A Compelling Story

Censure Watch

Laurie Kellman writes for the Associated Press: "John Dean, counsel to President Nixon during the Watergate scandal, is headlining a Senate hearing Friday on whether to censure President Bush for authorizing a domestic wiretapping program as part of the war on terrorism. . .

"Dean was summoned to the hearing by Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., the author of a resolution to censure, or officially scold, Bush. The measure would condemn Bush's 'unlawful authorization of wiretaps of Americans within the United States without obtaining the court orders required' by the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

"Republicans planned ways to mock the censure effort as a partisan stunt."

Zachary A. Goldfarb writes in The Washington Post: "This morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee meets to discuss a resolution introduced by Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) that would rebuke President Bush for his secret surveillance program. Old newspaper clippings and historical writings show that censure has a mixed record as an effective means for Congress to express disapproval of presidents. . . .

"Censure has been proposed in more recent history by the president's supporters as an alternative to impeachment."

John Nichols writes in The Nation: "[W]here is Wisconsin Democrat Russ Feingold finding support?

"Among Republicans. Or, more precisely, among prominent alumni of past Republican administrations."

In addition to Dean, "Making arguments about the extreme seriousness of the warrantless wiretapping issue -- and the need for a Congressional response -- will be noted constitutional lawyer Bruce Fein, who served in President Ronald Reagan's Department of Justice as Deputy Attorney General."

South of the Border

Hugh Dellios writes in the Chicago Tribune: "Putting aside the strains in their dos amigos friendship, President Bush praised Mexican President Vicente Fox during a summit meeting Thursday in which the two are trying to rally support for immigration reforms in the U.S.

"There was scant mention of previous tensions over Mexico's opposition to the Iraq invasion and the U.S. death penalty. Bush and Fox appeared smiling and relaxed in their shirt sleeves, and Bush opened his remarks waxing nostalgic about his visit to Fox's 'fantastic' ranch in 2000 and seeing Mexican navy sailors helping out in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina."

Tim Padgett writes in Time: "President Bush spent the past four years snubbing and otherwise alienating his supposed amigo, Mexican President Vicente Fox, because Mexico didn't back Bush's invasion of Iraq. So Bush's critics in this hemisphere find it fitting that he's now knee-deep in a policy mess over illegal Mexican immigration into the U.S., looking to Fox for any help he can provide. But when Bush, Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper meet today in Cancún to discuss the continent's dysfunctional immigration situation, they might consider that one solution lies not so much in guest-worker programs or a 2,000-mile-long border fence, but in trade -- namely, a revision of NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement.

"Perhaps they should ask why NAFTA -- which took effect 12 years ago amid promises to raise the fortunes of Mexico's beleaguered workers -- hasn't done more to reduce desperate labor migration over the U.S. border."