ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero gets it just about right in a recent solicitation when he says, regarding Congress's recent expansion of President Bush's power to conduct warrantless wiretaps:
"Ever since a new Congress got elected last November, we've been waiting for it to end the violations of the Constitution and the lawless behavior of the Bush administration.
Well, Members of Congress acted. And instead of restoring our freedoms, they actually handed the Bush administration vast new powers to invade our privacy with no meaningful oversight from the courts or Congress.
Why did Congress cower to George Bush? Fear -- not of terrorists -- but of being labeled "soft on terrorism." It's time to show House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that Americans want them to protect our Constitution.
When our leaders behave like sheep, their constituents need to know it....
It's bad enough that our Congressional leaders have failed to act to restore habeas corpus, end torture and rendition, and close the Guantanamo Bay prison. But now Congress, led by Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, have caved in to Bush fear-mongering and expanded a warrantless spying program they should be investigating and ending.
It's gone from bad to intolerable....
We must make it clear we won't let Congress fail freedom any longer, and that we hold Congress, especially Democrats, accountable for this egregious violation of our constitutional rights."
