Dear:
Thank you for advising me of your desire to see President Bush impeached. I appreciate hearing from you and understand your concerns.
I fully understand and share your strong dissatisfaction with the current Administration. Major challenges like the war in Iraq and the mishandling of the Gulf Coast disaster, along with more recent developments like the CIA leak investigation and the controversy surrounding Attorney General Gonzales, only
exacerbate the sense of frustration and powerlessness of those concerned about the priorities and judgment of this Administration.
While I know many Americans share your strong feelings, I do not think that 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. But 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.
In this last election, we saw people from Montana to Rhode Island respond to a message of common purpose and progress. On the camp aign 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.
Thank you again for writing. Please stay in touch in the days ahead.
Sincerely,
Barack Obama
United States Senator
