Obama correspondence

Here's a reply I received on Friday, to an email I sent to Senator Obama awhile ago

Dear L____:

Thank you for advising me of your concern about the Bush Administration's use of Executive power. I share your frustration that Congress has acquiesced too much in the President's use of his Executive authority and agree this must change if we are going to get the country back on the right track.

The President and his advisors have shown a willingness to at worst ignore, and at best stretch, the limits of the law in countless instances. But the elections last November have given Congress the opportunity to restore balance within the Federal government.

Under its new chairman, Senator Patrick Leahy, the Senate Judiciary Committee for the first time in nearly six years exercised its responsibility to investigate and expose wrongdoing in the U.S. Department of Justice. As a result, Attorney General Gonzales was forced to resign over the politically motivated firing of U.S. Attorneys. In addition, the faults of a constitutionally ambiguous domestic surveillance program were exposed.

Also, this Congress has forced the President to defend his Iraq policy. While we are not making progress as quickly as I would like in removing our troops from Iraq, public sentiment has turned against the President's war in Iraq.

In the coming weeks, Congress will have additional opportunities to challenge the ill-conceived policies and heavy handed practices of this administration. With regard to intelligence gathering, Congress has seized the opportunity to do what the President would not. I have been working with my colleagues to craft an effective surveillance program that both combats terrorism and contains meaningful judicial review of wiretapping. This would most effectively address the tension between the battle against terrorism and the rule of law.

Although we have a long way to go to restore the correct constitutional balance between the President and Congress, I believe we are on the right track. However, like you, I remain unsatisfied. I will continue to use my position in Congress to oppose those policies and practices with which I do not agree. My focus is on doing what I can in this environment to address the many challenges facing America and Illinois, some of which will likely test us like never before. Our ultimate objective should always be to get this country back on the right track. While that challenge may seem more daunting as the days pass, I am confident that we can meet it.

Thank you for writing and please stay in touch in the days ahead.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama

United States Senator