Webb Suggests Legal Action Against Bush On Iraq

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Source: The Huffington Post

Sen. Jim Webb thinks legal action against the Bush administration may be needed if the president pursues a long-term military presence in Iraq without Congress' approval.

"I'm not convinced we don't need to have a lawsuit ready," Webb told the Huffington Post. "This is a classic separation of powers issue. I started to talk to people about this today."

In recent days the administration has seemingly backed away from attempting to secure extended military-to-military relationship with the Iraqi government to replace a current U.N. Mandate. Webb and others -- most notably Rep. Rosa DeLauro and Sen. Hillary Clinton -- have pushed legislation that would restrict federal money for any such agreement unless it came in the form of a congressional treaty. And while a victory on that front seems within grasp, the possibility still exists, Webb warned, for the administration to ultimately circumvent congressional input.

"They are characterizing this as within the authority of the Executive Branch. They will wait to August when everyone is at the conventions, and leave it on our doorstep," said the Virginia Democrat. "If the Senate hasn't acted by then, they are going to announce an agreement between the Executive Branch and Iraq."

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/11/webb-suggests-legal-actio_n_86128.html

[Blue State Bandit]

1. OBAMA - WEBB '08

That's what I call a dream ticket.

[chwaliszewski]

4. Obama - Webb '08 continued...

How about this?

President - Barack Obama
Vice President - Jim Webb
Sec. of State - Christopher Dodd
Sec. of Defense - John Murtha
Attorney General - Patrick Fitzgerald

[RamboLiberal]

8. I like it except for Murtha

He's big in to pork barrels for the military. I'd prefer someone like Wes Clark for SecDef or Max Cleland. And I'd make John Edwards AG.

[Donnachaidh]

24. Jim Webb for MAJORITY LEADER in the Senate

He'd be the anti-Reid. And Bush's kryptonite.

[steven88]

47. Webb voted for telecom immunity and FISA

He is just more of the same.

[Straight Shooter]

65. Remember the Democratic rebuttal to the 2007 SOTU? Webb is just showing bush the way.

The way to maximum unaccountability.

[stillrockin]

77. He voted to give immunity to telecoms today,

after saying he opposed it.

[stillrockin]

78. delete

[nealmhughes]

41. Wes Clark can't be SecDef for a few more years due to his retirmement from the Army,

he could be SecState, though with no time out required!

[FourScore]

43. Really??? I did not know that.

Thanks for the info. I'll take him as either SecDef or SoS. I just love the man.

Recommending this thread.

[Blue State Bandit]

49. Could he be taken out of retirement to serve as Chair of the JCS...

or maybe NSA

[trthnd4jstc]

44. I like that.

Edwards for Attorney General. Clark for Secretary of Defense. Hooray.

[Blue State Bandit]

46. I might get some flack for this, but I still want Wes Clark for SecDef

dispite his support for Hillary.

[King Coal]

70. What about hi FISA vote? Shit.

[trthnd4jstc]

42. It is good to have Senator Webb in the Senate

I like the idea of a winning ticket. My suggestion would be to not remove any Democrats from the House, Senate, or any current Govenors, to be the next Vice President. I like Senator Webb on most issues. I appreciate that he is trying to protect our Constitution. I hope that Rep. Pelosi, Rep. Emmanuel, and Rep. Conyers would do the same. These 3 have blocked the movement to Impeach Bush and Cheney. Bush and Cheney need to be impeached, removed from office, and sent to Ft. Leavenworth. I would love to see Hillary be willing to be the Vice President, or Barack, however the race pans out.

[stillrockin]

75. Yeah, I loved how he voted to give telecoms immunity today. What a guy. . .

[rucognizant]

48. Ugh uh........

He just voted FOR immunity for the telecoms!!!
Jim Webb disqualified from VP nod today
by Andy30tx
Tue Feb 12, 2008 at 09:00:12 AM PST
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/2/12/115220/287/428/455206
:( :puke: :wtf:

[cstanleytech]

56. Obama Clinton 08 or

Clinton Obama08, either of the 2 would be fine by me as long as the republicans dont win it as the republicans have not earned the right in my opinion to be in charge of the whitehouse again and it will be a long damn time I suspect until I change my mind about them in that area.

