Posted on 04/06/2007 2:18:11 PM PDT by jazusamo
Nancy Pelosi has persistently violated her duty to exercise her speaker powers in accordance with the Constitution and the current "106th Congress House Rules Manual" (House Document 106-320).
In short, she has fostered what is known as "tyranny by the majority" — and violated House Rules that give her the duty to maintain order, civility, and decorum, and to foster "comity" (a word rarely used these days, meaning "mutual respect").
The "House Rules Manual" includes Jefferson's "Manual of Parliamentary Procedures," originally drafted by the founder of the Democratic Party when, as vice president, he presided over the Senate from 1797 to 1801.
In 1837 the House, provided that the provisions of Jefferson's Manual should "govern the House in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with [subsequently adopted rules]."
Jefferson's manual, which is still in effect, was a codification of 18th century "common law" and re-affirms that House Rules are "the only weapons by which the minority can defend itself . . . and by a strict adherence to which the weaker party can only be protected from those irregularities and abuses which these forms were intended to check, and which the wantonness of power is but too often apt to suggest to large and successful majorities."
Currently, Pelosi, who is second in line to the president, often describes herself as a partner in his power — a higher role than the Constitution grants to the vice president, who is first in the line of secession — and whose only official duties are confined to presiding over the Senate.
Pelosi Oversteps the Electorate
In closing the recent debate on the $125 billion Emergency Defense Appropriations bill's provision to bring our troops home from Iraq next year, Pelosi — purporting to speak for the entire electorate — proclaimed "The American people have lost faith in the president's conduct of this war . . . The American people see the reality of the war; the president does not."
Both before and after the debate she has also often derided him for waging "a war without end." As Democratic Sen. Patrick Moynihan once noted "Members of Congress are entitled to their own opinions — but not to their own facts. Mrs. Pelosi's false assertion of a national consensus was then belied by a role call vote of 218 to 213."
The facts are that she presides over a House divided by both the war in Iraq and a political culture war at home. She obviously wants to win the domestic political war against the Republicans by setting a deadline for the Iraq war.
Another fact is that when she first became speaker she pledged to curtail the "earmarking" of appropriation bills with pork. Yet she encouraged her longtime Democratic ally John Murtha to use his powers on the Appropriations Committee to load the bill with $24 billion of earmarked pork. The New York Times of March 24 described it as "largely aimed at domestic program unrelated to military expenses [and] was added by Democrats to make the bill more acceptable to lawmakers."
Similarly, the Senate later approved a similar pork laden measure in a party line vote of 51 to 47, with Sen. Lieberman the sole Democrat siding with the Republicans. Despite the fact that, with defense funds due to expire in May, Pelosi then used her powers to recess until April 29 — which even her liberal supporters in the media have characterized as an exercise of partisan brinkmanship.
Pelosi's Syrian Mistake
She also denied a request by President Bush (who has primary constitutional authority over the conduct of foreign policy) that as the third-highest official of the United State she not make an official visit to Syria, which our government has officially declared to be a "terrorist state."
On a high profile televised visit to Syria, she conferred with President Bashar al-Hassad. She not only purported to speak for the American people in opposing Bush's policies and the Iraq war, she purported to have spoken for Israel. As reported in the Jerusalem Post, "[Israel's] Prime Minister Office issued a rare ‘clarification' Wednesday that, in gentle diplomatic terms, contradicted U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's statement in Damascus that she had brought a message from Israel about a willingness to engage in peace talks."
As a result of her defiance of the president and persistent confrontation of his foreign policies, Democrat Leon Panetta, the former chief of staff to President Clinton, was quoted in the April 2 New York Times as cautioning that if the Democrats "go into total confrontation mode on other than [domestic issues] where they just pass bills and the president vetoes them, that's a recipe for losing seats in the next election."
Ironically, history is now repeating itself. Our first woman Speaker Pelosi may well deserve to become the second Democratic speaker to be compelled to resign from Congress.
The prior history of Democratic Speaker Jim Wright is now being repeated by Nancy Pelosi — perhaps by a loss of institutional loss of memory of the House Democratic caucus, which forced Wright to resign.
After Wright became speaker five South American presidents had agreed on a peace plan which the Reagan administration vigorously opposed.
Anti-Sandinistas and Contra hardliners became incensed when they learned that Speaker Wright had secretly sat in on a meeting between Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo the Catholic leader being asked to mediate the peace. The Washington Post wrote "[Wright's] approach marks a dramatic shift in the running of the House and in the role of the House speaker as Washington's No. 1 Democrat."
The Wrong Way for Wright
As described 10 years later by Wright's own chief of staff: "[Then] Republican Minority Whip Trent Lott described Wright's participation in foreign affairs as "The most arrogant abuse of power I've ever seen . . . Dick Cheney of Illinois, [then] chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, got so mad at Jim Wright that he began to wax nostalgic about the warmth and affection for the previous speaker, Tip O'Neill. ‘There are no such feelings for Jim Wright,' he observed." Then-House Minority Leader Newt Gingrich began filing numerous accusations of malfeasance by the speaker in the House Ethics Committee.
In the end Jim Wright resigned.
