GOOD EVENING, Mr. and Mrs. AMERICA AND ALL THE SHIPS AT SEA,
THIS JUST IN....
WASHINGTON, June 9 (Reuters) - Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich defied his party leadership on Monday 9 June by calling for the impeachment of U.S. President George W. Bush for launching the Iraq war -- but his move was not expected to go anywhere.
The Ohio representative outlined his intention to propose more than two dozen charges against Bush on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Kucinich, a former presidential candidate, accused Bush executing a "calculated and wide-ranging strategy" to deceive citizens and Congress into believing that Iraq posed an imminent threat to the United States.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly said she opposes trying to remove the Republican president who leaves office next January because such an attempt would be divisive and most likely unsuccessful.
Representative Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, just finished reading on the House floor a 35-count impeachment resolution against President George W. Bush. Kucinich's lengthy and detailed indictment of this wayward president is the most thorough and powerful case made to date. He outlined a litany of high crimes and misdemeanors and showed without a shadow of a doubt that George W. Bush deserves to be impeached and removed from office. Kucinich made clear that Bush has violated his oath of office and his Constitutional duty that the laws be "faithfully executed."
Kucinich's impeachment resolution comes after the shocking revelations contained in the 107-page Senate Intelligence Committee's report that confirmed, once and for all, (and with the vote of two Republican Senators), that President Bush lied the American people into war. There can be no more dire and serious offense than a president lying to his fellow Americans on issues of war and peace. Bush should be impeached forthwith. The House Judiciary Committee should vote on the Kucinich resolution and split it up into Articles of Impeachment. All the committee needs is one Article to impeach Bush, Kucinich has provided dozens of potential Articles.
I've agreed all along with the Center for Constitutional Rights and other groups on the need to impeach Bush. It is not a "political" issue; it is a Constitutional issue. He must be impeached and removed from office even if the proceedings don't start until January. The Democrats chickened out on impeachment when they took the Congress in January 2007. That was the most disillusioning decision of the 110th Congress -- taking impeachment "off the table." It was also giving the Congress's consent to Bush's behavior.
People will scream about how impeachment might backfire on the election of 2008. But that was never the issue. The president is guilty of grave crimes against the republic and should be held accountable. He does not have to be found guilty in a court of law; impeachment has a different standard. Bush has committed crimes against the nation. There are 4,100 dead Americans and 500,000 to 1 million dead Iraqis as a result of his lies and deceit. The Scott McClellan book just drives home everything the Intelligence Committee uncovered. It is time for the truth! If Bush can keep the prospect of attacking Iran "on the table," then the Congress should keep impeachment on the table too.
Kucinich, an outspoken Iraq war critic who has consistently voted against funding the war and led anti-war efforts in Congress, offered a resolution to impeach Vice president Dick Cheney in April 2007. That also failed to move forward.
Many Democrats and civil liberties groups have accused the Bush administration of providing misleading information before the 2003 Iraq invasion as well as violating the rights of U.S. citizens with its warrantless surveillance program. The White House denies the charges.
To impeach the President of the United States, a majority of the United States House of Representatives must agree to pass a resolution that alleges the President committed "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors." This impeachment resolution is also commonly called an "Article of Impeachment" and spells out in detail the charges against the President. The House of Representatives then exhibits these Articles of Impeachment to the United States Senate since the latter body has the "sole Power" to "try all impeachments."
If the U.S. Senate, by two-thirds vote, finds the President "guilty" on any Article of Impeachment, then the President is removed from office and the Senate next votes on whether or not to disqualify the ex-President from holding further office under the United States. Although already tried by the Senate, the ex-President is still liable to indictment and trial under regular criminal statutes for any federal crimes he may have committed. If the U.S. Senate fails to reach a two-thirds majority for conviction, the President is acquitted and the trial is over.
In the House, the Judiciary Committee is the typical committee to where impeachment resolutions are referred. The Judiciary Committee has formally reported to the full House of Representatives impeachment resolutions against four Presidents: President John Tyler, President Andrew Johnson, President Richard Nixon, and President Bill Clinton. Of those four Presidents, only Johnson and Clinton were impeached by the House. Both were acquitted by the Senate. Nixon resigned after the Judiciary Committee recommended impeachment but before the full House considered the report. (Nixon resigned apparently after being told that his impeachment and conviction were near certainties by Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater, a conservative Senator who ran for President in 1964.)
The President's pardon power does not extend to "Cases of Impeachment", as explicitly stated in Article Two of the United States Constitution. Thus a President may not intervene in either the House impeachment or the Senate trial. Dispute exists about whether the Impeachment exception to the pardon power extends to cases brought in the regular court system after Senate conviction.
Representative Kucinich,
I am sure you will find the following information inspiring:
McClellan To Testify In
Congress Under Oath
6-9-8
From: Congressman Robert Wexler
Date: June 9, 2008
Breaking Impeachment News: McClellan To Testify
Our campaign for accountability for the Bush administration is making legitimate progress.
I am pleased to announce to you that the House Judiciary Committee has met my public call for Scott McClellan's immediate testimony with action:
Today, Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers officially invited Mr. McClellan to testify under oath on Friday, June 20th at 10AM.
