IMPEACHMENT: AN AMERICAN WAKE UP CALL IS IN PROGRESS!
IMPEACHMENT: “LET THERE BE LIGHT…FINALLY!”
IT FEELS STRANGE TO AGREE WITH A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT!
"The President should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the Nation as a whole.
Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile.
To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."
-THEODORE ROOSEVELT-
IMPEACHMENT DAY 45: THE IMPEACHMENT MOVEMENT UNITES
IMPEACH BUSH! WRITE CONGRESS TODAY!
In a representative democracy, the rule of law establishes the necessary premise that no one is above the law, the land, and the people. However, today we suffer under an administration which sees itself above the rule of law. The Bush administration has continuously lied to and manipulated the American people with illegal surveillance, mass detentions without judicial review, torture and signing statements that carve out exceptions to legislation. Today it is time for you to take action and tell the Bush administration we will no longer allow their abuse of power to go unnoticed.
Congress through various committees is in the process of conducting oversight investigations. Such oversight investigations have subpoena power and so this is the first step for Congress to move to a full blown impeachment. Your Congressperson needs to hear from you on this issue. Please send the sample letter or you can modify it in your own words.
We need your help in telling the Bush Administration that no one is above the rule of law. Help protect the rule of law in our country!
Send a Letter to Your Member of Congress
Sign the GP impeachment petition
IMPEACH BUSH!
Send a letter to the editor to your local paper and add your voice to the growing number of people defending the U.S. Constitution by supporting impeachment
IMPEACHMENT BLOG SEARCH (EMERGENCY) 121
IMPEACHMENT WEB SEARCH (EMERGENCY) 106,000
Submitted by Bob Fertik on February 17, 2007 - 10:16pm.ImpeachForChange
I'd like to give you a report from the front lines of History.
Today I had the remarkable honor of co-chairing a summit meeting of the largest groups fighting for the impeachment of George Bush and Dick Cheney:
Democrats.com
WorldCantWait.org
AfterDowningStreet.org
Progressive Democrats of
HipHopCaucus.org
ImpeachBush.org
Green Party of the
Gold Star Families for Peace
CodePink
Constitution Summer
Independent Progressive Political Network
Climate Crisis Coalition
ConsumersForPeace.org
Just Foreign Policy
A28.org
This meeting took place in
There were many forces that brought us together for this historic summit. Of course the illegal and disastrous War in Iraq has been the primary reason for impeachment since Bush launched it on the basis of lies; but any hope that the forces of "reason" would persuade Bush to end his war was buried with the corpse of the Baker-Hamilton Commission.
In fact, Bush showed his contempt for that bipartisan commission by doing the opposite of what they recommended: sending 48,000 more troops rather than bring troops home, and starting a war of words (and possibly terror) against
Finally, we were brought together by the adamant refusal of Congressional Democrats to even begin serious investigations of Bush's pre-war lies and ongoing war crimes.
We spent very little time discussing the reasons why Congressional Democrats refuse to begin the impeachment process. Of course there are a handful of committed progressives in Congress who would have impeached Bush and Cheney the day Democrats took over Congress on January 4, and we speak to them as often as we can.
And there are dozens more Democrats who would support impeachment after a thorough investigation of Bush's crimes by a House committee. But they are blocked by a majority of Democrats in the House - led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi - who believe impeachment would (a) interfere with their legislative agenda and (b) harm Democrats' chances of taking back the White House in 2008.
So rather than waste our time on Congress, we came together to mobilize the overwhelming 58% majority of Americans who simply wish the Bush regime was over.
It was a similar mobilization that swept Democrats into power in 2006, but those Democrats have already forgotten who sent them. So our goal is simple: to mobilize an even larger majority and thereby create overwhelming pressure on Congress to impeach Bush and Cheney.
Specifically we have a 6-point plan:
1. On March 17, March on the Pentagon to end the Iraq War and Impeach Bush and Cheney
2. Gather 50 prominent Americans for a press conference on the Capitol Steps to demand impeachment
3.
4. Organize a bus tour from
5. Launch a grassroots advertising campaign called "Bush is Over" modeled after the "War is Over" ad campaign created by John Lennon during the Vietnam War
6. On April 28, hold creative local impeachment events across the country, including assembling crowds to spell "IMPEACH!" in large outdoor spaces like beaches, monuments, and parks.
We will announce this plan to the full audience at the summit on Sunday morning at
Emergency Summit to Impeach Bush for War Crimes
17 Feb 2007 by Ticia |
Emergency Summit to Impeach Bush for War Crimes!
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Today - NYC: Emergency Summit to Impeach Bush for War Crimes ...
