The panel was moderated by Paul Glastris, Editor of Washington Monthly. He is also a senior fellow at the Western Policy Center in Washington, DC. The panelists were Stanley Brand, Esquire, former counsel for the House of Representatives and congressional ethics expert; Honorable Elizabeth (Liz) Holtzman, former Member of Congress and author of The Impeachment of George W. Bush; Ambassador John Shattuck, CEO of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, former Assistant Secretary of State for democracy, human rights and labor under President Clinton, and former Ambassador to the Czech Republic; Jonathan Turley, Esquire, JB and Maurice Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law, director of the Environmental Law Advocacy Center; executive director of the Project for Older Citizens, George Washington University School of Law.

Common Cause had asked them to address how we could correct these injuries to the constitutional system under George W. Bush. They noted that they are devastating; for example, one panelist referred to them as a "Constitutional Chernobyl since every safety feature in our system failed;" another stated that "the aggrandisement of Presidential power takes a supine Congress;" and "what used to be institutional tension has become partisan tension;" another said that "the failure to follow the rule of law has resulted in a significant undermining of national security."

Senator Obama's Bold Reform Move

On June 5 Common Cause commended Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), the presumptive presidential nominee of the Democratic Party, for instructing the Democratic National Committee (DNC) not to take donations from federal lobbyists or political action committees (PACs).

Domestic Spying Under the Microscope

On June 7 Common Cause National President Bob Edgar moderated a panel discussion in Minnesota during the National Conference on Media Reform, entitled "Privacy in the Age of AT&T, Google and the NSA". The panel addressed the issues of electronic privacy, the domestic wiretapping program by the Bush administration and how the surveillance legislation that Congress is in the process of overhauling affects us all. In his blog posting on June 7, Jon Bartholomew wrote, "Common Cause will continue to fight against the abuse of power and violations of our rights as citizens."

Jack Abramoff's Contacts with White House Officials

Mike Surrusco posted on June 9 that the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has released its proposed report on Jack Abramoff's connections with the White House. Among the Committee's findings are (1)Abramoff had access to the White House, (2) Abramoff influenced some White House actions, (3) Abramoff gave gifts to White House Officials, and (4) the White House failed to provide public accountability regarding its relationship with Jack Abramoff.

The Committee includes in its report some of the White House actions that Abramoff influenced: White House officials intervened in a State Department decision regarding extending the employment of State Department official Allen Stayman; the White House communicated with the Abramoff team in considering candidates for political positions in the administration; and Abramoff influenced decisions about presidential political endorsements. The Committee notes that there are other unanswered questions regarding Abramoff's White House access and influence.

Which Comes First: Constitutional Amendments or States' Rules Changes?

Derek Cressman poses the following question in a blog posting on June 10: should changes in presidential elections be made only with constitutional amendments? In discussions about enacting the National Popular Vote, some argue that the proper way to make any significant changes in presidential law must first go through Congress. He writes that history proves the opposite, however. He cites three examples of Constitutional amendments that have come only after states have first changed their own rules for presidential elections: women's suffrage, lowering the voting age to 18, and how states choose to allocate their electoral votes.

CC/CA: Fair Elections Now Act

Rob Arnow writes in a posting to the California Progress Report on June 6 that California's citizens have a tremendous opportunity and responsibility to affect the outcome of S.1285, the bipartisan Fair Elections Now Act, authored by Assistant Senate Majority Leader Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA). The bill begins its journey in the Rules and Administrative Committee in the Senate, and Dianne Feinstein is the Chair. He writes that the opinions of other elected officials, activists, businesspepole, and regular citizens will be very important to her. "Clean elections for US congressional campaigns could mean a long-term transformation in how politics works in the United States: making politicians accountable to the public interest rather than special interests; ensuring electoral outcomes based on the merits and ideas of the candidates rather than their fundraising abilities; and giving the politicians the opportunity to spend more time focusing on policy and their constituents, rather than dialing-for-dollars."

Please note: The weekly updates will be on hiatus until August.