[cstanleytech]

57. double post

not my day *sigh*

[NastyRiffraff]

2. I love this guy!

I'd like to see him in the new Democratic administration in some capacity. SecDef?

[aquart]

3. I thought we aren't allowed to sue the President.

Unless it's Bill Clinton.

[harun]

29. They should slap the lawsuit on him at 12:01 PM Jan 20, 2009 (n/t)

[bagrman]

36. Lets use our stimulas checks to put some attorneys on retainer,

and start the wrongful death lawsuits on Jan. 29th, and what ever else we can come up with, we could keep them busy for a long time.

[mopinko]

40. the law immunizes him for official acts

the immunity continues after leaving office. much as i would love to apply it to bush, i think it is a wise principle.

[plantwomyn]

67. writ of mandamus

nt

[aquart]

73. I'd give a ticker tape parade to the process server.

[laconicsax]

5. Maybe instead of a lawsuit,

IMPEACH THE FUCKER

(Yes, I know Webb is in the Senate and it's the House's job to impeach)

[halobeam]

6. Proud to give this a 5th rec!

Webb was the best thing to happen to Dems in a long time. I fought to get votes for him. He is one great individual. He's well respected and hearing this come from him, is solid good news.

Now, off to bed on a positive note!

[bleever]

7. Dear God, is it possible

that statesmen who value their oath to the Constitution will defend it with the same faithfulness that our deployed soldiers do on a daily basis?

It is my fondest wish that our elected officials are as committed to their sworn duty as our soldiers are.

K&R.

[pokercat999]

12. Webb's son is in the military and was in Iraq at least

one time.

Unfortunately I think Webb sees Iraq as a "misadventure" carried out by incompetents, not the ILLEGAL invasion that it is.

[truthisfreedom]

9. Do it. Do everything we can (and we should have been doing this all along) to stop bushco

from completing their sinister plots.

[Seabiscuit]

10. This is what happens when Congress says "Impeachment Is Off The Table" -

Congress has sold this country down into the sewer of the Bush administration.

[boricua79]

20. exactly...

"go ahead...rape me...I won't call the cops"

That's what Bush heard when Pelosi spoke....the dumb ass....

I hope she's proof that there is nothing essentially different in electing females to leadership positions. They buckle just as fast as men do.

[trthnd4jstc]

45. Impeach Monkey Boy, and Vader, Quick!

Obviously, we need to impeach these 2 Traitors

[Lone_Star_Dem]

11. I wish I could recommend this again and again.

:kick:

[Ilsa]

23. I did it for you, honey. Webb is awesome. nt

[xxqqqzme]

13. Oh, Jimmy, don't you go teasin' us like that.

Suggesting actions that cause our hearts to skip a beat, waiting to exhale. Don't toy w/ our emotions.

Go after the lazy rat bastard. Talk, talk, talk, talk is cheap, time for action. The people are waiting for this to happen. GO

[countmyvote4real]

14. I'll have what xxqqqzme is having. n/t

[livvy]

15. Did anyone catch this?

"I think they are doing everything they can," said Webb. "And I don't think there is any secret to the fact that Sen. Mitch McConnell and John McCain and most of the people in the Republic Party are comfortable with the fact that we will be in Iraq for the next 50 years."

Love it! :rofl: He just slipped that right in there.

[onehandle]

16. Nothing will happen to Bush.

He'll stay the course, pardon Cheney and a million henchmen in December, and go on to a profitable uninvestigated retirement.