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Emergency Summit to Impeach Bush for War Crimes
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=impeach |
Impeachment Day 45: The Impeachment Movement Unites
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Tour D’ Farce:Emergency Summit to Impeach Bush, Cheney, US ...
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EMERGENCY IMPEACHMENT Saturday, Feb. 17 and Sunday Feb. 18, in |
~ImpeachBush.org Organizes for March 17 Washington DC Protest ~
EMERGENCY Conference: Impeach Bush for War Crimes!
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Antiwar and looking ahead: What's it going to take?
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13 Feb 2007 by Buddhagem |
World Can't Wait: Emergency Summit to Impeach Bush for War Crimes
15 Feb 2007 |
This weekend - Emergency Summit to Impeach Bush for War Crimes
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From DC: Antiwar and looking ahead, What's it going to take?
29 Jan 2007 by Jed Brandt |
2/17-18 (SAT-SUN) Impeachment Summit
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OpEdNews: Tell Our Congress To Rescind Bush's War ...
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Big News Day - February 16, 2007
16 Feb 2007 |
IMPEACHMENT: FROM A SIMMER TO A BOIL; THEY HAVE TO GO_NOW!
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http://akamat.wordpress.com/2007/02/19/national-impeachment-push-announced
The Case for Impeachment: Okay...it's time
Submitted by mole333 on Mon, 2007-02-19
Accountability Crime Government Impeachment Surveillance
I have been for impeachment ever since it became clear to me that we were being "led" by a "president" who was corrupt, a criminal, lying to get us into wars, violating the Constitution, etc. But for various reasons I wasn't relly anxious to see impeachment attempted.
It seemed too hard to make the case, too divisive when I wanted to see Democrats seen as the reasonable, uniting force in America, and I wanted to see Democrats get some things accomplished rather than be seen as obstructionist.
Several things have largely changed my mind. What crystalized it was meeting former Congresswoman from
She has written a book on the topic called "The Impeachment of George W. Bush" and her top argument for impeachment is based on an exact precedent from 1974. In other words, Bush has committed one act for which there already is an article of impeachment constructed, written and voted on in Congress. All that needs to be done is for the current Congress to apply the 1974 precedent to our current President.
I am a pragmatist. I believe in getting things done and if something isn't going to work you don't put a lot of time into it. So, I have been reluctant to support impeachment even though I feel the grounds are certainly there.
When people talk impeachment I am tentatively interested, but I have tended to want to focus more on exposing Republican corruption to dispel the myth of the "moral" party, build the Democrats as the reasonable, effective, and fiscally responsible and reformist party, and win some seats in Congress. Impeachment seemed like an impossible dream that could become a very damaging nightmare.
Well, we won some seats in Congress. And that changed one major thing: Impeachment could now be debated by Congress if they wanted to. BUT...I still wasn't ready. I felt it was more important to show
Let's be the economic Populist Party, the progressive party, and work on things like the minimum wage, election reform, health care, stem cell research, education, etc. Only after we get some real concrete things done can we start battling over
Well, we have already been getting things done. The Democrats are leading the most productive Congress I can imagine. We need to keep it up for a bit, but I think we already are proving our worth to
AND WHAT ABOUT IMPEACHMENT?
We have the House majority, and we have started to show we are an effective party that keeps its campaign promises and can get things done. The Republicans are coming off as obstructionist and petty. Do we have the credibility to raise the issue of impeachment?
Yes...and no. I want to explain why I now say yes, and ask your help to turn the little bit of "no" into a yes.
During the NY-11 Democratic Primary we all loved so much, I backed Chris Owens, as everyone knows. He is an articulate voice for progressive Democrats and I felt we desperately needed that. Well, as we all know Chris lost.
One of the things Chris was a strong progressive preacher for was impeachment. He said clearly and publicly that although there are many possible grounds for impeachment, we have one absolutely solid one: illegal wiretapping. I really wanted someone who could articulately voice that belief to go to Congress.
But I found that this message didn't attract local "progressives" in Park Slope. They didn't want to hear "impeachment." And David Yassky openly denigrated the idea of impeachment as preventing actually getting anything done. In some ways this was nothing more than a more extreme version of my own view: I didn't denigrate the idea, but I did think it might get in the way of getting things done.
Yassky supporters told me to my face we didn't want another impeachment circus like the impeachment of
Then I heard Liz Holtzman, who has been through it before.
If ANYONE can be called an expert on impeaching a President, it's Congresswoman Holtzman. With my mind already sympathetic to impeachment, and already feeling like Democrats are finally in charge and showing they are the party responsive to the people, hearing Congresswoman Holtzman finally convinced me that now is indeed the time to be working towards impeachment. And I am convinced that David Yassky was wrong to denigrate the idea and his followers were completely misinterpreting the situation.
