Nancy went to Syria and violated the Logan Act
Now someone please prosecute her.
By Mark Kilmer Posted in Democrats — Comments (28) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
The Wall Street Journal's Editorial Page is considered by the American left to be a Bushie Neocon Rightwing Evangelical Adjective Adjective Adjective opinion journal. Well, it is at OpinionJournal.com.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may well have committed a felony in traveling to Damascus this week, against the wishes of the president, to communicate on foreign-policy issues with Syrian President Bashar Assad. The administration isn't going to want to touch this political hot potato, nor should it become a partisan issue. Maybe special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, whose aggressive prosecution of Lewis Libby establishes his independence from White House influence, should be called back.
The Logan Act makes it a felony and provides for a prison sentence of up to three years for any American, "without authority of the United States," to communicate with a foreign government in an effort to influence that government's behavior on any "disputes or controversies with the United States." Some background on this statute helps to understand why Ms. Pelosi may be in serious trouble.
Follow the link for the background info.
And Read On…
AllahPundit thinks that"she won’t be" prosecution, so consideration of Nancy's violation of the Logan Act is "a strictly intellectual exercise." I posit that if it be only an intellectual exercise, it is a waste of time. A dandy one, to be sure, but idle nonetheless.
From the Congressional record (1791), Robert Turner reports at Opinion Journal, Massachusetts Congressman Isaac Parker of Massachusetts explained the Act in this manner:
"[T]he people of the United States have given to the executive department the power to negotiate with foreign governments, and to carry on all foreign relations, and that it is therefore an usurpation of that power for an individual to undertake to correspond with any foreign power on any dispute between the two governments, or for any state government, or any other department of the general government, to do it."
The GOP leadership, including the White House, has to publicize this, make the public case for the problems caused by Nancy's nuisance, and build support for a prosecution. If that can be done, prosecute. Making the case will underscore the framers' intent for the executive power will quiet the Congressional imperialists riding shotgun for the jihad.
Though 't was passed in 1799, it was amended as recently as 1994, so it's not a dead law. There have never been any prosecutions under it, though there should have been.
President Bush has spoken of not wanting to leave the office of the Presidency diminished when he leaves it. He's jealous of Presidential powers and prerogatives, he says, for the benefit of his successors. Well, Mr. President, here's your opportunity.
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Nancy went to Syria and violated the Logan Act 28 Comments (0 topical, 28 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
Maybe GWB should pull an Ahmadinejad by pardoning her for her offense. lol
DAMASCUS, Syria -- Syria's president wants to resume peace negotiations with Israel, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter said yesterday after meeting with Bashar Assad.
Mr. Specter, who visited Syria despite loud objections from the Bush administration, did not say what conditions Mr. Assad gave for restarting talks with the Israelis. Syrian officials were not available for comment.
you wouldn't know that we'd be fine prosecuting Specter too.
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Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.
We would be fine with prosecuting Specter, if the President told him not to do it, or he did it without consulting with the President.
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See the Academy
Why would Bush tell Specter, "I strongly object to what you will tell Syria, but go anyway", while saying to Pelosi, "I strongly object to your visit to Syria but i don't want you to go"?
And by your reasoning, Frank Wolf (R-VA) would have to be prosecuted too, because he said, "“I don't care what the administration says on this". It follows that he didn't even bother consulting with Bush, since he didn't care anyway.
If you look at it, you will find most of us in one of two camps, or even in both:
1.) Prosecute them all.
2.) Pelosi is different than the rest, because she is a)going against the policy of the Administration, which is where, if you'll turn to your handy pocket Constitution, is the branch responsible for articulating and executing foreign policy;, and b)Speaker of the House, which means that her 'negotiations' carry a slight bit more weight in their words than a congressman from Virginia or a senator from Pennsylvania who doesn't have control over 1/2 of one of the branches of our government.
Personally, there is truth to number 2, and I would also want to see number 1 take place as well. If you violate the law, you should be prosecuted, end of story.
Fides non in bonus intentions , tamen in bonus factum
For more common sense conservatism, visit the Show Me Conservatism blog.
It means I don't know, and finding out would be somewhere below shopping for neckties on my priority list, if I even had such a list. See, right there is an "if".
And I still think Nancy should resign. There's a cloud. Can't have a cloud.