After all of our hard work pushing for impeachment hearings for Vice President Cheney the McClellan hearing provides our cause with a legitimate opportunity to showcase the crimes and violations of this Administration for the American people, the mainstream media, reluctant members of the Democratic party, and sensible Republicans. This hearing provides us our first genuine opportunity to enter the public consciousness and change the dynamics that have prevented true accountability for Bush and Cheney.
Mr. McClellan was a major figure in the Valerie Plame/CIA scandal, as well as a leading propagandist for the Bush White House's deliberate attempts to hide the true costs of this war from the American public. As such, Mr. McClellan will testify under oath (and be subject to perjury charges should he lie) and be asked about the following matters:
1. What role did President Bush, Vice President Cheney , and key administration officials take in the effort to reveal the identity of covert CIA agent Valeria Plame Wilson thus destroying her network and putting lives in jeopardy?
2. What role did President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and key administration officials take regarding the firing of U.S. Attorneys or political reasons?
3. What role did President Bush, Vice President Cheney, key administration officials take in conspiring to blatantly break U.S. and International laws prohibiting the use of torture?
I call on Mr. McClellen to immediately accept this invitation and testify under oath as he previously agreed to while being interviewed on national television.
During the hearing I will have roughly five short minutes to question Mr. McClellan and undercover the illegalities committed by this Administration ¬ which is why it is critically important that every representative on the Judiciary Committee hears your voice. Please let them know that you demand answers to these questions.
Nor should it stop there: Karl Rove has thumbed his nose to the Judiciary Committee's subpoena joining Harriet Miers, Joshua Bolten and Vice President Cheney's Chief of Staff David Addington as the only Administration officials in history to claim Congress has no power to even bring them before a committee to be questioned.
I have called for Karl Rove to be held in inherent contempt and for the other renegade officials to appear as required by their subpoenas, or be forced to do so by the House Sergeant of Arms.
What the Judiciary's request of McClellan proves is that if we stay vigilant ¬ if we call loudly and repeatedly for accountability - that we become very difficult to ignore.
Please stay tuned. I hope for more developments soon.
With great respect,
Congressman Robert Wexler
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20 comments:
Amy Pagnozzi said: “Matthew,
I just wanted to say thank you, to you and to the Baltimore Sun, for reporting on Dennis Kucinich's 35-count indictment against President Bush.
As you are probably well aware, thus far, apart from the news services, Reuters and Associated Press, no other mainstream media organization has reported on this.
I hope you intend to do a follow-up; readers are very hungry for this kind of real news.
Thanks again.
Amy Pagnozzi
Great Job said; “President Bush, should be impeached and furthermore, he should, along with Dick Chaney and other cabinet members should be tried in an international court of law. The is the only way America can save itself, from the blow back and hatred of the world, that will last for many years to come. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians have been murdered for the unscrupulous greed of Bush, Chaney, and their evil counterparts. Great job Dennis.”
Concord Minuteman said; “I commend Dennis for standing up for the Constitution and for the majority of the informed people of the United States who know the unconstitutional, illegal and immoral acts that this administration has committed. They should be tried and held responsible for what they have done.”
Grimjack said: “GOOOO DENNIS!!!
The Prez is a pig in a poke. a goose in a noose. The only thing keeping BushCo's feet out of the fire is audacity and the belief that no one would dare take them to task. So far they've bluffed everyone else into submission. I am grateful that paper is being published on this. Once that rock starts rolling, everything hiding under it will come to light!”
M. Bailey said; “Kucinich is a hero and a patriot and deserves our help... as congress is weak we must keep the pressure on, send this to everyone you know (see impeachthem.wordpress.com
Call your representatives and especially John Conyers… demand impeachment hearings be started for Bush & Cheney - Remember executive privilege does not apply in an impeachment inquiry - Capitol Hill Switchboard: (202) 224-2131 , (800) 828-0498”
Michelle said;” Awesome! Rep. Kucinich. It is about time. It sends a strong message. I hope the American people pick up this ball and run with it. Bush has disgraced this country
Susan said: “After Scott McClellan testifies, this is a notion that may get some traction. I personally would love it.
And wouldn't some impeachment proceedings make the summer general election something to remember? Wow.”
Danny said: “I support Dennis 100%.
Impeachment hearings are the only way to compel testimony from those who've blown off Congressional subpoena's (i.e. Harriet Myers and Karl Rove).
Even this late in their terms, this administration should be held accountable for a long long list of misdeeds. It is Congress' duty to hold such hearings.”
Bob Fertik, president of Democrats.com, one of the groups pushing for impeachment congratulated Kucinich on his "historic leadership."
"We've waited seven years to find one Member of Congress brave enough to stand up for our Constitution, for which generations of Americans have fought and died," Fertik said. "We are thrilled and honored that Dennis Kucinich has chosen to be that one genuine patriot."
Perry said “Wasn't that one of the promises of the democrats in 2006? Also, weren't they going to defund the war? Just a bunch of empty campaign promises to following sheep.