FIRST OFF, WHAT ABOUT THE
Are we just sinking to their level of partisan politics? The aswer is clearly "no." The people who look to the
The basis of impeachment of George Bush would be based on the Nixon impeachment, as I will outline below.
The impeachment of Nixon was based on a bipartisan investigation by Congress uncovering clear Constitutional violations. The ultimate articles of impeachment were passed with BIPARTISAN support and widespread popular support among voters. By contrast, the impeachment of
Our model will be the Nixon impeachment. As such, the fundamental issues will be at the foundation of our democracy. Nixon's crimes were direct violations of the Constitution. As such, it is critical to impeach because otherwise the precedent is set for presidents to break the law. So, if the basis of impeachment for Bush is similar to that of Nixon, it is imperative we impeach.
So, what is the basis for impeachment of Bush according to one of the only people in the world today to work on Articles of impeachment of a president? Just like Chris Owens advocated, illegal wiretapping.
There are other bases for impeachment: lying about
They are outlined in Holtzman's book, The Impeachment of George W. Bush. All of those reasons are important and SHOULD be investigated. But, illegal wire tapping should be the starting point and is the basis for impeachment with the strongest precedent. Why? Because we already have the article of impeachment written up and have proven that it can get bipartisan support.
George W. Bush pesonally authorized about 45 wiretaps without court approval. He has also publically admitted that he has done this.
This is precisely what is covered in Article 2 of the articles of impeachment of Richard Nixon adopted by a bipartisan vote in Congress. Bush is guilty of a crime that was part of the Nixon impeachment. No new case has to be built from scratch. The framework for impeachment based on illegal wiretapping already exists from 1974.
HERE IT IS:
Article 2
Using the powers of the office of President of the United States, Richard M. Nixon, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in disregard of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has repeatedly engaged in conduct violating the constitutional rights of citizens, impairing the due and proper administration of justice and the conduct of lawful inquiries, or contravening the laws governing agencies of the executive branch and the purposed of these agencies.
This conduct has included one or more of the following:
1. He has, acting personally and through his subordinates and agents, endeavored to obtain from the Internal Revenue Service, in violation of the constitutional rights of citizens, confidential information contained in income tax returns for purposed not authorized by law, and to cause, in violation of the constitutional rights of citizens, income tax audits or other income tax investigations to be initiated or conducted in a discriminatory manner.
2. He misused the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Secret Service, and other executive personnel, in violation or disregard of the constitutional rights of citizens, by directing or authorizing such agencies or personnel to conduct or continue electronic surveillance or other investigations for purposes unrelated to national security, the enforcement of laws, or any other lawful function of his office; he did direct, authorize, or permit the use of information obtained thereby for purposes unrelated to national security, the enforcement of laws, or any other lawful function of his office; and he did direct the concealment of certain records made by the Federal Bureau of Investigation of electronic surveillance.
3. He has, acting personally and through his subordinates and agents, in violation or disregard of the constitutional rights of citizens, authorized and permitted to be maintained a secret investigative unit within the office of the President, financed in part with money derived from campaign contributions, which unlawfully utilized the resources of the Central Intelligence Agency, engaged in covert and unlawful activities, and attempted to prejudice the constitutional right of an accused to a fair trial.
4. He has failed to take care that the laws were faithfully executed by failing to act when he knew or had reason to know that his close subordinates endeavored to impede and frustrate lawful inquiries by duly constituted executive, judicial and legislative entities concerning the unlawful entry into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee, and the cover-up thereof, and concerning other unlawful activities including those relating to the confirmation of Richard Kleindienst as Attorney General of the United States, the electronic surveillance of private citizens, the break-in into the offices of Dr. Lewis Fielding, and the campaign financing practices of the Committee to Re-elect the President.
5. In disregard of the rule of law, he knowingly misused the executive power by interfering with agencies of the executive branch, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Criminal Division, and the Office of Watergate Special Prosecution Force, of the Department of Justice, and the Central Intelligence Agency, in violation of his duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed.
In all of this, Richard M. Nixon has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as President and subversive of constitutional government, to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice and to the manifest injury of the people of the
Wherefore Richard M. Nixon, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office.
ADOPTED 28-10 BY THE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
The 28 who voted for Article 2 included 6 Republicans. It's all there ready for us to use. Bush signed his name to the illegal wiretaps and has publically admitted it. Chris Owens had it right, of course.