[Rebellious Republican]

17. My thoughts exactly! N/T

[focusfan]

25. i agree with you

your right nothing is ever done to him

[harun]

30. I agree, but they have to try (n/t)

[Phred42]

18. Better Late than Never

Good on Webb. :kick:

That's something anyway. Publicly supporting Waxman's Hearings would be better and supporting Kucinich's IMPEACHMENT Process would even BE BETTER.

More of the members of the house & Senate, who are generally are recognized as having leadership and integrity, should go public in this matter. Webb certainly is in that group. But why did it take so long even for someone like Webb?

Part of the reason is what passes for 'leadership' in the House and Senate. Reid & Pelosi must go - asap.

Here is an example of what I'm talking about:

Pelosi & AIPAC to Kucinich: drop impeachment or lose your seat in Congress

http://www.impeachthem.com/?q=node/1736

EXCLUSIVE! Pelosi & AIPAC put the Squeeze on KUCINICH!
Submitted by impeachthem on Sun, 2008-02-10 08:48.

Editor's note: 11 Feb. 2008 — Rep. Kucinich stated today that he denies the report here and that "The incident did not happen." We have contacted the source of the story and we're waiting for his response to this. When we get it, we'll post the source's answer here.

— 3 February 2008 — Exclusive to New Jersey Impeach Groups - ImpeachThem.com — We received a phone call today from a source in the Kucinich for President campaign, telling us there’s more to the story of Rep. Kucinich’s withdrawal than is publicly known. The source gave us permission to publish this, but without attribution. We can say the source is high up in the campaign. Most progressives are aware there’s been a large flood of money feeding a campaign by Cleveland City Council democrat Joe Cimperman, who seeks to win the primary for Dennis Kucinich’s seat in Ohio’s 10th congressional district, where Dennis has served the interests of working people for 6 consecutive terms — since 1996. Here’s the rest of the story, untold ‘til now. — Click the KUCINICH BANNER to read the rest —

Before the Nevada primary, Dennis was visited by representatives of Nancy Pelosi and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee — AIPAC. They told Dennis that if he would drop his campaigns to impeach Cheney and Bush, they would guarantee his re-election to the House of Representatives.

Kucinich threw them out of his office. <more>

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

I predicted this once before here in DU and I'll do it again now: The closer we get to the end of the Bush Monarchy and therefore the less likely anything will be done with these treasonous bastards, the more members of both houses will come out publicly in favor of DOING SOMETHING. Why? they can go on record as having said they were in favor of hearings, or Impeachment or what ever - but they'll never actually HAVE to do anything about it. It will be too late.

The thread I'm hanging on to is something Wexler said a few months ago:

WEXLER: "The Constitution does not include a statute of limitations." http://impeachforpeace.org/impeach_bush_blog/?p=4357

[boricua79]

19. oh whatever

Webb suggests
Conyers "on the edge"

screw all of these goddanmed finger in the wind cowards...

They'll never fulfill their constitutional duties.

[habitual]

21. i was thinking the same thing when i read the headline

I have had years of 'thinking about' & 'considering' and 'leaning towards' which all meant jack! so this kind of news doesn't excite me at ALL. Let me see someone ACTUALLY do something substantive rather than just SAYING THEY THINK THEY MIGHT!

[IsItJustMe]

31. No they don't. Do they? And everytime they fart, people get all stary eyed. I'll withhold any

hope 'until/and if' anything of a concrete nature is ever done. So far, not a damn thing. Absolutly nothing. All talk.

[donkeyotay]

63. I never knew I was from the Show Me state, but that's exactly how I feel about the dems. nt

[bdamomma]

22. Webb is taking no sh$t.

well Senator Webb, we are crossing the threshold into hell if we keep this illegal occupation going.

[bpeale]

26. this will go exactly nowhere. what a waste of time.

[harun]

27. I'm liking Webb more and more all the time (n/t)

[stillrockin]

76. He's a DINO. Check his voting record.

[electron_blue]

28. "may be needed if"... too many qualifiers here. I'm sick of people saying

they may take legal action against Bush, especially *if* he does "it" again. Enough is enough. Really - why do people need to wait?

