Kucinich to bring Articles of Impeachment against Cheney

[Kristina]

Calling the Question -- In the House -- on Impeaching Cheney

John Nichols
Fri Nov 2, 1:30 PM ET
 


The Nation -- Broadcast media's gate-keeping "stars" have done just about everything in their power to keep the matter of presidential accountability off the radar of the American people. That was evident during the most recent Democratic presidential debate, when NBC anchors Brian Williams and Tim Russert meticulously avoided following up on Congressman Dennis Kucinich's three references to impeachment but somehow found time to grill the contenders on UFOs and what costume Barack Obama would be wearing on Halloween.

Pollsters are almost as bad. Rarely are questions about impeachment included in statewide or national surveys.

Despite the lack of media coverage, however, when citizens are asked what they think about holding members of the Bush administration to account, they respond with an enthusiasm far greater than that displayed for impeaching Richard Nixon at the height of the Watergate scandal. It is this reality -- as opposed to the state of denial fostered by so much of the media and the political class -- that Congressman Dennis Kucinich will act upon next week, when he offers a privileged resolution on the House floor to bring articles of impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney.

Kucinich will face an uphill fight in a chamber led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat who continues to say that impeachment is "off the table."

The Ohio congressman and long-shot presidential contender may not be following the rules of engagement as dictated by major media and his party leaders. But when Kucinich raises the issue of impeachment, he will be speaking for a great mass of Americans who agree with his argument that, "Congress must hold the Vice President accountable."

How great?

A fresh poll conducted for Vermont's WCAX television station finds that citizens of that state enthusiastically believe that Congress beginning impeachment proceedings against President Bush.

Sixty-one percent of the Vermonters surveyed favor taking steps to impeach the president, while just 33% oppose doing so.

The numbers are even higher for impeaching Cheney. Sixty-four percent of Vermonters favor beginning the process of holding the vice president to account, where only 31 percent are opposed.

The greater level of support for impeaching Cheney parallels the few nationwide figures that have been ascertained. When the American Research Group conducted a national survey in early July of this year, it found that 54 percent of American adults wanted the House to begin impeachment proceedings against Cheney -- with 76 percent of Democrats, 51 percent of independents and a striking 17 percent of Republicans favoring the step.

Forty-six percent of Americans surveyed backed impeachment proceedings against Bush -- with support for impeachment at 69 percent among Democrats, 50 percent among independents and 13 percent among Republicans.

What is notable is that, when Time magazine surveyed Americans in the late spring of 1974, after the Watergate scandal had evolved into a full-scale crisis of confidence in Nixon's presidency, only 43 percent favored impeachment.

A media that actually had a sense of history, not to mention reality, would focus on the fact that Americans are more supportive of a congressional intervention to thwart Bush and Cheney's wrongdoing than they were of moves to hold Nixon to account just months before the former president resigned in disgrace.

Now, it falls to Kucinich to speak the reality that, "The momentum is building for impeachment. Millions of citizens across the nation are demanding Congress rein in the Vice President's abuse of power."

Says the congressman, "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... 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."

Kucinich introduced articles of impeachment against Cheney several months ago, and his H. Res. 333 has attracted almost two dozen co-sponsors. All Democrats, they are 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).

Frustrated by the refusal of Democratic leaders to set up a process for holding hearings on his proposal, Kucinich will use an arcane House rule allowing for the prodding of the process with privileged resolutions to try and force consideration. Once introduced, a privileged resolution must be addressed within two legislative days.

Kucinich is expected to offer his privileged resolution on Tuesday. He expects to continue pushing it until the House acts. That action is likely to be a successful move by Democratic leaders to table the measure. Such a vote could be instructive, however, in that it would provide a rare measure of the willingness of at least some House members to respond to the popular will -- which is that Dick Cheney be held to account.

[Kristina]

Impeach Bush and Cheney Now!

What You Can Do:



URGENT: Contact the U.S. House Judiciary Committee and Ask for Impeachment of Cheney and Bush
Submitted by davidswanson on Mon, 2007-03-12 19:15. Activism | Congress | Impeachment
1. Email Them All
You can Email Speaker Pelosi and all of the Judiciary Committee Members for whom we have identified good Email addresses all at once by signing this petition.

2. Phone and Email Them

Your message can be as simple as "Please impeach Cheney" or "Please support and cosponsor Congressman Kucinich's proposal to begin impeachment proceedings against Vice President Cheney."

You can quote John Conyers from John Nichols' book (pointed out by attentive reader Gordon Bennett): "I have a choice. I can either stand by and lead my constituents to believe I do not care that the president apparently no longer believes he is bound by any law or code of decency. Or I can act."