Liz Holtzman also noted that Bush really didn't need to resort to illegal means if he really needed to wiretap. In response to Watergate, Congress in 1978 set up a judicial mechanism by which the President can more easily get permission to wiretap through a court. That court has, since 1978, received some 19,000 requests from Presidents to wiretap. Out of those 19,000 requests only 5 have been denied. Why couldn't Bush go through this existing, Constitutionally approved method of wiretapping? He chose to break the law instead. Why? What was he doing that he felt he had less than a 5/19,000 chance of the court approving?
So there it is. The way I am thinking of it, there is clear probable cause to initiate impeachment based on Article 2 of Nixon's impeachment. There is possible cause for other articles of impeachment, but they can be added later once an investigation uncovers more facts. But an investigation must be initiated.
Now, here's where I need your help. I love our Democratic majority Congress. They are kicking ass, in my opinion. But, as in the impeachment of Nixon, widespread public support (or at least interest) must be demonstrated. It also would be very helpful if at least one Republican showed an interest. The pressure has to come from the public.
Write your Representative and write the media urging impeachment of George W. Bush based on Article 2 of the impeachment of Richard Nixon. If they don't hear it from you they may not hear it from anyone and the meme may remain in the background. I don't expect action to be taken right away. After all, Congress really is getting things done. But a build up of support starting now will make it happen.
MARCH 9TH IN WASHINGTON, DC, IMPEACHMENT GOES ON THE TABLE
The
AfterDowningStreet.org - Impeach... - http://www.afterdowningstreet.org
March 9th in Washington , D.C.
Submitted by davidswanson on Wed, 2007-02-14
The
Friday, March 9th,
Featured Panel will Include:
* Congresswoman Liz Holtzman (NY) who served on the Impeachment Panel during Nixon and author of the book "The Impeachment of George W. Bush"
* David Swanson: Former Kucinich campaign staffer, national board member of Progressive Democrats of America and co-founder of Afterdowningstreet.org
* John Judge: Director of CHOICES fomer staffer of Rep. Cynthia McKinney and co-author of legislation to pursue articles of impeachment against President Bush.
* And moderated by Pete Perry: Coordinator of the
TEN REASONS TO IMPEACH GEORGE BUSH AND DICK CHENEY
I ask Congress to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney for the following reasons:
1. Violating the United Nations Charter by launching an illegal "War of Aggression" against Iraq without cause, using fraud to sell the war to Congress and the public, misusing government funds to begin bombing without Congressional authorization, and subjecting our military personnel to unnecessary harm, debilitating injuries, and deaths.
2. Violating
3. Violating the Constitution by arbitrarily detaining Americans, legal residents, and non-Americans, without due process, without charge, and without access to counsel.
4. Violating the Geneva Conventions by targeting civilians, journalists, hospitals, and ambulances, and using illegal weapons, including white phosphorous, depleted uranium, and a new type of napalm.
5. Violating
6. Violating the Constitution by using "signing statements" to defy hundreds of laws passed by Congress.
7. Violating
8. Violating
9. Subverting the Constitution and abusing Presidential power by asserting a "Unitary Executive Theory" giving unlimited powers to the President, by obstructing efforts by Congress and the Courts to review and restrict Presidential actions, and by promoting and signing legislation negating the Bill of Rights and the Writ of Habeas Corpus.
10. Gross negligence in failing to assist
The Libby trial makes impeachment easy, and obligatory
OpEdNews -
The severity of the crimes, however, once put into the context of formal impeachment, would carry such great weight that many Republicans would join to get ...
The Libby trial makes impeachment easy, and obligatory by Carol Wolman |
"Scooter" Libby, Cheney's chief of staff until he was forced to resign after being indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice, is now on trial. The trial transcript is shining a lurid light on the inner workings of the White House during a crucial period in 2003.
The testimony by multiple reporters over the past two weeks has made it clear that Cheney was the prime mover in the outing of Valerie Plame. Cheney was obsessed with discrediting Plame's husband Joe Wilson, who had dared to call Bush a liar, publicly, in a New York Times op-ed piece. Cheney orchestrated multiple leaks about Plame's identity as a CIA agent, from several White House personnel to various key reporters.
Bush must have been aware of it, since his press secretary Richard Armitage was one of the leakers. Libby's defense seems to be that Rove was the main leaker, and that, he, Libby, is being scapegoated to protect Rove and Bush, whose "brain" Rove is. Thus Bush is implicated as well as Cheney.
The prosecutor in the Libby trial, the intrepid Patrick Fitzgerald, has already done the time-consuming investigative work that the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by John Conyers, would otherwise have to undertake. All that remains for the House to do, is to decide whether the outing of an undercover agent for political purposes is an impeachable offense.