It's troubling. I'm concerned.
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See the Academy
And the legislative and the executive Branch are equal in power.
So the notion that Bush had to somehow give Pelos, Specter or Wolf permission is bogus. This is why Wolf said he doesn't care.
[If you can't help but come back, clearly we're doing something right.]
[Now back to work! You have an essay to write, me hearty. - Moe Lane]
One thousand of the words on the wicked ways of the Americee political system, by the powers! Make sure you lay out the duties an' limiters on each branch, as the Founders scribed it out for all to see; and stint not on the reckoning of the meaning of why we have one Cap'n, not 536. Put yer back into it and we may let you out of Davy Jones' Locker.
Wi' a curse.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC.
Just an ordinary, garden-variety troll. I could spot that just from his username, without even having to read what he wrote.
As Moe pointed our recently, the trolls tend to pick the most ridiculous of names.
I don't like Nancy Pelosi's politics but this isn't the first time this type of trip has ocurred.
http://mediamatters.org/items/200704050008
" A Washington Post article on Nancy Pelosi's recent trip to Syria reported that former House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert had "infuriated the Clinton White House by working directly with Colombian police officials on their U.S. aid requests, bypassing diplomatic channels." But Hastert allegedly went further, urging Colombian military officials to circumvent the administration and work directly with Congress, even assuring them that he would work to reduce the impact of legal restrictions that Colombia objected to."
As should Nancy. And they both should got to Gitmo and be tortured by Haliburton.
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See the Academy
Okay, so if I write a letter to President Assad and ask him to stop letting insurgents cross the Syria-Iraq border, I can go to jail for violating the Logan Act?
Is anyone here familiar with the First Amendment? Apparently some members of Congress in 1799 could have used a refresher course.
your roomie at the brain injury rehab facility. And, good look on your own progress.
Envisioning when all that is Left is the Right.
that the poster - jeffrigs - isn't all there in the area of mental capacity. In plain English, he's an idiot.
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Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.
And we do have some pretensions towards trying to encourage civil disagreement.
So come on, man: go after the guys coming out swinging. Blame it up on my squishy-soft middle of the roadkill soppy bleeding-heart RiNO nature, or something.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC.
a private citizen, having no power or authority beyond leaving a voice mail for his congresscritter, should not be hassled with the Logan Act.
CongressCritters™, on the other hand, should be beaten to death with it. Both parties. And I'm good with starting with Specter.
See, I can be squishy too. It's the "kinder, gentler mbecker908".
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Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.
in the Naval Reserve? Rum, a lash, and what?
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See the Academy
You know very well that the Bush administration will never prosecute Mrs. Pelosi. There has been only one indictment under the Logan Act, in 1803, and there was no subsequent prosecution. Mrs. Pelosi will go where she pleases and do as she pleases with no criminal repercussions. Expecting otherwise will only magnify your feelings of impotence and rage.
Or how about posing for pics with Moktada al-Sadr at the local Sadr City Chick-Fillet?
>When is she going to visit Ahmadinejad? [Iranian leader]
That's the whole point of it. Bush should look at more than just the Logan Act violation, he should have the FBI investigate all the links between the Democrats and terrorist countries and groups. Immediately after the election, Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups said they were happy that the Democrats were elected. The first thing the Democrats did after the election was send a Congressman over to a terrorist country, Syria. Now the speaker of the House has gone there.
The Democratic leaders, Pelosi and Reid, are trying to force a pull out from Iraq which would leave Al Qaeda in control. Reid and Pelosi push Al Qaeda's agendas in Congress. Is it a coincidence? Or is money involved? Did Al Qaeda contribute money to the Democrats in the last election?
This is about much more than partisan politics. Americans died on 9/11 because of attacks from Al Qaeda personnel based in Afghanistan, and the Democrats are now trying to allow the same type of base camps to form in Iraq. Before we pull the troops out and allow another 9/11, I think we should find out how much influence terrorist groups have over the Democratic Party.
Whether or not the public supports it, it should be done because it is the right thing to do...I know that if it's done without proper presentation and public support it could hurt election chances and all - but sometimes you have to do what is right and good for the country even if it will hurt the party...if only we didn't have to look at breaking the law in terms of politics...
"I don't believe in a government that protects us from ourselves."
Ronald Reagan
"Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first."
Ronald Reagan