I’ve been advocating the impeachment of the president and vice-president ever since the FISA violations were revealed in December 2005. I am not going to make the case again here. In fact, I am not happy to learn that Dennis Kucinich is going to introduce a privileged resolution to bring articles of impeachment against Dick Cheney.
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) announced today that he will be offering a privileged resolution on the House floor next week that will bring articles of impeachment against the Vice President, Richard B. Cheney.
“The momentum is building for impeachment,” Kucinich said. “Millions of citizens across the nation are demanding Congress rein in the Vice President’s abuse of power.
“Despite this groundswell of opposition to the unconstitutional conduct of office, Vice President Cheney continues to violate the U.S. Constitution by insisting the power of the executive branch is supreme.
“Congress must hold the Vice President accountable. The American people need to let Members of Congress know how they feel about this. The Vice President continues to use his office to advocate for a continued occupation of Iraq and prod our nation into a belligerent stance against Iran. If the Vice President is successful, his actions will ensure decades of disastrous consequences.”
The privileged resolution has priority status for consideration on the House floor. Once introduced, the resolution has to be brought to the floor within two legislative days, although the House could act on it immediately. Kucinich is expected to bring it to the House floor on Tuesday, November 6.
Do I disagree with any of that? No. Emphatically no. But I am so sick and tired of seeing the party’s ‘moderates’ roll over and play dead that I don’t think I can emotionally handle the spectacle of Kucinich’s resolution getting the back of the hand from the Washington Establishment, the press, and the majority of elected Democratic officials.
Kucinich is not all alone. He has the following supporters:
H. Res. 333, Articles of Impeachment against the Vice President, has 21 cosponsors. They are: Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Robert Brady (D-PA), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-MO), Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA), Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA), Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), Rep. Henry Johnson (D-GA), Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA), Rep. James Moran (D-VA), Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ), Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY), Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Rep. Diane Watson (D-CA), Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) and Rep. Albert Wynn (D-MD).
I am in no mood to watch these twenty-one principled officials get disrespected. I’d prefer it if Kucinich would just let it go.
No Booman. It’s better if we see the pusillanimous “appeasers” of Bush clearly define themselves as unprincipled enablers of the criminals running the country. Kucinich is right to push this to a floor vote. We need the evidence so that we can then proceed to challenge each of these Bushbots in their local primaries based on their unwillingness to challenge Darth Cheney and Mr. 24%.
Where are we going to get the money to challenge the majority of the Democrats in congress, and why do we want them to go on the record saying Cheney should not be impeached?
I’d rather not witness it. It will make me want to kill myself.
It’s called smoking them out, which is a good thing even if the privilaged resolution is tabled. We’ll know who the cowards/colaborators/etc. are.
Al Wynn is on that list?
Isn’t that the Bush Dog targeted in Maryland?
What did Cheney do, kick Wynn’s dog? That dude loves BushCo.
the magic of a well-funded primary…
from corporate laptop to co-sponsor for impeachment.
Jane Harman improved her performance considerably too.
‘corporate laptop’….heh.
That’s a funny typo.
Like Booman, I have no hopes of this effort being useful in the short term.
But for historical purposes, I think it’s important that the relative handful of Constitution-supporters in Congress get on the official record. Twenty years-plus from now, they’ll be remembered as frustrated heroes, like von Stauffenberg (hopefully, they won’t be executed for their trouble).
Assuming the nation and/or life as we know it survives that long.
I want the House members who put political expediency above their oath to the Constitution to be exposed for the liars they are so we will have a clear list of the people that must be replaced next year. A vote to table this resolution or vote against it should mean you are targeted for defeat by every patriotic American.
I thought he liked to keep his head down, out of the line of fire?
Maybe he learned something from that run for mayor?
as much as i agree with you about the total demoralizing effect of watching yet another highly appropriate and urgent effort squashed, i have to agree that it’s important to keep this stuff visible and to force the co-conspirators and collaborators out into the light of day…
keep in mind too, it won’t only be the impeachment resolution and the 21 who get smacked down, it will be done in the context of the goofy, ridiculous, woo-woo, ufo-sighting, weirded-out freak that is the picture of kucinich we are being force-fed by the media, because, you see, only somebody as deluded as THAT could possibly support impeachment…
by all means, gird your loins and dump the thoughts of shooting yourself, and instead take some comfort at the fact that nancy is going to have to look at the very thing she has stonewalled lying right there “on the table…”
so where is the value, exactly?
BooMan,
I don’t care if you want Hillary so badly that you can help carry her imperial coronation robes. SOME of us are AMERICANS who remember a country which has never been perfect but which has usually tried to be the exemplar.