Although Bush and Cheney are not themselves on trial right now, and a sitting president cannot be prosecuted in a regular court of law, surely the published testimony in the Libby trial is compelling evidence that Cheney conspired to out a CIA agent, and Bush was complicit. This is a crime, and in context, a heinous crime. Here's the context:
Bush and Cheney had just used manufactured evidence to persuade the American public that there was reason to launch a pre-emptive war against
Plame ran a network of 70 or so operatives all around the world, who took great risks to track WMDs on the international black market, and to make sure that terrorists didn't get hold of them. How many of the agents were killed after Plame's identity was made public is classified information, but no doubt some were. The entire network was exposed and rendered ineffectual.
Dear reader, you may remember that Dubya's claim to fame is that he's fighting a war on terror. His excuse for invading
If terrorists are the enemy, the outing of Plame gave them aid and comfort. This is the definition of treason.- giving aid and comfort to the enemy. The operatives who were killed as a result of publishing her identity were in fact murdered by the leakers and their masters. In other words, Bush and Cheney are probably guilty of treason and murder.
The outing of Plame makes Watergate look like a Sunday School picnic. The investigation has been done, the crime is obvious, the evidence is public. Hearings by the House Judiciary Committee shouldn't take more than a week. It only takes a simple majority to impeach. With a clear Democratic majority in the House, impeachment should be a foregone conclusion.
It's true that a 2/3 majority in the Senate is needed to convict Bush and Cheney and remove them from office, and the Democrats have only a one-vote margin. The severity of the crimes, however, once put into the context of formal impeachment, would carry such great weight that many Republicans would join to get rid of the malefactors.
All the excuses- that impeachment is too slow and takes too much energy from "more important" issues, fall by the wayside now. Fitzpatrick has done the work, the crimes are obvious.
What is Congress waiting for! If they fail to move now, no matter what sort of deal Pelosi made last year, aren't they complicit? Where is the bill of impeachment that will start the process?
In the name of the Prince of Peace, Carol Wolman
TAKE ACTION -- CLICK HERE TO CONTACT YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER OR CONGRESS PEOPLE: impeach Bush and Cheney
Click here to see the most recent messages sent to congressional reps and local newspapers
http://voteCarolWolmanforCongress.com
Carol S. Wolman, MD is a psychiatrist in
CASE FOR IMPEACHMENT GROWS STEADILY STRONGER
Amplifying the debate on impeachment will bring the truth out of the shadows. The systematic conspiracy of deception, the subtle but alarmingly profound ...
Case for impeachment grows steadily stronger, | ||||||
Robert S. Reno, Hopkinton | ||||||
For the Monitor February 14. 2007 | ||||||
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Stoughton Residents To Vote On Troop Withdrawal, Impeachment ...
WISC - Madison,WI,USA
... from Iraq while the second asks whether the government should launch an impeachment investigation against President George W. Bush, WISC-TV reported. ...
STOUGHTON
Measures Will Be On April 3 Ballot
UPDATED:
The first will ask whether the
The Stoughton City Council decided to put both questions on the April 3 ballot on Tuesday night.
Stoughton to vote on troops, impeachment
The Capital Times -
The troop withdrawal petition had the signatures of 986
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Technical questions and suggestions may be directed to The Capital Times
Web editor. Please state your concern in the subject line.
Please use our letter to the editor form for all editorial comments and suggestions.
More on State Sen. Oemig's Impeachment Resolution
By JOSH FEIT
Adam Kline (D-37, South Seattle) have all shown an interest in getting the bill a hearing and out of committee to beat the approaching legislative deadlines, it's clear no one's ready to dismiss Oemig's resolution to move on impeachment ...
Slog - http://www.thestranger.com/blog/
News More on State Sen. Oemig’s Impeachment Resolution
I’m surprised to find that Sen. Eric Oemig’s resolution has more traction than I thought. Indeed, I thought it was DOA. But after speaking to a few Senators yesterday and hearing that key party commitee chairs like Sen. Majority Leader Sen. Lisa Brown (D-3, Spokane), Govermnet Operations Chair Sen. Darlene Fairely (D-32, Forest Park), and Judiciary Chair Sen. Adam Kline (D-37, South Seattle) have all shown an interest in getting the bill a hearing and out of committee to beat the approaching legislative deadlines, it’s clear no one’s ready to dismiss Oemig’s resolution to move on impeachment.
Sen. Oemig actually didn’t have any official co-sponsors as of yesterday afternoon, but that’s because his colleagues were waiting for him to finalize the language (ie, tone it down a bit). He reports that he will shop for co-sponsors in caucus this morning and should have a number of co-sponsors when he officially unveils the resolution at a
I got a sneak peek at Oemig’s resolution, and I have a column coming out today about it, but I didn’t have room to include the specifics from my lengthy interview with him. So here are some outtakes.
