local law enforcement efforts to stifle dissent.

Now, in a shifting political climate, we must insist that our newly elected political leaders actively challenge an executive branch that has what may be the broadest view of its own power in American history.

In the toughest of times, we've stood side-by-side, refusing to yield to those who have sought to take away our freedom. Now, in a more hopeful political climate, our task is no different and no less critical.

At points when the ACLU was a lonely voice confidently declaring that America could be --- had to be --- both safe and free, you strengthened our voice and sustained our work. Now is the time to continue that work --- together we will strengthen and sustain our nation's commitment to liberty, freedom, and justice for all.

Now, we are at an important point in the life of our democracy. It's time for us to reclaim our lost liberties and restore our freedoms.

That won't happen without a fight --- and it won't happen overnight. But, with a clear sense of purpose and a passionate commitment to freedom, we can not only end the abuses of power, but also reverse the damage those abuses have done to the fabric of our democracy.

I hope you will help us seize the opportunity to press freedom's case in this new environment. Take a moment to make as generous a year-end gift as you possibly can. Together, we'll let freedom ring.

Sincerely,

Anthony Romero

Executive Director

P.S. Being an ACLU member means passionately defending freedom in the toughest of times and acting with strength to seize every opportunity to advance civil liberties. There's so much on the line right now. Let's act with strength in the days and weeks ahead.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am not a member of the ACLU yet, but I am planning to become a member. I believe it is crucial for those of us committed to civil liberties to define the agenda in the days ahead. It is time to press for the bold actions required to undo five years of relentless abuses of power. If we insist that our newly-elected leaders act with courage and commitment, we can make urgently-needed progress in the months ahead. Any one thinking they would like to stand with the ACLU for civil liberties for ALL can join at the following web site.

http://www.aclu.org

Civil liberties must be up held for ALL, not for just a few. GOD BLESS AMERICA.

Impeachment Must NOT Be Taken Off the Table.

The history of the Bush Administration has proven that the Bush administration cooked intelligence and lied to obtain the original Authorization for Use of Military Force ("AUMF"), which was then immediately abused to launch an unprovoked and unwarranted invasion and indefinite occupation of Iraq.

The manipulative complicit actions of the Bush Administration concerning the actual death and destruction that transpired on 9/11/01 within the United States, that originated the Bush War on Terror, has never been sufficiently addressed scientifically for WE THE PEOPLE to be assured that the Bush Administration was not involved in that original terror, as Hitler had done with the burning of the Reichstags Building.

There is and has been a definite attempt by the Bush Administration to cover up the facts of 9/11 to keep the facts from showing that the Bush Administration was complicitly involved in the original 9/11/01 destruction and death. There would be no reason for a cover up if the Bush Administration was not involved in some way and the truth needs to come out. A cat doesn't cover up poo that isn't there. There is some 9/11 poo that the Right Wing insists changed everything for the United States citizens, and that everything must be changed their way and their way only. WE THE PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH. ALL OF THE TRUTH. IT WAS WE THE PEOPLE WHO DIED.

All democratic intellectuals and democratic members of the scientific community, like Steven Jones, Professor David Griffin, Alex Jones and many, many others need to be given free reign in order to find out the truth and why a cover up is being executed by the Bush Administration.

If the Bush Administration was not complicit, let the truth be known one way or the other. WE THE PEOPLE need scientific proof as evidence the Bush Administration was not complicit in the original terror perpetrated against the citizens of the United States as the reason for the Bush Administration's War of Terror.

As bad as I hate it, right now 9/11 is a festering wound that needs healing. Let the 9/11-truth chips fall where they may so our country will be able to be healed.

The strategic Bush Administration's disaster in Iraq lurches further out of control day by day, while the Bush administration talks about even more irrational plans to light a bigger powder keg in Iran. As reported by Seymour Hersh, Cheney arrogantly stated just before the elections that even if the Democrats take back Congress they will find some way around any legislative restrictions to pursue their insanity option in Iran.

The first thing Congress must do is reassert control over the radical White House by canceling the 2001 Authorization For Use of Military Force. The Authorization For Use of Military Force has been used by the Bush Regime to justify preemptive imperialism in Iraq, and has been trotted out incessantly to excuse their illegal domestic wiretaps, their program of torture and their secret detentions in violation of the Geneva convention, and every other manner of defiance of Congress and the federal courts since.

Congress did NOT give an authorization to unilaterally violate the Constitution, but the Bush Regime has chosen to take it as such, and accordingly the Authorization For Use of Military Force MUST be taken away from this Executive Branch by Congress, and the impeachment process must be under taken with all effort to END this Executive Branch's usurping of control over the Congress, the Supreme Court and WE THE PEOPLE in the government of the United States.

IMPEACHMENT OF THE BUSH REGIME IS A MUST and MUST NOT BE TAKEN OFF THE TABLE.