With the unanimous endorsement of the Democratic caucus the House then voted to replace him with Democrat Tom Foley — who restored the traditional civility and comity that had prevailed under Democratic Speakers Sam Rayburn, John McCormack, Carl Albert and "Tip" O'Neill.
Currently, with public respect for professional politicians at an all time low, and the financing of presidential campaigns at an all time high, the moral authority of both the Democratic Party and the GOP is diminishing. In my view, the longer Nancy Pelosi remains our party's leading spokesperson the more her penchant for political warfare and non-compliance with Jefferson's "Manual" will enhance the chances of Republican control of Congress and/or the White House in 2008.
She will serve our party and the nation best by resigning.
Jerry Zeifman served as Democratic Counsel of the House Judiciary for 17 years. He has recently published "Hillary's Pursuit of Power." For his other books and articles go to his Web site, Jzeifman.com.
Thanks...I didn’t know who Zeifman is and am glad to hear he’s a Dem with integrity.
If it were a republican doing the Logan thing, the dims would make hay with it. They don’t have to prosecute her, but just continually bring up the feloness, pelosi who has no respect for the law.
Well, but what where discussing here is a member of congress going overseas to communicate an entirely different (democrat) US policy to a foreign head of state directly.
It's one thing for the entire Congress to vote on what our relations with a country should be thereby directing the President to pursue such a course, but it's quite another to have individual members running off to offer alternatives to what is communicated directly by the executive branch, which has sole Constitutional authority over such matters. And doing so against the wishes of the President, as publicly expressed, before hand, by that very same President.
So legally, she is in violation of the Logan Act, and IMHO, guilty of Treason as well.
I wrote mine..
Let’s roll
Don’t forget Sandy Burglar
“I just sent my representative a little note.”
Good. If we all write to our reps and ask our friends to do the same, it might convince congress to take action against Pelosi.
I think that bush should pardon her and Libby at he same time. (Eeeeevil Grin) The press would tie itself in knots!
Absolutely. They never hesitate to call for the resignation of every Republican they can. Pelosi broke the law...she should pay the price.
“Our first woman Speaker Pelosi may well deserve to become the second Democratic speaker to be compelled to resign from Congress.”
That would be all to sweet, I am really enjoying that now Iget to watch the Democrats melt.
>> [Pelosi] obviously wants to win the domestic political war against the Republicans by setting a deadline for the Iraq war
The Democrats have a profound misunderstanding of America’s sentiment towards Iraq. I doubt the majority accepts an arbitrary war deadline as that of a political victory for Democrats.
Yup, and that is part of the 2/3 brain dead Americans I keep referring to. Can't function in more than one area at a time and what is happening to America doesn't even cross their little minds.
>>So legally, she is in violation of the Logan Act, and IMHO, guilty of Treason as well.<<
The Logan act is for private citizens not congress acting in their official capacity.
Jesse Jackson could have been charged a couple of times but its never applies to U.S. officials -its only for people acting “without authority”. This is harmful because of stupid use of congressional authority - that’s a completely different kind of problem.
BTW, the official name is “Private correspondence with foreign governments”
Newsmax is really funny if they think that is going to happen. Some how she will come out of this looking like a rose. I know it and I feel it will happen. We cannot underestimate these people. She is evil and will not resign. Why do conservatives think she will.
I really don’t think most conservatives believe she will resign but the writer of this article Jerry Zeifman served as Democratic Counsel of the House Judiciary for 17 years.
She should go to jail. Maybe she could room next to Mr. and Mrs. Bill Clinton.
I wouldn’t know any reason “We the People” would need her for ANYTHING.
Oh wow. Democrat?
Well, he is associated with Hillary in that he was one of her earliest Democratic Critics
>>In 1973 Jerry Zeifman, chief counsel to the House Judiciary Committee, decided to keep a diary of the “extraordinary events” surrounding the impeachment of President Nixon. Now, Zeifman draws on that diary to give us Without Honor: Crimes of Camelot and the Impeachment of President Nixon, in which he accuses government officials of obstructing the impeachment inquiry. Their reason? Not any sympathy for the besieged Richard Nixon, but a desire to protect the reputation of John Kennedy. Zeifman’s book will surely excite conspiracy buffs on the lookout for sinister coverups in high places. But those wary of such unsubstantiated theories (myself included) will find Zeifman’s book an unconvincing, if imaginative, tale of intrigue.
Zeifman’s theory goes something like this: John Doar, Hillary Rodham, Bernard Nussbaum and other Kennedy loyalists investigating Nixon obstruct his impeachment “to cover up malfeasance in high office throughout the Cold War.” The scheming starlets are abetted by Peter Rodino, a weak, corrupt chairman of the House Judiciary Committee who is afraid that Nixon might expose his own Mafia ties. Rounding out the list of conspirators is Burke Marshall, Robert Kennedy’s assistant attorney general, who orchestrates the bogus investigation in the hopes of keeping Nixon in office, which will, he believes, help Ted Kennedy win the White House<<
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/books/reviews/matthewdallek.htm
USA Editorial Against Pelosi's trip.
Thanks for the link.
USA ripped her pretty good and along with the WaPo piece she’s probably not a real happy camper about now.
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