P
politicnick
01/07/06
The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
It is in the spirit of being a proud citizen of our great nation that I am writing this letter. This is a letter where I am bringing my concerns forward to you directly. Not only are these my concerns, but I am sure you are aware that the sentiment I am expressing is shared by millions of other Americans across our nation.
Mr. President, first and foremost, I want to acknowledge that you are correct in stating that we are in “trying times”, and that our nation is facing threats that we never knew to be there. Since the horrific terrorist attacks on our country on September 11, 2001, we entered a new chapter in yet-to-be written American history. This chapter should not be written and defined by the terrorists who wish to do harm to our people, but by the resolve of those in our government and military who have sworn to protect our nation.
As we knew fairly soon after September 11, 2001, that Al Queda, and Osama Bin Laden were behind the attacks on our country, we had to make a choice, as a nation. Through your leadership, you were 100% correct in seeking and obtaining Congressional authorization for a retaliatory response. We knew that the leaders of the old Afghanistan, the Taliban, were harboring and assisting members of Al Queda and Bin Laden. Therefore, our national security depended on the removal of the government that was in place in that country. I am proud of the role your administration and the American military played in liberating that nation. Today, we see a free-Democratic society in Afghanistan. They have elected leaders, a Constitution, and a bright future to be a long-lasting model for democracy in their region. I attribute that success to you.
Unfortunately, I am not so optimistic about the situation in Iraq. I do not hold you completely responsible for the faulty intelligence that was used as a lead-up to the invasion. We are well beyond that point, and I will not dwell on it. Now that we are in as far as we are, I can say you are correct in saying that an immediate withdrawal from the country would be unwise. We now have an obligation to the people there to give them the same opportunities that we gave the new Afghanistan.
Mr. President, furthermore, you are right in saying we are fighting a new kind of war. This is not a conventional war in terms of what we have fought in the past. But wars of the past, present, and future, must always be fought in the same American spirit. Within the confines of the law, and our Constitution, we can protect our nation from foreign threats. The laws enacted by the Congress have been designed to meet the requirements of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, while ensuring the security of the United States of America.
You hold the most powerful, awesome position anyone on the face of the planet can hold. It is so special that only 42 people before you have held the office in the past 219 years. The reason our nation has been so successful is attributed to the Constitution that our forefathers drafted to protect our country from what they saw as a threat-a too powerful chief executive with unchecked power. Our most sacred document has, and must continue to receive the same respect it did 219 years ago when George Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and other American patriots placed their signature on the final product. It is in the spirit of those great men that I must now bring my biggest concern to you. Mr. President, recently you have acknowledged that you issued a secret executive order authorizing warrant-less wiretaps against American citizens. You have downplayed the scope of these searches, but we need to look at it in the most basic context. The reason you say you authorized it is noble, but that nobility has carried you above the law. The law is clear on the matter, and the Fourth Amendment to our Constitution is also clear. Just because your intent was good, cannot justify a President going above the law-or above the Constitution. Your actions were not consistent with our system of government, the concept of separation of powers, and three co-equal branches of government.
People do make mistakes, and as history has told us, President’s make mistakes too. As an American citizen, I can respect and understand that the President is human too. I also recognize that when Presidents do err, they have apologized and atoned for it. They state their intention to correct the matter and move forward. It is hard for me to believe that in your heart, you believe that authorizing a warrant-less wiretap is legal or Constitutional. No where under a President’s role as Commander-in-Chief, as defined in the Constitution, can the President violate any right, guarantee, or protection afforded to our people. I am a Democrat, and honestly, have not been a supporter. But I have tried to rally behind your themes and principles-as a matter of patriotism. With all due respect, Mr. President, this is a situation where you are clearly wrong. This has the potential to taint your Presidency, and the legacy of spreading democracy in the world. How can we spread Democracy, when the very things that define what is democratic in a system are violated by the leader of our country? These actions will have profound effects on our country for years after you leave the office of President of the United States.
It is my hope that you understand these important realities, and atone for them. Admit you were wrong, and we the people, will forgive you. I respectfully request you stand up for the Constitution, the laws enacted by Congress, and respect the trust the people instilled in you by electing you to a second term. End warrant-less wiretaps, abide by the law, and use the power the Constitution grants you as President and Commander-in-Chief, without overstepping those bounds. The very types of leaders our forefathers sought to prevent in America were monarchs and dictators. Examples of those leaders have historically invoked national security and protecting the people as reasons for violating rights and liberties granted to the people. I know you reject those principles, and I ask you to stand for Democracy. This situation has the potential to become a true “Constitutional Crisis,” and could lead the Congress to exercise their power to keep the executive branch of government “in check.” I do not wish to see that occur. Let’s move America past this low point and look to our strong, proud, prosperous future. I know how busy you are, but a personal reply would be greatly appreciated, as I am truly concerned about this matter.
God Bless you and your family Mr. President, and God Bless the United States of America.
Sincerely and respectfully yours,
Nicholas C. Casey
CC: Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), Senate Judiciary Committee
Senator John F. Kerry (D-MA), Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee
Representative Richard E. Neal, 2nd Congressional District of Massachusetts
Representative F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr., Chairman, House Judiciary Committee
Representative John Conyers, Jr., Ranking Member, House Judiciary Committee
The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
It is in the spirit of being a proud citizen of our great nation that I am writing this letter. This is a letter where I am bringing my concerns forward to you directly. Not only are these my concerns, but I am sure you are aware that the sentiment I am expressing is shared by millions of other Americans across our nation.
