Censure proposal fails to get vote

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Senate Democrats refused to allow a vote yesterday on a proposal by one of their own to censure President Bush for his warrantless terrorist-surveillance program.

Sen. Russell D. Feingold accused Mr. Bush yesterday of breaking the law and lying to Congress for ordering eavesdropping within the United States without warrants. The Wisconsin Democrat introduced in the Senate an official resolution to censure Mr. Bush, which by nightfall had been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration.

"This is one of the most blatant attempts in American history by a president to violate the law, to boast about the fact that he violated the law, to continue to violate the law and to mock anyone who questions it," Mr. Feingold said. "That has to be answered. Otherwise, our system of government has changed in a very tragic way."

Majority Leader Bill Frist dismissed the proposal as "political gamesmanship" and said that if the Senate was going to consider such a serious sanction, he wanted an immediate vote on the matter, which the Democrats would not permit.

"This is a political stunt, a political stunt that is addressed at attacking the president of the United States of America when we're at war," Mr. Frist said. "The president is leading us with a program that is lawful, that is constitutional, that is vital to the safety and security of the American people."

Democrats quickly rejected voting on the censure resolution, accusing Mr. Frist of trying to ram it through before senators would have time to consider it.

"I don't introduce a censure resolution lightly," Mr. Feingold said later. "I'm shocked that the majority leader would show such disregard for such a serious matter by trying to hold a vote ten minutes after it was introduced."

No Democrats yesterday publicly supported Mr. Feingold's resolution, although several said they hoped it would spark a worthwhile debate about the National Security Agency program. At a press conference, Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada declined to endorse the resolution and said he hadn't read it.

Mr. Frist said he still hopes to have the censure vote soon, possibly this week.

The White House said the resolution was about Mr. Feingold's White House aspirations.