Former GOP Congressmen Accuse Republicans Of Putting Party Above Constitution

Two former Republican members of Congress have accused their GOP colleagues of putting party politics over the Constitution during the Bush years, arguing that they failed dramatically to check the White House's use of executive powers.

Former Reps. Mickey Edwards (R-Okla.) and Chris Shays (R-Conn.) made the argument that if the Republican-controlled Congress had exhibited greater oversight during former President George W. Bush's time in office, they could have prevented some of the most calamitous results of that administration and even saved thousands of lives.

Speaking at a panel on congressional oversight powers, Shays argued that had more members of Congress, including Republicans, gone to Iraq and visited Abu Ghraib, prisoner abuses would have come to light sooner.

"That would have alerted the administration to what was happening, the command authority to what was happening and it probably would have saved a 1,000 lives," Shays said. Shays said the Bush White House abused its powers in a way that resulted in many of the domestic and international problems that have unfolded recently.

"This past Republican Congress hurt this administration by not having some hearings," said the Connecticut Republican. "Had we had hearings it would have nipped those problems in the bud."

Edwards was even more critical. He mocked members of Congress when it came to flexing their constitutional oversight authority. In particular, he lamented the House Republican lawmakers' unified opposition to holding hearings to investigate the firing of U.S. Attorneys by the Bush White House.

"One of the most shocking things was when the House voted to hold [Counsel Harriet] Miers and [Chief of Staff Josh] Bolten in contempt because they refused to obey a congressional subpoena," said Edwards. "Every single member of my party, except for three, walked out. Members of Congress walked out of the chamber rather than stand up as members of Congress so that congressional subpoena (would) be obeyed. Party trumped Constitution."

Both Shays and Edwards were known while in office to be relatively independent political figures who were willing to criticize their own party. Edwards left office in 1993, Shays in 2008. The event at which they spoke was entitled "Congress vs. the President: The Scope and Limits of Congressional Oversight Powers." It was hosted by the Constitution Project & Project on Government Oversight.

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Comments

[fisher65]

07:46 AM on 07/17/2009

about time! i think more should start talking!

[Rmath]

02:36 AM on 07/17/2009

I just love these deathbed conversions..

[JRsNana]

02:12 AM on 07/17/2009

I'm sure they're right. I'm sure if some Republican had put country before party that all the men and women killed in Iraq would still be alive. I'm sure that if the Republicans had put country before party the friends and families of all 4000+ people killed in Iraq would now be a whole lot happier people. This is one of those time I almost wish people wouldn't speak up. It just makes them look like cowards.

[RobertHenryEller]

02:12 AM on 07/17/2009

There have been, and are now, not only Republicans, but Democrats as well, in Congress and the Senate, who put party, and their pockets, ahead of the country, and the Constitution.

Out them all.

If they can't, or won't, put country first, then we must, and we can.

[HopBuck]

01:55 AM on 07/17/2009

Sen. Pat Roberts (R) Ks. chaired a committee on warrant-less wiretapping of Americans, the lies that led us into Iraq, the Downing Street Memo, etc. That was in 2005 and he's been saying any day now for four years. What ever happened to that investigation? Will that throw the lunatic secessionists, bullets not ballots, robot sheep assassin, Obama Birthers into a permanent state of insanity? Oh wait, is that redundant?

The god of the plantation (GOP) is missing it's petulant, pampered, pompous, perfidious, pusillanimous, pernicious, prince of privilege. It's amazing the damage one chicken s**t little closet queen can do to a nation and a planet.

[One more Thing]

01:33 AM on 07/17/2009

Does anyone know how much these two were paid to appear at this Congressional event? Certainly they wanted to give the committee their money's worth. That could explain why they made these comments. After all when did a Republican ever do anything that wasn't for the money?

[113]

01:31 AM on 07/17/2009

of course NOW they speak out....bunch of cowards

[treetracker]

02:25 AM on 07/17/2009

As I recall, and I might not be remembering this correctly, Shay was the only Republican to vote against the Iraq war.

[dhinds]

07:50 PM on 07/17/2009

So did Ron Paul.

[jalowe1957]

01:18 AM on 07/17/2009

As always, more than a few days late and more than a few dollars short.

Such is the price one pays for being complicit.

[moongal6]

12:35 AM on 07/17/2009

As my dear departed Mother said: better late than never.
Keep talking.

[vinainor]

12:37 AM on 07/17/2009

Too little too late is what I say. It was an observation so transparent that the rest of the world saw it AND reacted to it BEFORE the Iraq war.

[fkk501]

11:31 PM on 07/16/2009

Now Chris Shays talks?

When he was in Congress, he voted with Bush most of the time. Why didn't he act then?

That was the reason I voted against him last Congressional election.

[GeoLee]

12:23 AM on 07/17/2009

I do remember an occasional time when he spoke out against the acts of the Administration, but somehow he seemed to vote with them anyway.

[freethinkergirl]

12:37 AM on 07/17/2009

"You're either with us or you're with the terr0rists"..............W and if you didn't follow he would whip you with his D.I.C.K.

[StanMann]

11:23 PM on 07/16/2009

Consequences for speaking out carries a high penalty. The question is who in Washington, who within both democratic and republican parities have the courage to correct the problems. The problems do not begin or end with Bush or Cheney - their is a systemic problems which reaches to the core, on the local level, on the state, as well as national.

[rf dude]

11:16 PM on 07/16/2009

Why "former" Republican office-holders? Obvious.

Those presently in office (regardless of party affiliation) will do or say

nothing that might interfere with their own re-elections...
--

[BobsNotWorking]

12:41 AM on 07/17/2009

While that may be true, or at least partially true, the rational Republicans have had to leave their party in droves, elected official or not, because the party has been co-opted by wingnuts.

[iMissMollyIvins]

12:53 AM on 07/17/2009

Because the current members are complicit.

[ByersL]

11:09 PM on 07/16/2009

Ya think?

[Indedave]

10:59 PM on 07/16/2009

If the Sunday talking heads would invite these two on the air instead of twaddling a-holes like the newt, I would be tempted to watch again.

[turkeywrld]

10:55 PM on 07/16/2009

More Hot air..Revisionism is worthless..why no talk of prosecutions ?

[ReedYoung]

06:07 PM on 07/18/2009

A solid policy position? Republicans will never commit to any such thing except when it's egregiously the wrong policy position.