[Baby Snooks]

32. He needs to be concerned about what the next president will do...

He should be more concerned with what the policy of the next president will be. The indications, even with Barack Obabama, seem to be that it will be more of the same. How long do we have to continue to "liberate" the Iraqi people? Reality is that instead of liberating the Iraqi people, we have plunged them into a chaos that Saddam Hussein managed to keep at bay and most likely have plunged them into the Dark Ages of Islam. Because the Bushes wanted the oil. Apparently the candidates all believe that is still a legitimate reason to remain in Iraq.

We have to allow the Iraqi people to decide for themselves. If they destroy their own country in the process, that will be something they will decide to do. Although in the end, history will record that we set it in motion. History will also record that we knowingly continued to interfere in the process of intervention in the sovereign affairs of another nation in violation of international law.

We have enough blood on our hands as it is.

[Irishonly]

33. I wish they would hurry up

I am afraid Bushco will go unpunished. I wish the democrats would stop being afraid of the weak on defense label. The majority of people would not buy into it now and those that do would rather die than vote democratic. With Bushco ratings so low and Rice's stupidity about the threat of a terrorist attack no one except die hard neocons would call it retaliation. Most of all-stop teasing us. As me mom used to say-shit or get off of the pot.

[paparush]

34. "I started to talk to people about this today." Um..well..no time like the present.

Hell, at least someone other than Conyers is talking about trying to reign in this illegal regime.

/breath
//not holding it

[cutlassmama]

58. Ditto. While I'd like nothing more than to see it happen, I don't think it will

[Parche]

35. Webb

Is Awesome.......period

He was in the military and served, he knows

He is incredible....

But we need these people in the Senate, we have a slim majority, we cant afford to pull them
out for other positions.....:hi:

[Infinite Hope]

37. The only down side to Webb as Obama's VP is the loss of a senate seat. Does Kaine appoint a new one?

Or what are the rules in Virginia.

[NikolaC]

38. Webb & The FISA Vote Today

Don't go tooting Webb's horn so fast. Check out his FISA votes. It was enough to make me regret voting for him.

[navarth]

50. HE VOTED FOR IMMUNITY.

That's INEXCUSABLE.

So did Debbie Stabenow. I'm sending her an email today. 'I will never vote for you again. Don't bother to send me your B.S. form letter reply. You are in my trash filter. In the next Michigan senatorial election, I will vote for whoever runs against you in the primary.'

[shellfishgene]

39. Impeachment

Congress's legal recourse against a president is called impeachment. Acting beyond Constitutional authority is an example of a "high crime or misdemeanor". There's really no intermediate here. You could censure the president, but this one won't respond to that. The administration is banking on the fact that Congress won't impeach him and he keeps pushing the line. Talking tough about lawsuits does nothing. Courts are not going to answer this question. This is something that the Supreme Court would have original jurisdiction over and there is no doubt that they would declare any lawsuit void on the basis of the "political question doctrine" enunciated in Baker v. Carr.

[mzmolly]

51. Gotta love Jim Webb!

:toast:

[Bluestar]

52. A lawsuit? Oh,yeah, that'll scare the Bushies

IMPEACHMENT is the remedy for Bush's actions. None of the Democrats are willing to go on record to hold the Bush administration accountable.

Jim Webb is not a hero and the idea of him and his right-wing policies as vice president makes me hurl.

[DFW]

53. "IF the president pursues a long-term military presence in Iraq ??"

What have the last five years been?

We have been in Iraq longer than we were in World War Two.
Unless WWII was considered to be a quickie, I'd say that
we have ALREADY had a long-term presence in Iraq. Regardless
of what many say, I still think that the Senate IWR only authorized
military action in case of imminent danger, which was never the
case. Therefore the invasion was undertaken without any Congressional
approval.