Reid is a dumb son of a bitch. I am the most devout of Anti-Republicans, but I swear to fucking God I will vote for them if he does not fund the border fence. Dems are supposed to champion the poor CITIZENS. I'm a doc, and I see the result of a medicaid system being fleeced by illegal aliens, by a welfare system falling victim as well. We must protect our citizens. The illegals are driving down the wages of DEMOCRATS, and making REPUBLICANS rich. Get rid of Reid. He has no business as majority leader

From what I hear Mr. Reid is too excited about giving amnesty to illegal aliens. Some Democrats are saying the election proved they would not be punished for a comprehensive immigraion bill. They are fools. If the people swarming the border and using our social services is not stopped by 2008 it will cost them the election. If they pass a bill and the illegals continue to swarm this country and the employers have not been punished it may be the end of the party for a long time.

Good.

I hope Reid fully understands though, that the Republicans have no intentions on working in a Bi-partisan fashion with the Democrats and he needs to remember that when dealing with them.

I would just like to stress the importance for every rep. to: PLEASE CUT THE LOBBYING!! PLEASE MAKE OUR GOVERNMENT EFFECTIVE AND RESPECTABLE!! My future is in your hands...

Hey, Bushwhacka and Chattaklan

That crap does'nt work anymore.Get some new material.

Si Se Puede!

;p

bushwhacker911:

To any member of the political left, voting for the political right, the Republicans, is NOT an option. The only option the political left has is to use the PRIMARIES and vote the right-wing conservative democrats out of the Democratic Party so that the Democratic Party is representative of the political LEFT, WE THE PEOPLE who have to work for a living. If Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi think they can avoid the PRIMARIES, they have another think coming. WE THE PEOPLE may have to put up with their dragging and garbage for a while, but if they do not bring our government back to being for the people instead of against the people, WE THE PEOPLE will remember in the 2008 PRIMARIES.

Since the United States has a two-party system of government, it would seem that the people would realize all those political left parties other than the Democratic Party are useless. WE THE PEOPLE have to join the Democratic Party and clean it up in the PRIMARIES, as only members can vote in the primaries; then after the primary clean up, WE THE PEOPLE must realize that the political left must have SOLIDARITY to defeat the political right, the Republicans.

NEVER is it a choice for a member of the political left to vote for the political right.

Chattanooga:

Ditto on my Bushwhacker911 post.

"Won't it be nice to have a Senate that will actually focus on governing instead of wasting time on divisive wedge issues intended to rally an extreme right-wing base?"

Why not change that last bit to "left-wing" base?

Let's stay in reality here, folks. As the resident right wing nut, I'm here to tell you that it makes absolutely no difference who is in charge of any branch of government, they are going to work for their own agenda.

If you honestly believe that the Democratic government is going to try and do things in a bipartisan manner, you would be deluding yourself. The Dems in the Senate have been extremely devisive the last 4 years, and so has the GOP. Do not expect anythign to change, especially since the Dem Senate will work against anything that Pres Bush puts out there.

Socialized health care is your issue, not ours. Pres Bush tried to fix the SS program, which elected Democrats said was in danger, yet the Dems worked hard to destroy Presidents ideas, rather then working with the President, and offering their ideas.

As a sidebar, funny how Reid has forgotten to include what the Senate Dems actual agenda is.

I look forward to the next two years of Democratic action. Democrats have been given a golden opportunity to make substantive changes to this country at a pivotal time in its history. But that chance won't last forever. Never have more Americans lived in poverty, without health care, with dwindling or no chances of retirement, and faced with unprecedented challenges at our border and abroad. Clinton said in his biography "My Life" that the norm of the prior generation of Democratic legislators used to be for Congress to stay in DC to work most of the year, rather than travel home every weekend to politic, a trend apparently started in 1994. I hope that Reid can persuade his party's lawmakers to actually stay in the capital and work overtime to capitalize on the chance the voters gave the Democratic Party. I am hoping for change. . .

I sure hope that Mr. Reid is right in saying things will be different now. All we have seen for the last 10 years with the republicans in power is nothing that is for the American people. All we have seen is tax brakes for the rich while the poor and middle class lose there homes, jobs, health insurance and respect. I would like to see the old democrats that truly love the poor, middle class. I have lost more jobs in the last 5 years then my father ever had in his life. I have not only lost jobs, but the company's are ether out of business or over seas. If the democrats have lied to us about doing something about the war and getting the USA back on track. Then we can expect more years of Republicans in power. And this time they really will take this country and the world for ride. And they will love screwing us all the way to there bank.

I'm not impressed with anything the Democratic leadership has said since the election. I'm a Democrat and voted Democrat, but evidently the message I sent with my vote has been misinterpeted by my party.
Nothing signigicant will be accomplished as long as President Bush and his administration remains in power...if the Democratic congress fails to impeach the President, then they have a convienient excuse for why nothing got done during the next election.
My Vote said:

1. I want my President held accoutable for his crimes.

2. I want my civil liberties restored.

3. I want benefits restored for medicare receipients, disabled persons and Veterans.

4. I want border security and enforcment of immigration laws and I want a more efficient immigration system.

5. I want our ports and airlines secure and under the control of the United States.

6. I want election reform. Paper trails and more efficient polling so no citizen is excluded or denied their right to vote.

