Gore Roars on Constitutional Crisis Created by Bush

Al Gore delivered a barnburner of a Martin Luther King Day speech this morning at Constitution Hall in DC that accuses the Bush administration of egregious attempts to circumvent the U.S. Constitution and institute what amounts to an imperial presidency. Gore was introduced at the speech before the America Constitution Society by ex-Georgia Congressman Bob Barr, a Republican. You can watch a video of the speech at the CSPAN website. Chances are good it will be rebroadcast later today one of the CSPAN television channels.

UPDATE: Crooks and Liars now has video up of speech highlights. Irregular Times has a podcast of the entire speech. Entire video also on Live Journal along with highlights

Bottom Line Quote: "What we do know about this pervasive wiretapping virtually compels the conclusion that the President of the United States has been breaking the law repeatedly and insistently."

Daily Kos has a transcript. This speech is a MUST READ. Here's how the speech begins:

Congressman Barr and I have disagreed many times over the years, but we have joined together today with thousands of our fellow citizens-Democrats and Republicans alike-to express our shared concern that America's Constitution is in grave danger.

In spite of our differences over ideology and politics, we are in strong agreement that the American values we hold most dear have been placed at serious risk by the unprecedented claims of the Administration to a truly breathtaking expansion of executive power.

As we begin this new year, the Executive Branch of our government has been caught eavesdropping on huge numbers of American citizens and has brazenly declared that it has the unilateral right to continue without regard to the established law enacted by Congress to prevent such abuses.

It is imperative that respect for the rule of law be restored.