Kucinich is the ONLY candidate who is willing to stand up and say “NO!” to imperialism. The others might say they support the Constitution, but they aren’t doing a single damned thing to force Bush and Cheney to obey the laws or to account for their myriad crimes against humanity. Each and every time Bush or Cheney breaks another law there ought to be more resolutions in the hopper. Why not? America was founded by people who risked death, but is governed now by people afraid to risk inconvenience.
In a few years, the Hague will finally have Bush and Cheney and Rumsfield and Gonzales and Addington and Yoo and all the other enablers dragged into a War Crimes Tribunal, and we will have to endure the scorn of knowing that America failed to protect itself from the corruption within, despite the lessons of recent history, and that others had to rescue us from ourselves. IF we are fortunate. If we aren’t fortunate, Cheney will have nuked the Middle East and this entire planet will become unlivable after the repercussions.
Wouldn’t it be better to say that our Constitution has a remedy for imperial ambitions and the misuse of power? And that those who uphold the laws will do their sworn duty? That those who willfully break the laws will be tried for those crimes? That we bow to no man? That no one is above the law?
Or do you agree with the neocons that the Constitution is a scrap of paper and that treaties and laws are quaint concepts?
Even if Kucunich stood absolutely alone on the floor of Congress, it is vital to remember that not all Americans supported the imperialists, just as it is important to remember those brave Germans who were not NAZI supporters, enablers, or willing tools. I’m proud that my own representative, Barbara Lee, will stand there with him. I’m glad that he has support, and hope that others will continue to join him and be willing to go on the record as standing for that which is right. He represents the best of us, the ones who put Rule of Law above Dictatorship, fairness for all above personal power.
So, after rendition of American citizens to oubliettes in foreign countries for endless torture, after continued wars and war-mongering so that the merchants-of-death can get richer while America bleeds dry, after illegal invasions and occupations of sovereign countries for the sake of empire and the Pax Americana that comes only after the culture has been destroyed as thoroughly as Rome destroyed Carthage, after 7000 years of human culture was ground into rubble and burnt and looted, after domestic spying and date-mining and profiling based upon imperfect algorhythms, after Blackwater and the other mercenaries get immunity for killing Americans upon American soil (Katrina is only the start of their domestic contracts), after each and every amendment in the Bills of rights including that most sacred and important concept of Habeas Corpus is negated by imperial fiat and secret executive order… etc. and etc…. at what point would you consider it ok to ask for an inquiry of impeachment?
BTW, I wish that instead of asking how many people believe in UFOs, somebody would ask how many believe in angels? Devils? Gods and saints and virgin births and uplifting to heaven and all that other mythological tripe? THAT is delusional thinking and paves the way for destruction of this planet in the foolish hope of personal rapture. THAT leads to Bush declaring that God told him to smite evildoers and is still ordering him to kill. THAT leads the way to our military going on a religious crusade to kill or enslave or convert. THAT leads the way to painrays and armed robots roaming the streets, Rods from God hammering out of space platforms, and people thinking they are divinely appointed to rule over others.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
We need to make our message clear, that we want justice, not just political advantage.
Hilary is a minefield of neocon plans. We are responsible for justice as well as idealism.
I’m not a big fan of being kicked while you’re down but I suspect there may be a silver lining in there at some point. Yeah I know I usually have sounded very very cynical lately but…….
I’m all for Kucinich doing this. Someone has to no matter how it turns out…maybe it won’t be the disaster we think it will be although I also suspect you’re right Boo, it will be cringe inducing to all of us.
I think the value lies in the fact that we can only be kicked around for so long by our so called democrats and after the initial slaughter of Kucinich and company we regroup and our resolve becomes even stronger to figure out how to make changes. Maybe a revolution. Of course that is the big gdamn problem-figuring out a coherent plan to be able to make a difference, to make the change. That is certainly the big big stumbling block.
I kinda passed the depression and hopeless anger stage a long time ago and just have a white hot anger burning in me about what is happening to the country, the media and I hope that anger is going to help come up with a plan of attack to take back the country one day at a time.
I’m sure many of my postings will continue to sound cynical but my almost dead Pollyanna is still breathing.
The problem with Dennis doing what other Democrats would do, ie hide their heads in the sand, is that he would then be just like the overwhelming majority of Democrats on the national scene. We should be thrilled that we have a Congressman who is willing to stand up for the Constitution, despite the ridicule which will be aimed at him from the colaborationist wing of the party.
Go Dennis!
http://dennis4president.com
Choose Peace!
To everyone whose post said, in essence, “it’s a question of character”, I whole-heartedly agree.
It’s not just the practicalities of politics, it is a matter of principle. So pull up your socks & suck in your gut & get ready to punch & take some punches & fight for what is right for this country.