Bush impeachment article to get hearing

The House Judiciary Committee is gearing up for hearings July 25 that could be the closest Congress ever gets to impeaching President Bush.

After insisting that a full-scale impeachment of the president would distract from the work of Congress,  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi bowed to political reality this week and the House voted 238-180 to send one of Rep. Dennis Kucinich's articles of impeachment -- this one charging Bush with lying to the American public about the causes for the war in Iraq -- to the committee.

The catch: The committee can talk about anything deemed to be abuse of power by the president or the White House but not vote to impeach him, the first step toward removing him from office. Committee chairman John Conyers of Michigan put it this way.

Over the last seven plus years, there have been numerous credible allegations of serious misconduct by officials in the Bush administration. At the same time, the administration has adopted what many would describe as a radical view of its own powers and authorities. As chairman of the Judiciary Committee, I believe it is imperative that we pursue a comprehensive review commensurate to this constitutionally dangerous combination of circumstances. Next Friday's hearings will be an important part of that ongoing effort.

Kucinich filed 35 articles of impeachment with the House in June. He is expected to testify along with several academics, scholars and partisans in a two-hour hearing likely to be televised.

But the judiciary committee is not the only group gearing up. Veterans For Peace, which gathered over 23,000 signatures on an impeachment petition, has just announced that it is planning seven days of action between now and next Friday. Its chief goal: Get Congress to vote on impeachment. The group says:

After more than two months of trying to schedule a brief meeting with Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) to deliver VFP's 23,000 impeachment signatures, we politely informed the Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, in writing, that we would drop by his Washington office with them.  And we would sit there until he met with us or hauled us off in handcuffs.

On June 10 VFP issued a news release explaining our intention to call on Conyers the following day.  Coincidentally (!) the morning of the 11th, his scheduler called asking, "I hear you're in town today, would you like to meet with the Congressman?"

Now the organization wants its members to call, write, e-mail and otherwise buttonhole legislators to push for a vote on impeachment. "We need as many calls, emails and letters as possible before July 25th," the group says in a press release. "Get your friends and neighbors to call."

-- Johanna Neuman

Comments

[Fred]

Why do some here worry that Bush only has a few weeks left? I would support hearings if he had only hours left. We deserve to know about all the lies that were told by this Administration so we will never pass this way again. We need to hold "our" elected leaders accountable for thier deeds when we elect the to lead our nation. I want to make sure we aren't lied into another war, our agents aren't hung out for telling the American people the truth when an Administration uses thier office for personal gain.

[Jodi in Arizona]

I am pretty sure the author of this article got it wrong - the charge is for lying to CONGRESS in seeking authorization to go to war - not for lying to the American people - and it speaks directly to the issue of subverting our democracy's system of checks and balances. So, if our Representatives look the other way, they are basically calling themselves irrelevant.

If it truly is just a matter of time left in office, then yes, leave the bush league of gentlemen alone. Getting away with murder now has a timetable, and we know how timetables are viewed in Washington. Save your own skins oh you honorable members of Congress, until the next election. SHAMEFUL. Say, if we do have some time, IMPEACH PELOSI!!!

[jjj]

Pelosi is bought and paid for. AIPAC says they want Bush left alone and she's obeying.

Friday they will be allowed to talk - not do. Watch and see.

Yes, Bush and Cheney are criminals and they work for big oil and Israel. Yes, they've destroyed much of our constitution. No, they will not be held accountable. We, however, will be.

[Dr Gene]

Anyone recall the Anthrax scare and Tom Daschle? The Valerie Plum affair? Post-9/11 Congress has been trained into complicity by a well-devised Bush agenda; the lesson being, speak out and you'll be noticed. It's more important now than ever to remember the hysteria-free pre-9/11 world, when all nerves didn't come on end at the push of a button: terrorist.
Votetoimpeach.org

[Mr. Ken]

The most common excuse for NOT proceeding is because Bush only has a few months left. In my opinion this excuse is NOT sufficient. I firmly believe crimes have been committed by this president and administration. Crimes left ignored negate the entire concept of justice.

Impeachment MUST proceed.

Impeach Bush to prevent pardons for crimes against humanity and the Constitution.

Please vote Pelosi out of office.

Anyone who can rationalize an excuse to prevent impeachment for Bush's high crimes, treason, and genocide does not deserve to be a janitor, much less a senator.

[Daniel Norton]

We cannot not prosecute Bush/Cheney. They are guilty of murder of millions. The Constitution demands it, so should the American people. It's too bad our Media is also severly corrupt, god forgive them!

[Ralph Moorehead]

Why bother with impeachments, (although they should be impeached) ? with our open borders and the border patrol not getting any cooperation from our so called government we will soon be under Mexican government rule so why bother with impeachments or even elections. Even our so called representives are phoney. Our country is and has been sold out already.