The movement to impeach George W. Bush is a series of actions and commentary within the public and private spheres voicing support for the impeachment of United States President George W. Bush. The phrase is also used in a broader sense to refer to a social movement and public opinion poll data that include both Democrats and Republicans which indicate a degree of public support for the impeachment of President Bush. The reasons offered for Bush's impeachment include concerns about the legitimacy, legality, and constitutionality of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and the controversial warrantless electronic surveillance of American citizens by the National Security Agency.
Polls in 2007 have shown public support ranging between 39–45% in favor of impeaching Bush, and between 46–55% opposed. The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee has not considered the impeachment of President Bush, and the House of Representatives has taken no action to do so.
The alleged responsibility of the Bush administration in the mishandling of Hurricane Katrina has been used by Ramsey Clark, Francis Boyle, PopMatters, Green Party of Humboldt County and the Sunday Independent to suggest failure by the administration to adequately provide for the need of its citizens. And as such they hold that the allegations of incompetence amount to an impeachable offense.
The administration, and its supporters, contend that the principal responsibility lies with the local authorities. In a September 28, 2005 article in the Washington Times, then-FEMA head Michael Brown said accusations of inadequate handling of the disaster should be addressed to Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco.
Bush broke the law, by acting as if he is above the law. Bush took the nation to war against a sovereign nation based on manufactured evidence and lies. The administration was so successful in its campaign of lies and deception few remember why we went to war. We went to war because Bush couldn’t wait to pull the trigger. UN Weapons Inspectors wanted until September. Bush launched ‘Shock and Awe’ in March. Had we waited we would have known that there weren’t any WMD’s but then again, the administration already knew that. It took months and tens of millions of dollars to clean up from the DC and New York anthrax attacks, the result of a few mailed envelops. No trace of anthrax or any other weapons were found in Iraq, and few made the connection.
When faced with overwhelming evidence that the foundation for the war was crumbling around them, the Bush White House covered up the lie and engaged in a vicious campaign to undermine anyone who questioned their authority. (Remember the Dixie Chicks?) To sell the war the administration manufactured heroes and destroyed real ones. Remember Jessica Lynch the little girl form West Virginia that kept shooting as the enemy kept advancing. The biggest problem with her story was that the heroic actions attributed to her never happened.
Pat Tillman, the NFL star who marched off to war to defend the country against terrorism only to be shot by friendly fire. Accidents happen in the fog of war, but remember which administration it was that covered up the incident and used it to the advantage of ‘the permanent campaign,’ as Scott McClellan wrote about.
The orchestrated and sinister campaign to out Valeria Plame, a CIA Operative, even though the administration publicly said the penalty for such outings was firing. The bottom line is the administration lied again. This time it ruined a persons career, jeopardized her life, and then pardoned the man who did the deed. Remember Scooter Libby? Crime pays in the Bush administration. He did the crime and served no time.
Katrina, Katrina, Katrina. Facing tens of thousands of deaths…Bush went biking. To answer critics he performed a flyover in Air Force One, as if he could suddenly land the plane and lend assistance to the people starving in the New Orleans Superdome. Bush then sent an unqualified lackey and blamed him for emails where he asked which shirt to wear. Blacks and whites perished as the world watched and no one has been held accountable. It is perhaps the greatest crime of the 21st century (hard to compete with Iraq though) and no one has been held accountable. To compound matters, the homeless were bussed from city to city and housed in formaldehyde laced trailers where they continue to suffer today.
We now spend more money on this war than we spend on fixing the nation’s roads, bridges, schools, federal buildings, airport security and everything else combined. Our children’s future, their children, and their children’s children’s futures have all been mortgaged. The question is, if not now, when? If not this president, will there ever be a better reason to impeach someone so sinister that it is impossible to examine his administration and find something that went right! If we don’t even try to impeach George Bush and Dick Cheney, what does that say about us? Shouldn’t we at least go through the motions?
It is never too late to right a wrong. If Bill Clinton's lying about oral sex was impeachable conduct, what is lying about intelligence that led to a military invasion which resulted in the loss of over 4,000 American lives, one million Iraqis, and the flight of an equal number – not to mention irreparable and irrevocable destruction of that country? Does lying about an affair equal deliberate violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, coercion of major telecoms to participate in that violation, and warrantless wiretapping? Is the parsing of the meaning of sex the same as rendition and torture? Was it worth spending millions investigating midnight dalliances versus investigating the criminal negligence that was, and continues to be, the occurrence and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina? Was it worth hearings over a secretly-taped telephone call about a semen-stained blue dress but not having hearings about secret task forces that developed energy and military policies that don’t benefit anyone?
B J Franklin said: From the very beginning only Dennis Kucinich (D) and Ron Paul (R)were true honest straight-talkers. Kucinich was in my opinion the best candidate. His latest remarks are once again a starkly embarassing reminder of how this country's political elite are petty enough to try to impeach a man over a matter of "personal indiscretion between him his wife and their vows" yet blindy ignore the egregious power grabbing, lying and trampling of the Constitution we have witnessed under Bush.
Brod
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