Sen. Oemig said that while there’s “a sense this is a federal issue… federal policies are really impacting policy at the state level. The $8 billion a month on the war is causing general cuts in funding for our state priorities like education and health care.”
He also said that when he was doorbelling last fall on the eastside, the anger at Bush and the war came up again and again. Specifically, one older man (with pro-military bumperstickers on his car) actually broke down crying when Oemig canvassed him, pleading with Oemig to do something about the war if elected. At the time, Oemig told the man it was a federal issue. But then other constituents started telling Oemig about a federal clause that allows state legislatures to push for impeachment. “They said, ‘If you’re elected would you vote Yes on that?’ I said absolutely I would. At the time, I had no idea I’d be the prime sponsor.”
Asked about the potential for the GOP to spoof the resolution as distracting from the business of the state, while at the same time stirring up a hotly partisan divide, Oemig said, “I believe the blue wave sent a very strong message that this President needs to be held accountable.”
Frustrated that Washington State’s lefties in Congress (Reps. McDermott and Inslee) don’t appear to be moving on an impeachment resolution—Oemig reports that he talked to staff from both offices and their response to doing something was “not satisfactory”— Oemig said: “This is too important to sweep it under the carpet. It would set a dangerous precedent [to let the President get away with things like illegal wiretapping and lying about war intel].”
Finally, Oemig said: “It’s not only the gentleman crying on his front porch that pushed me to do this, but I think about my son [a one-year-old] asking me in 10 years…What did you do?”
For some clarity on the legitimacy of Sen. Oemig’s resolution, I talked to UW prof Stewart Jay, a professor of Constitutional Law. He told me, absolutely, states have the standing to ask Congress to begin the process of impeachment. He also said that Congress can ignore the resolution. However, he added: “I can imagine that if a significant majority of states passed resolutions requesting the U.S. House to initiate impeachment [proceedings] it could have a political effect in Congress.”
Right now,
As I told Sen. Oemig last night, while I find the language and spirit of his resolution electrifying, I also think it’s politically goofy and quite frankly technically ill-conceived. For example, he says the war is robbing money from things like education and health care at the sate level. Okay. But putting Bush on trial over the next year has nothing to do with hastening an end to the war. If anything, impeachment hearings would divide Congress and sap the necessary bipartisan will that’s needed to end the war soon.
Sen. Oemig’s gesture makes me smile, but ultimately it’s just symbolic. In an era when political symbolism is a big deal, this may be more of a scarlet letter for local Democrats than a gold star. We’ll see how it goes in the next few weeks.
Pres. Bush has systematically abused his office and attacked the organs of government by cherry picking intelligence to go to war either with reckless disregard of facts or known indifference to facts; he has put the
We ALL should pursue investigation of impeachable offenses and in all likelihood impeachment because silence/inaction says to Bush, Cheney and anyone else who would try this in the future, "go ahead, screw us, we don't care, we will let you get away with it!"
Our State legislators have a role. Our congresspersons have a role.
Enough already. Stop tolerating high crimes and misdemeanors. It's not a game. It's our democratic government that is at stake.
Cleve Stockmeyer
WASHINGTON BEGINS IMPEACHMENT
A while back I started to agitate my state representatives via email and snail mail to begin the process of impeaching President Bush. You see, under what is known as Jefferson's Manual on Parliamentary Practice and Rules of the House of Representatives the process of impeaching a President of the
According to Section 603 of Jefferson's Manual, "there are various methods of setting an impeachment in motion":
1) By charges made on the floor by a member of the House;
2) By charges preferred by a memorial filed by a House member;
3) By charges contained in a Resolution introduced by a House member;
4) By a message from the President;
5) By charges transmitted by a State legislature, or a grand jury;
6) By facts developed and reported by an investigating committee of the House.
Most of the representatives and senators that I wrote to about this had no clue that this avenue for removing a federal official was open to them and one, Representative Larry Springer and who is my state rep, actually got into a heated email exchange with me where he argued that only members of the U.S. House of Representatives could begin the impeachment process.
Needless to say I will be weighing heavily whether to support Mr. Springer during the next election cycle given his lack of understanding of both the Constitution and his job description.
Anyway, it seems that one of our state reps finally had a come to Jesus moment about this for this morning it was announced that Senator Eric Oemig, who is also my senator, will be introducing today a resolution requesting that the Washington State Legislature refer a petition to the United States Congress requesting that they begin an impeachment investigation of both President Bush and Vice President Cheney.
Democracy in action.
Home » Organize » Impeach Bush Now!
