Impeachment? Not yet...

A message I received from Barack Obama:

Dear Eric:

Thank you for advising me of your concerns about the President's domestic spying program, and your feeling that his executive order may be grounds for impeachment. I understand your mounting frustration.

I fully appreciate and share your strong disagreement with many of the administration's policies and actions, including reports of the President's domestic surveillance program. Although more facts may be forthcoming, from what we have learned, it appears that the President's program is in direct contravention of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Indeed, the concept that the government is spying on Americans is troubling enough without considering the idea that this surveillance is being conducted outside the parameters of the law. It is imperative that the President, and all elected officials, recognize that this is a nation of laws. If the President believes that the nation's FISA laws should be amended, he should present his recommended changes to Congress for evaluation.

I am deeply troubled by this and other on-going efforts to increase the power of the Executive branch at the expense of the strong checks and balances in our three branches of government, and I hope the administration will see that our goal of protecting Americans does not require an abandonment of our obligation to protect their rights as well. Because the White House seems oblivious to this concept, I joined my colleagues in the Senate to filibuster a PATRIOT Act reauthorization bill that failed to strike a more reasonable balance between homeland security and civil liberties.

Homeland security is an important obligation for the federal government, and law enforcement must have a complete set of tools to fight terrorism. Despite the Administration's proclaimed focus on homeland security, however, I know many American see the poor government response after Hurricane Katrina as a sign that the President has failed to fulfill his post-9/11 promises of improved readiness and response. There is no excuse for that, and we need an honest review of our progress, or lack of progress, on this front.

In my view, there is no question that President Bush has pushed the envelope in promoting his policies and programs. Challenges like the war in Iraq and the Gulf Coast tragedy only exacerbate our sense of frustration and concern about the priorities and judgment of this administration. Despite our frustration, our focus must remain on doing what we can in this environment to address the many tests facing America and Illinois, some of which, like Katrina, have posed unprecedented challenges. While Congress needs to conduct more oversight of the administration's work, I do not think that options such as calling for impeachment of the President serve our ultimate objective, which is getting the country back on the right track.

Thank you again for writing. Please know that I will continue to use my position in the Senate to hold this administration accountable for its work, and to oppose those policies with which I disagree.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama
United States Senator