7. I want Corporations to start paying their fair share ot taxes and stop the outsourcing of jobs.

8. I want to eliminate the trade deficit by making China, Mexico, and any other country that has unfair trade practices pay up so that American worker don't suffer and American jobs aren't lost.

9. I want health care reform so that all Americans can receive adequate and quality health care.

10. I want greater access to justice for all Americans. Many Americans are deprived of their liberties because they cannot aford the costs of litigation. This amounts to being able to pay a ransom for your liberties and it is an unconstitutional practice. Cases are to be determined on their merits not on who can aford the best attorney or for that matter who can afford to get thier case into court because they can't afford to pay all the court fees.

11. For decades now I've heard noting but talk about the empowerment of women and it has usually come at the expense of the rights of men. So where are the government agencies for teh empowerment of men to protect their interests in preserving their relationship with their children and their now empowered wife decides to divorce him because she can live on child support and alimoney without working?

12. I want our troops in Iraq properly equiped and I want a new strategy for the war because the current plan just isn't working.

MarthaA:
I've got one thing to ask you? Are you a communist? Such founders of our great party like Jefferson and Jackson whould certainly get rid of you so that you whouldn't be able to hurt the image of the Democratic party. If you want though, you can join the Communists and fight for your communistic future.

Yes, Bush and Cheney are assholes and we have to do all we can to get rid of them and their neo con friends,but we certainly don't want any communistic rats in our great party whoes purpose is not to build but to destroy.
SO PISS OFF MarthaA.

Si se puedo? What the crap? I wonder who said that. Why don't you go back to Mexico?!! If you live in America and you don't speak English that makes you look like a friggin moron!!!

To all illegal immigrants who don't care about being legal and who read this right now:

Don't even plan on getting an amnesty from Congress. If it ever happens that the Democrats pass it, they're done. We will vote in 2008 and elect a republican president. Good luck.

I belive that the senate and house should not waste time trying to remove Bush. that would make him a martyr. All that needs to be done is what both houses of comgress has the power to do. investagate
where the money went. follow the money it will lead
to the people who made the disicions and why.

First do what the party said it would do, drug program,election reform,9/11 report and so on.

Hey superdawg:

Like it or not, many, if not most, of the immigrants to this country in the last ten years do not come from Mexico. Spanish is widely spoken throughout the world, even by many of the Republican constituents (i.e. right wing Cubans). I do not deny that there is an immigration problem in the U.S., but don't blame it on Mexico or their population. The fault, dear superdawg, lies in ourselves. Further, I would posit that the only one here who looks like a "friggin moron" is you. Note that I did not say you are one, just that your rather intemperate comments make you look like one.

Feliz Navidad.

Hopefully the Congress is going to be smart enough to double impeach Bush and Cheney. Nancy Pallosy said we've got to move on but at the same time she sais something like "impeachment is off the table". What moving on are we actually talking about if we are not planning on doing anything specific like impeachment for president and vice-president? They have been violating power and authority to do to this country and the people whatever they wanted and now Pallosy is telling us to back off and move on? When president Clinton made a mistake,the neo cons tried to "eat his soul" and impeach him right away involving the law, congressional commissions, ultraconservative judjes, all sorts of ken starrs and religious extremists. But because the people of the United States said: " President Clinton is our president and we are not going to let a couple of extremists do anything to him", president Clinton did stay in office. So you can see that the situation was totally oposite. People voted and made it clear that they wanted Clinton and hid policy in office. So the republicans,at the time, had to back off.
Now the people of the United States voted and made it clear tat they don't want Bush and Cheney in office. What do we say in response? Nothing.Oh, wait a second, we did say something like: "It's off the table". We have learned in these past six years that people don't mean anything. It appears now that it remains the same.
Way to go Mrs.Pallosy,way to go!

Hopefully the Congress is going to be smart enough to double impeach Bush and Cheney. Nancy Pallosy said we've got to move on but at the same time she sais something like "impeachment is off the table". What moving on are we actually talking about if we are not planning on doing anything specific like impeachment for president and vice-president?

They have been violating power and authority to do to this country and the people whatever they wanted and now Pallosy is telling us to back off and move on? When president Clinton made a mistake,the neo cons tried to "eat his soul" and impeach him right away involving the law, congressional commissions, ultraconservative judjes, all sorts of ken starrs and religious extremists. But because the people of the United States said: " President Clinton is our president and we are not going to let a couple of extremists do anything to him", president Clinton did stay in office. So you can see that the situation was totally oposite. People voted and made it clear that they wanted Clinton and hid policy in office. So the republicans,at the time, had to back off.

Now the people of the United States voted and made it clear tat they don't want Bush and Cheney in office. What do we say in response? Nothing.Oh, wait a second, we did say something like: "It's off the table". We have learned in these past six years that people don't mean anything. It appears now that it remains the same.

Way to go Mrs.Pallosy,way to go!

Hey everyone, if you want, you can go to
www.larouchepac.com. Another good sorce for any responsible democrat. I'm sure you all know who Lindon Larouche is, so i'm not gonna explain it to you. Later.