The powers are separate, alright. The Cheneybush White House has taken
all the power, and left COngress with none. Separate for sure. Not very
equal, though..........

[ReformedChris]

54. Jim Webb: Cracking BushCo's skull at every turn of corruption..

Probably the best trade off in the Senate was that idiot Allen for Webb. He is determined and does not shy away from controversy. Get-Em Jim, and take them all down if you can. I also love how he keeps this debate within the law and uses American Justice the way it was meant to be used.

[cstanleytech]

55. Ignore, misposted NT

[hatrack]

59. Blahblahblah blahblah! Blahblah! Blahblahblahblah!! BLAH!

I think that about covers it.

[brentspeak]

60. So...you're opposed to Webb's suggestion?

???

[hatrack]

68. No, I'm calling bullshit when I see it

It's like Conyers being "on the edge of impeachment".

It's Congressional subpoenas for Myers and Bolten that are stonewalled and ignored for literally months on end, and an Attorney General who states to members of Congress that he will not enforce, and Congress does NOTHING in return.

Oh, and lest we forget, there's that little thing about Webb voting FOR immunity for telecom companies for illegally spying on hundreds, or tens of thousands, or millions (who knows?) of Americans.

Gosh, when did that happen . . . Oh, yeah, it was THIS AFTERNOON. So, I guess the only thing left for him to do is threaten "legal action". Whatever.

I suggest he either put his money where his mouth is, or that he stuff a sock in it and sit down and stop insulting my intelligence with his threats of "legal action."

[bjobotts]

72. agreed

[RadioactiveCarrot]

61. Talk is cheap.

Wake me up when Congress finally decides to fight back.

Been hearing talk since '06. Lol, I remember seeing the "Give em hell, Harry!" ads even. Yeah, he talked a big game too before rolling over like a trained poodle.

[Cabcere]

62. That's my Senator!

:applause: Give 'em hell, Jim.

(Yes, I realize that likely as not, this won't hurt Bush in the slightest...but at least Webb's trying, and I respect and admire him for that.) :hi: Peace.

[derby378]

64. Yeah, I think Webb would make an excellent VP

Add him to the short list! :bounce:

[Ammonium]

66. Then why the hell did he vote for telecom immunity!?

Webb should be strung up by his heels and publicly lashed.

What blatant double speak bullshit from Webb.

[Canuckistanian]

69. Tough talk for guy who just voted for telecom immunity

Sure, talk about "legal action" aginst Bush while quietly voting for measures to protect Bush from any REAL future legal action.

[bjobotts]

71. Conyers< Webb all of em have been bought and make noise for our benefit

[femrap]

74. Webb is just another repugnant lite.

He'll suck anything Corporate.

[stillrockin]

79. Wake up sheeple. Webb is a lying sack of s**t.

[williesgirl]

80. Webb is my Sen., I donated, GOTV, campaigned etc and I'm sorry I did. His vote on FISA today to

grant immunity to the telecoms did it for me. I'll never vote for him again due to this, nor with I support any ticket with him on it. I'm calling his office in the morning with this message and will follow it up with an email to him personally.

Nothing he does from this point on will vindicate him in my eyes. I was doubly happy I voted for Obama today when I returned and saw the outcome of this critical vote. HRC didn't even bother to show up, perhaps because she knew she'd vote for giving the telecoms immunity and didn't want to have to answer for that on the campaign trail.

They all make me sick, all Repuke Senators and their enabling 18 Dems.

[kelligesq]

81. I suspect the cowardly dems dont want to sue or impeach cause it would go to the Supremes - they

would confirm everything boooooooooosh has done and then dictatorship would become law.

just a thought been running around in my mind for sometime...as far as trying
to understand why the dems haven't moved forward with impeachment

what are they afraid of, that he'll disband the Congress ala der Fuhrer?

in essence he's already done that - deballed and declawed them