Demand More Polls on Bush Impeachment
Submitted by Bob Fertik on
Here at a glance are the polls on the impeachment of George Bush (question wordings, along with party breakdowns and related questions on trust and honesty are summarized here):
Date | Poll | Issue | Question | Support | Oppose | Net |
. | Wish Bush Presidency Was "Over" | 58% | 37% | +21% | ||
Investigations | 56% | 34% | +22% | |||
Major investigations (by Democrats) | 51% | 47% | +4% | |||
Impeach (by Democrats) | 51% | 44% | +7% | |||
FOX (RV) | Impeach (by Democrats) | 30% | 62% | -32% | ||
Democracy | Censure | 46% | 45% | +1% | ||
Wire | Impeachable offense | 36% | 56% | -20% | ||
Wire | Censure | 46% | 45% | +1% | ||
Impeach and remove | 33% | 66% | -33% | |||
Wire | Censure | 45% | 53% | -8% | ||
Democracy | Wire | Censure | 44% | 51% | -7% | |
Democracy | Censure | 41% | 56% | -15% | ||
Impeach and remove | 26% | 69% | -43% | |||
Censure | 42% | 50% | -8% | |||
ARG ( | Impeach | 43% | 50% | -7% | ||
ARG ( | Censure | 48% | 43% | +5% | ||
MyDD (RV) | Hold accountable through impeachment and removal | 50% | 39% | +11% | ||
Hold accountable through impeachment | 52% | 43% | +9% | |||
Impeach and remove | 35% | 55% | -20% | |||
Consider impeaching | 53% | 42% | +11% | |||
Consider impeaching | 50% | 44% | +6% | |||
Zogby ( | Hold accountable through impeachment | 42% | 50% | -8% |
On
http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1007
After that poll, Democrats.com began a campaign to urge other pollsters to ask Americans about impeachment (see below). But the pollsters refused, because they were terrified they would anger Karl Rove. So AfterDowningStreet.org asked its supporters to contribute funds so we could commission impeachment polls from the same pollsters that provide periodic results to the media.
AfterDowningStreet.org raised over $10,000 and made history by commissioning the first polls ever funded by the netroots.
On
On
(Note: some observers have been confused by the "if he lied" part of the question. These polls show a solid majority of Americans believe Bush lied.)
On
http://www.impeachpac.org/?q=node/76
On
http://www.democrats.com/bush-impeachment-poll-2
This poll sends a stunning rebuke to pollsters (and pundits) who claim Americans support illegal wiretapping. "The American people are not buying Bush's outrageous claim that he has the power to wiretap American citizens without a warrant. Americans believe terrorism can be fought without turning our own government into Big Brother," said AfterDowningStreet.org co-founder Bob Fertik.
It's time for other pollsters to ask about impeaching George Bush. When the Lewinsky scandal broke in 1998, just about every pollster in the business started polling on impeachment:
http://www.democrats.com/clinton-impeachment-polls
On
I'm keeping track of the major media polls since July here. Polls that include impeachment are underlined. If we paid for the poll, you'll see ($).
Here's what you can do:
1) Write Zogby (marketing@zogby.com) to thank them for asking about impeachment in June, and encourage them to keep asking the question.
2) Write all the other major pollsters and ask them why they haven't asked voters about impeaching Bush. (If your browser won't let you highlight these addresses, use the printer-friendly version.)
info@americanresearchgroup.com,
rthomas@harrisinteractive.com,
darby_miller_steiger@gallup.com,
rthomas@harrisinteractive.com,
pollinginstitute@quinnipiac.edu,
You can also use these forms:
DemocracyCorps: http://democracycorps.com/contact.html
Here is a form letter you can personalize:
On November 4, a Zogby poll found 53% of Americans said "if it is found that President Bush did not tell the truth about his reasons for going to war with
http://www.democrats.com/impeachpac-announced
Why haven't you asked Americans whether they believe Bush should be impeached for lying about
Even on the narrow question of the CIA leak scandal, 86% of Americans say it has great or some importance - compared to only 62% who felt that way about Monica Lewinsky.
http://www.democrats.com/node/6696
Yet when the Lewinsky scandal broke in 1998, nearly every pollster asked about impeachment - even though only 26% of Americans supported it!
http://www.democrats.com/clinton-impeachment-polls
Why are you going easy on George Bush for lying about war, when you raked Bill Clinton over the coals for lying about sex?
3. These MSM reporters cover political polls. Ask them why they have not covered the AfterDowningStreet impeachment polls.
wlester@ap.org, Bill.Schneider@cnn.com,
sthomma@krwashington.com, John.Whitesides@reuters.com
4. These MSM reporters have covered the AfterDowningStreet impeachment polls and deserve a thank-you note.
Please post any non-automated responses you get below!