Mr. President, first and foremost, I want to acknowledge that you are correct in stating that we are in “trying times”, and that our nation is facing threats that we never knew to be there. Since the horrific terrorist attacks on our country on September 11, 2001, we entered a new chapter in yet-to-be written American history. This chapter should not be written and defined by the terrorists who wish to do harm to our people, but by the resolve of those in our government and military who have sworn to protect our nation.
As we knew fairly soon after September 11, 2001, that Al Queda, and Osama Bin Laden were behind the attacks on our country, we had to make a choice, as a nation. Through your leadership, you were 100% correct in seeking and obtaining Congressional authorization for a retaliatory response. We knew that the leaders of the old Afghanistan, the Taliban, were harboring and assisting members of Al Queda and Bin Laden. Therefore, our national security depended on the removal of the government that was in place in that country. I am proud of the role your administration and the American military played in liberating that nation. Today, we see a free-Democratic society in Afghanistan. They have elected leaders, a Constitution, and a bright future to be a long-lasting model for democracy in their region. I attribute that success to you.
Unfortunately, I am not so optimistic about the situation in Iraq. I do not hold you completely responsible for the faulty intelligence that was used as a lead-up to the invasion. We are well beyond that point, and I will not dwell on it. Now that we are in as far as we are, I can say you are correct in saying that an immediate withdrawal from the country would be unwise. We now have an obligation to the people there to give them the same opportunities that we gave the new Afghanistan.
Mr. President, furthermore, you are right in saying we are fighting a new kind of war. This is not a conventional war in terms of what we have fought in the past. But wars of the past, present, and future, must always be fought in the same American spirit. Within the confines of the law, and our Constitution, we can protect our nation from foreign threats. The laws enacted by the Congress have been designed to meet the requirements of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, while ensuring the security of the United States of America.
You hold the most powerful, awesome position anyone on the face of the planet can hold. It is so special that only 42 people before you have held the office in the past 219 years. The reason our nation has been so successful is attributed to the Constitution that our forefathers drafted to protect our country from what they saw as a threat-a too powerful chief executive with unchecked power. Our most sacred document has, and must continue to receive the same respect it did 219 years ago when George Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and other American patriots placed their signature on the final product. It is in the spirit of those great men that I must now bring my biggest concern to you. Mr. President, recently you have acknowledged that you issued a secret executive order authorizing warrant-less wiretaps against American citizens. You have downplayed the scope of these searches, but we need to look at it in the most basic context. The reason you say you authorized it is noble, but that nobility has carried you above the law. The law is clear on the matter, and the Fourth Amendment to our Constitution is also clear. Just because your intent was good, cannot justify a President going above the law-or above the Constitution. Your actions were not consistent with our system of government, the concept of separation of powers, and three co-equal branches of government.
People do make mistakes, and as history has told us, President’s make mistakes too. As an American citizen, I can respect and understand that the President is human too. I also recognize that when Presidents do err, they have apologized and atoned for it. They state their intention to correct the matter and move forward. It is hard for me to believe that in your heart, you believe that authorizing a warrant-less wiretap is legal or Constitutional. No where under a President’s role as Commander-in-Chief, as defined in the Constitution, can the President violate any right, guarantee, or protection afforded to our people. I am a Democrat, and honestly, have not been a supporter. But I have tried to rally behind your themes and principles-as a matter of patriotism. With all due respect, Mr. President, this is a situation where you are clearly wrong. This has the potential to taint your Presidency, and the legacy of spreading democracy in the world. How can we spread Democracy, when the very things that define what is democratic in a system are violated by the leader of our country? These actions will have profound effects on our country for years after you leave the office of President of the United States.
It is my hope that you understand these important realities, and atone for them. Admit you were wrong, and we the people, will forgive you. I respectfully request you stand up for the Constitution, the laws enacted by Congress, and respect the trust the people instilled in you by electing you to a second term. End warrant-less wiretaps, abide by the law, and use the power the Constitution grants you as President and Commander-in-Chief, without overstepping those bounds. The very types of leaders our forefathers sought to prevent in America were monarchs and dictators. Examples of those leaders have historically invoked national security and protecting the people as reasons for violating rights and liberties granted to the people. I know you reject those principles, and I ask you to stand for Democracy. This situation has the potential to become a true “Constitutional Crisis,” and could lead the Congress to exercise their power to keep the executive branch of government “in check.” I do not wish to see that occur. Let’s move America past this low point and look to our strong, proud, prosperous future. I know how busy you are, but a personal reply would be greatly appreciated, as I am truly concerned about this matter.
God Bless you and your family Mr. President, and God Bless the United States of America.
Sincerely and respectfully yours,
Nicholas C. Casey
CC: Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), Senate Judiciary Committee
Senator John F. Kerry (D-MA), Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee
Representative Richard E. Neal, 2nd Congressional District of Massachusetts
Representative F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr., Chairman, House Judiciary Committee
Representative John Conyers, Jr., Ranking Member, House Judiciary Committee