Interview With Democratic NJ Congressman Rush Holt

(BlueJersey.net reports)--by: DBK
January 29, 2006 at 12:24:51 EST An interview with Congressman Rush Holt of New Jersey will be available as a podcast at Bluejersey.net on Monday, January 30. Subscribe to the podcast now and listen to a fascinating discussion that goes to the heart of issues of the day.

Congressman Rush Holt on the war in Iraq and Homeland Security:
"I have found no one who actually feels safer, and can demonstrate that she or he is safer, because of our war in Iraq."

On warrantless domestic surveillance:
"I see no justification for the program that the White House has described. I see no reason to have an ongoing spying mechanism against Americans...now you have some functionary in the NSA, or worse, some political appointee in the White House, deciding whose phone is going to be tapped, whose email is going to be bugged, whose life is going to be invaded."

On presidential overreach and whether Congress should have limited White House power when authorizing the Iraq fiasco:
"The majority leadership certainly dropped the ball on this."

On the question of "Where are the Democrats?":
"I think there are many Democrats who are standing up and fighting...Jim McDermott, Louise Slaughter, there are a number of us who are standing up, who are speaking out. But remember, we are in the minority."

Congressman Holt is refreshingly honest, something his constituents have learned to expect from the transplanted West Virginian and former assistant director of the Plasma Research Laboratory at Princeton University. He doesn't speak in sound-bites, but tells the whole story with exceptional clarity.