You can point to the Vermont Senate which passed a resolution on April 20, 2007, requesting impeachment. It is UNPRECEDENTED for Congress to ignore an impeachment request coming from a legislative body. It would be terrible for Congress to break this long-established precedent. When the Florida legislature requested the impeachment of Judge Swayne, Congress acted upon it. It came to the floor of the House as a highly privileged motion. The House required a committee to report on impeachment. When the committee reported it, impeachment was passed. When the Mississippi legislature requested the impeachment of Judge Bruin, Congress acted upon it. It came to the floor of the House as a highly privileged motion. The House required a committee to report on impeachment. Shortly later, a new judge was appointed, apparently after Judge Bruin died or resigned.

Don't forget Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi:
Office of the Speaker
H-232, US Capitol
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-0100
sf.nancy@mail.house.gov

AmericanVoices@mail.house.gov

Democrats

Chairman John Conyers (202) 225-5126 John.Conyers@mail.house.gov fax202-225-0072
Delahunt, (D) Massachusetts, 10th (202) 225-3111 - fax202-225-5658
Nadler, (D) New York, 8th (202) 225-5635 - fax202-225-6923
Scott, (D) Virginia, 3rd (202) 225-8351 - fax202-225-8354
Davis, (D) Alabama , 7th (202) 225-2665 - fax202-226-9567
Watt, (D) North Carolina, 12th (202) 225-1510 mel.watt@mail.house.gov - fax202-225-1512
Gutierrez, (D) Illinois, 4th (202) 225-8203 - fax202-225-7810
Berman, (D) California, 28th (202) 225-4695 - fax202-225-3196
Boucher, (D) Virginia, 9th (202) 225-3861 rick.boucher@mail.house.gov fax202-225-0442
Lofgren, (D) California, 16th (202) 225-3072 - fax202-225-3336
Wexler, (D) Florida, 19th (202) 225-3001 - fax202-225-5974
Sánchez, (D) California, 39th (202) 225-6676 - fax202-226-1012
Sherman, (D) California, 27 (202) 225-5911 brad.sherman@mail.house.gov - fax202-225-5879
Weiner, (D) New York, 9th (202) 225-6616 anthony.weiner@mail.house.gov - fax202-226-7253
Schiff, (D) California, 29th (202) 225-4176 - fax202-225-5828
Wasserman Schultz, (D) Florida, 20th (202) 225-7931 - fax202-225-8456

Signed onto H Res 333:
Johnson, (D) Georgia, 4th (202) 225-1605 - fax202-226-0691
Baldwin, Tammy (D) Wisconsin.
Waters, (D) California, 35th (202) 225-2201 mikael.moore@mail.house.gov - fax202-225-7854
Ellison, (D) Minnesota, 5th (202) 225-4755 keith.Ellison@mail.house.gov - fax202-225-4886
Cohen, (D) Tennessee, 9th (202) 225-3265 steve.Cohen@mail.house.gov
Jackson Lee, (D) Texas, 18th (202) 225-3816 - fax202-225-3317


Republicans:
Sensenbrenner Jr., (R) Wisconsin, 5th (202) 225-5101
Coble, (R) North Carolina, 6th (202) 225-3065
Gallegly, (R) California, 24th (202) 225-5811
Goodlatte, (R) Virginia, 6th (202) 225-5431
Chabot, (R) Ohio, 1st (202) 225-2216
Lungren, (R) California, 3rd (202) 225-5716
Cannon, (R) Utah, 3rd (202) 225-7751
Keller, (R) Florida, 8th (202) 225-2176
Issa, (R) California, 49th (202) 225-3906
Pence, (R) Indiana, 6th (202) 225-3021
Forbes, (R) Virginia, 4th (202) 225-6365
King, (R) Iowa, 5th (202) 225-4426
Feeney, (R) Florida, 24th (202) 225-2706
Franks, (R) Arizona, 2nd (202) 225-4576
Gohmert, (R) Texas, 1st (202) 225-3035
Jordan, (R) Ohio, 4th (202) 225-2676

3. Write to them

Print out this sheet of addresses (thanks, Gordon), stick them to cards or envelopes, and write to them.

Call Speaker Nancy Pelosi: (202) 225-0100

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/28328

[Adrienne]

Let's hope this goes somewhere.  And hopefully the press covers it! 

[Kristina]

Hoyer and Pelosi tried to table it, but, with Republican help, the measure to begin proceedings passed, I believe, 242, 170.

Finally, some good news. 

The Republicans think they can embarrass the Democrats on this, boy are they in for a surprise.  They have no idea what they have just unleashed.

Let's all call our representatives, and Kucinich, to tell him "thanks."