STENY HOYER MUST STEP DOWN AS MAJORITY LEADER

How about some leaders from the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party?

Steny Hoyer has no business being majority leader. He has been a pro-war Democrat working behind the scenes to enable some of Bush's most toxic policies behind the backs of his own caucus. He has used Blue Dogs and other reactionaries as useful fools to force Pelosi to go along with Bush Regime formulations again and again. And the miserable "compromise" he is trying to shove down the throats of the Democratic caucus-- and the nation-- is an outrage that should not be tolerated. As we mentioned yesterday, after minority leader Dick Gephart plotted with Bush to attack and occupy Iraq, against the will of the majority of Democrats, minority whip Nancy Pelosi stood up to him and brought most Democrats along with her in voting against Bush's war. History has proven the Democratic majority in the House correct. Gephart voted with Bush and the Blue Dogs and then gave up the leadership, leading the way to Pelosi becoming Speaker, the job Gephart-- like Hoyer-- has always craved. Hoyer must never become Speaker; Hoyer should not be Majority Leader for another day. (In the Senate a few more Democrats voted with Bush than against the war and it brought them disgrace. It is also why Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee instead of Hillary Clinton).

Yesterday, hundreds of grassroots Americans, Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, independents sent in mostly small donations that amounted to over $65,000 so far. Take a look and consider adding even $5 or $10 to help us hold Steny Hoyer accountable for plotting with Bush. This morning's NY Times joins us in condemning Hoyer's craven posture towards the U.S. Constitution, with the kind of editorial we wish they had written before Gephart, Bush and Cheney hoodwinked us into an unjustifiable and catastrophic war against Iraq.

In the waning months of his tenure, President Bush and his allies are once again trying to scare Congress into expanding the president’s powers to spy on Americans without a court order.

This week, the White House and Democratic and Republican leaders on Capitol Hill hope to announce a “compromise” on a domestic spying bill. If they do, it will be presented as an indispensable tool for protecting the nation’s security that still safeguards our civil liberties. The White House will paint opponents as weak-kneed liberals who do not understand and cannot stand up to the threat of terrorism.

The bill is not a compromise. The final details are being worked out, but all indications are that many of its provisions are both unnecessary and a threat to the Bill of Rights. The White House and the Congressional Republicans who support the bill have two real aims. They want to undermine the power of the courts to review the legality of domestic spying programs. And they want to give a legal shield to the telecommunications companies that broke the law by helping Mr. Bush carry out his warrantless wiretapping operation.

...Under the so-called compromise, the question of immunity would be decided by a federal district court — a concession by Mr. Bond, who originally wanted the FISA court, which meets in secret and is unsuited to the task, to decide. What is unacceptable, though, is that the district court would be instructed to decide based solely on whether the Bush administration certifies that the companies were told the spying was legal. If the aim is to allow a court hearing on the president’s spying, the lawsuits should be allowed to proceed — and the courts should be able to resolve them the way they resolve every other case. Republicans, who complain about judges making laws from the bench, should not be making judicial decisions from Capitol Hill.

This week, House and Senate leaders were trying to allay the concerns of some lawmakers that approving the immunity would be tantamount to retroactively declaring the spying operation to have been legal. Those lawmakers are right. Granting the corporations immunity would send that exact message.

The new bill has other problems. It gives the government too much leeway to acquire communications in the United States without individual warrants or even a showing of probable cause. It greatly reduces judicial review, and it would remain in force for six years, which is too long.

If Congress cannot pass a clean bill that fixes the one real problem with FISA, it should simply extend the temporary authorization. At a minimum, the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, should oppose FISA expansion and pledge to revisit it next year. If any significant changes are going to be made, they should be made under the next president.

There are clear differences between the candidates. Senator John McCain, who is sounding more like Mr. Bush every day, believes the president has the power to eavesdrop on Americans without a warrant.

Senator Barack Obama opposes immunity and voted against the temporary expansion of FISA. We hope he will show strong leadership this time. He might even take time off from the campaign to vote against the disturbing deal brewing in the back rooms of Congress.

Senators Harry Reid, Dick Durbin, Chris Dodd, Russ Feingold, Ron Wyden are all saying they can't support Hoyer's disgraceful cave in to Bush and Cheney, Hillary, learned her lesson after supporting Bush's efforts to mislead the nation on Iraq and opposes the Hoyer "compromise, " as do all the Senate Democrats but the DLC dead-enders, most of whom are laden with massive bribes from the telecom companies for whom they are seeking retroactive immunity. In the House, Pelosi and the caucus majority should tell Hoyer they no longer have faith in him and find a leader who can be part of the solution, not an integral part of the problem. Hoyer should step down from his leadership role. There are dozens of better equipped leaders who would work far better with Pelosi to pass a progressive post-Bush agenda, from George Miller, Barney Frank, Ed Markey, Louise Slaughter, Maurice Hinchey, to John Conyers, Jerrold Nadler, Robert Wexler or Henry Waxman.

More stories on Hoyer's betrayal: Huffington Post, Blue Girl, Red State, Daily Kos, The Agonist, Unqualified Offerings, and Break the Matrix, a blog written by some of the most respected and best organized or the Ron Paul supporters.