Decidedly Not Progressive Obama Explains Why he Opposes Impeachment in Response to a Letter I wrote

Thank you for contacting me to voice your frustration that a number of high ranking Bush Administration officials seem to act as if they are above the law. The Scooter Libby trial is a case in point.

Mr. Libby, Vice President Cheney's former Chief of Staff, was recently convicted on four felony counts of perjury and obstruction of justice for his involvement in the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's name, and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison. I appreciate the point that Mr. Libby "did not act alone," and I expect most observers of his trial would agree. The fact that this case ended with so many unanswered questions and only this one conviction is troubling.

The testimony of Administration officials and members of the press in the Libby trial suggest the leak of Ms. Plame's name was part of a concentrated effort to discredit an individual critical of Administration policy. The determination to settle political scores at the risk of national security considerations should not be tolerated.

Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald - one of the nation's toughest and most independent U.S. Attorneys - maintained that he could not file additional charges in the "leak case" because of Mr. Libby's obstruction. I understand why this frustrates so many Americans. In our system of government, all parties responsible for any wrongdoing should be held accountable for their actions. President Bush's decision to commute the sentence of Scooter Libby only compounds this frustration.

While I know many Americans share your strong feelings, I do not think that, in this closely divided Congress, options like calling for impeachment of the President or the Vice President serve our ultimate objective, which is getting the country back on the right track. The Democratic Party, by vote of the people, took back the majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives in the November elections. That result has provided Democrats in Congress with more than just subpoena powers or the Speaker's gavel. For the first time in over a decade, we have the opportunity to set the agenda and lead the policy debate, and we have a responsibility to do something constructive with that opportunity.

I fully support the Senate Judiciary Committee's ongoing efforts to conduct intensive, bipartisan oversight of the executive branch, particularly in light of recent testimony about illegal wiretapping programs and the firing of nine U.S. attorneys. This testimony continues to raise deeply troubling questions about political undermining of the rule of law, and I commend the Judiciary Committee for demanding lawfulness and accountability.

In this last election, we saw people from Montana to Rhode Island respond to a message of common purpose and progress. On the campaign trail last fall, I saw people respond to a shared desire to educate our kids, grow our economy, care for the vulnerable and expand a culture of tolerance and diversity. I heard a call for progress, not partisanship or political gamesmanship. Americans are ready for a more civil and responsible style of leadership than the kind we have seen on Capitol Hill in recent years. Americans expect and deserve leaders who will focus on meeting the needs of their constituents and working together to solve the most pressing problems we face as a nation.

We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to address climate change, reform our health care system, and end a war in Iraq that should not have been waged. I hope this Congress continues to make a priority of moving beyond the confrontational tactics that have stymied progress on so many important issues. Americans are ready for progress -- and they deserve nothing less.

Thank you again for writing. Please stay in touch in the days ahead.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama
United States Senator


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