Conyers publishes massive report on 'Imperial Presidency'

Conyers publishes massive report on 'Imperial Presidency'

rawstory.com

Everyone wants to know: will Obama order investigations into the Bush administration's abuses of power? But, perhaps the new question should be: if he doesn't, who will?

House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) is at least going to try.

Conyers published a nearly 500-page report (PDF link) Tuesday titled, "Reining in the Imperial Presidency: Lessons and Recommendations Relating to the presidency of George W. Bush."

Conyers' report makes 47 recommendations "designed to restore the traditional checks and balances of our constitutional system," reads the foreward. Recommendations include the establishment of a 'blue ribbon' commission to fully investigate the Bush administration, and the launch of criminal probes.

"Even after scores of hearings, investigations, and reports, we still do not have answers to some of the most fundamental questions left in the wake of Bush’s Imperial Presidency," Conyers said in a release. "Investigations are not a matter of payback or political revenge – it is our responsibility to examine what has occurred and to set an appropriate baseline of conduct for future administrations."

On Jan. 6, Conyers introduced a bill that, if passed, would create the "Commission on Presidential War Powers and Civil Liberties," which would seek to root out President Bush's abuses.

“The Bush Administration’s approach to power is, at its core, little more than a restatement of Mr. Nixon’s famous rationalization of presidential misdeeds: 'When the president does it, that means it’s not illegal,'" Conyers wrote in the report's foreward.

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I'm really glad that at least someone is doing this. I know that a lot of people are worried that the Democrats in office are going to forget what the Bush administration has done and the reason why they got elected. They clearly haven't. So it looks like this one guy is at least going to try to get Bush investigated. I feel that if he gets his way at least Obama will have less to worry about within regards with his predecessor. I think this is a step in the right direction. More people in the Government need to step out like this. I feel that something needs to be done and we can't forget the mistakes of the Bush administration. Look at what they did with the Bush administration. Now people mistrust the government everywhere. People think that the government is only out there to spy on people. People have come under the impression that our government is only an aggressor and the Bush administration has made foreigners hate us even more. We need not to forget the administration's mistakes of the past and just move forward, but, we need a full investigation. At least one person is stepping up and doing it.

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(visit the link for the full news article)

IMHO this is a step in the right direction and I hope it gets the attention it deserves.

Perhapse this will be the check that helps restore balance.

I would call this a true act of patrioism or a true patriot act!

I'm sure the millions dead will take great comfort in this.