Article: Congress's First Real Test

Two days after the Democrats take control of the House and Senate, they are already facing a challenge by this administration's claim of "Unitary Powers". This time it's not your phone or your computer they want to spy on, it's your mail. The President has issued another of his "signing statement" to add the hundreds of signing statements he has already issued. According to the Washington Post;

"A "signing statement" attached to a postal reform bill on Dec. 20 says the Bush administration "shall construe" a section of that law to allow the opening of sealed mail to protect life, guard against hazardous materials or conduct "physical searches specifically authorized by law for foreign intelligence collection."

This makes over four hundred signing statements from a President that apparently believes that there is nothing that can stop his "Unitary Powers". He has indicated that because we are in a state of "War" that his powers exceed those of other Presidents that served during peacetime. Now that the Washington Post has made this information public knowledge, what is the new Democratic Congress going to do about his excessive desire for power?

Are the Democrats actually going to stand up to Bush, or are they going to act as if this is no big deal, or act as if they have never heard about this and continue to operate in a business as usual mode. This would be a good time for the Democrats to challenge Bush, and while they are at it, to start a Congressional investigation of all the signing statements that have relegated this nation to what has become his own personal fiefdom. This nation can not remain a democracy while signing statement after signing statement have convoluted laws to George W. Bush's personal liking. He alone deciding which laws he wants to follow to the letter and which laws he needs to circumvent by writing when and how or even if he will obey. For all practical purposes, Bush has become above the law, by deciding which ones pertain to him.

Will the Democrats take this opportunity to challenge him or will they just refuse to acknowledge what he is doing. This is just their first real test. They can claim that it didn't happen on their "watch" but it did. This is the first opportunity that Congress has to act on his action of December 20th. I am curious. If the Democrats expect to win Congress again in 2008, and also to claim the Presidency, they must show that they have the morals and convictions to stand up and protect our Democratic way of life. Or, as with all failed movements and political parties, they can choose to do nothing and let the Democratic Party become nothing more than a footnote in future history books when they describe the fall of Democracy in America.