Caroline Fredrickson President Quotations

Our government is based upon a separation of powers and a system of checks and balances. The actions taken by the president undermine the very foundations of our country. We urge the relevant Congressional committees to investigate how the president abused his power as our chief executive. We applaud Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter for committing to hold oversight hearings. The American people deserve to know the truth.

The president cannot use the pursuit of national security as a carte blanche to undermine the very freedoms that define America. This administration - like that of President Nixon - has apparently secretly adopted a legal view of the Executive Branch's power that is unbounded. A commitment to the Constitution and our laws demand an independent investigation.

The executive power of our country is not an imperial power. The president has demonstrated a dangerous disregard for our Constitution and our laws with his authorization for this illegal program.

This administration, like that of President Nixon, has apparently secretly adopted a legal view of the executive branch's power that is unbounded.

The board has an opportunity to show that it is not in the pocket of the president and is truly concerned with the liberty and privacy of the American people. Given the ever-growing expansion of the government's law enforcement powers, effective oversight is absolutely essential. We hope that the board will provide real oversight, and not simply the illusion.

The administration is claiming extraordinary presidential powers at the expense of civil liberties and is putting the president above the law.