The Raw Story | Gore to deliver scathing speech Monday on 'constitutional crisis' in Washington

The Raw Story | Gore to deliver scathing speech Monday on 'constitutional crisis' in Washington: "January 12, 2006

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Former Vice President Al Gore will deliver a scathing speech Monday at Constitution Hall in Washington -- just blocks from the White House -- at which he will declare America is faced with a constitutional crisis, RAW STORY has learned.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day speech is set to take place at noon at the Daughters of the American Revolution's Constitution Hall. Gore will be introduced by onetime Georgia Republican congressman Bob Barr.

A source close to the erstwhile vice president related details of Gore's expected speech to RAW STORY Thursday. The source noted that Gore prepares the final editions of his speeches just before he delivers them, but that the tenor of the speech would focus on what the Tennessee Democrat has described as a President acting above the law.
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The aide related how Gore was framing his address.

“We are at a point of constitutional crisis,' the aide said, relating how Gore has articulated his speech. 'The president who has violated the law is acting above the law. It’s a wakeup call for Congress, the American people and the courts. If we continue down this road we will have a different constitution.

'Nixon’s quote about if the president does it it is legal, it’s kind of like Bush saying, if it’s about national security, it’s legal. This is going to be called transpartisan; it’s not about who your party is, it’s about what America stands for.'

Gore, the source said, will talk about the framers of the constitution.

'You can’t defend freedom while abandoning it at home,' the source said, speaking of Gore's planned remarks. 'The founders thought about this. They didn’t want a king, that’s why they didn’t set up a system to anoint a king. We have checks and balances in this country and we cannot abandon them.'"