Update: On
‹ Clinton Impeachment PollsupAmericans Believe Bush Lied about Iraq ›
Bob Fertik's blog printer-friendly version login or register to post comments send to friend
Impeachment Question based on lies
Submitted by lockerh on
HERE IS WHAT I WROTE TO THE VARIOUS POLLING ADDRESSES:
Zogby Poll is to be congratulated for being so forward-thinking that they asked about impeachment in their June survey. It's hard for me to believe that only 42% responded affirmatively as to whether this president should be impeached if it is discovered that he lied to the country to get us to go to war. After all, what more horrible act could a trusted leader do to his people to betray them? I'm appalled that nearly 60% of the people would NOT think this an impeachable offense.
However, I also remember that at the time the Congress was intent upon impeaching President Clinton for possibly lying about a sexual peccadillo, the populace was 70% AGAINST that Congressional effort. As I remember, the populace continued to be 70% against that impeachment effort throughout its duration. (Personally I can't understand why that was not 99.9%; nevertheless, that is my memory.)
And so I ask you to make and publish a comparison of the impeachment polls for
I also ask you to continue to monitor today's opinions about impeachment as we move forward and as more and more solid and documentary evidence about Bush's lies, cover-ups, and manipulation of intelligence (such as exposed in the Downing Street Minutes) are made public.
Thanks very much for your good efforts at the truth.
Impeach, Impeach, Impeach
by Cenk Uygur
Every single day the
The Iranians would never support the Sunnis. The Shiite militias are mainly killing Sunnis now, not US troops. This is so obvious, but unfortunately these new set of lies are challenged by so few people, just like in the lead up to the Iraq War. People are more skeptical now, but not nearly skeptical enough as the war machine revs up again.
The LA Times at least has written an excellent piece explaining why these charges against
The lies that this administration clearly told about
They repeatedly insinuated and outright claimed that Iraq was complicit in the attacks against us on 9/11. That is a grotesque lie. Imagine if
If you insist on a violation of law for impeachment, not just gross violation of the public trust, then the Bush administration can accommodate you there as well. They brag about how they have been in violation of a federal law for five years now. They broke the FISA law - and they admit it.
Why do I care so much to impeach these guys? Because, unlike conventional wisdom, I don't think we are going to be able to run out the clock on them. They are going to do something even more hideous before the next two years are up. Every week, Michael Hirsh from Newsweek comes on our show and tells us we have no choice but to hold our nose for two years and wait out this administration.
But that's not true. If our legislators were truly courageous, they would have a choice. That choice is impeachment. It is completely warranted and completely necessary.
Look, for me this is not a political thing. I don't give a damn which party is in power, as long as they do reasonable things. I thought George H. W. Bush was an excellent foreign policy president. I voted against Bill Clinton twice, but came to regret it because I thought he also did an excellent job in foreign policy.
I thought the
Most likely, my warnings here and the warnings of many others will be disregarded. We will be branded as the extremists, as the real extremists prepare for another horrible war.
As the real extremists continue to trample upon our constitution (it makes my blood boil every time I think about the Military Commissions Act and how twelve unprincipled, pathetically weak Democratic Senators and every so-called moderate Republican, like Chuck Hagel, voted for that atrocity).
As the real extremists continue to break the law and spy on American citizens without court orders. As the real extremists ignore Congress altogether with their so-called signing statements and authorize torture.
And all of this we might be able to bear, as we have gotten used to the lawlessness and the grotesqueries of this administration. But if they start another war with
Then in 2008 when the Republicans are run out of town en masse and the party is nearly finished historically, people will say, "Why didn't someone warn us?" Well, I'm warning you now. Impeachment isn't for the sake of the Democrats. They stand to gain nearly universal power if this administration actually starts a disastrous war with
It's the Republicans who have to realize that this administration threatens their very existence. A war with
There are only two possible answers. No, the war with
Please, either for your own political advantage or for the antiquated idea of actually helping the country, remove these guys from power before they do more damage. Otherwise, we will all live to regret it.
We The People - Part II Impeachment: A Moral Impe...
By poputonian(digby)
Impeachment: A Moral Imperative A stay-at-home mom convinced a newly-elected State Senator to tread where others feared. Listen (and watch) as Senator Oemig from
Hullabaloo - http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/index.html
Impeachment measure cites intel failures, state casualties
Oemig is relying on US House rules that say petitions "from the country at large" can be presented to the House as well as a parliamentary manual that says impeachment can be instigated by a state legislature. The joint memorial will be ..
Postman on Politics - http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/davidpostman/
http://www.notinourname.net/downloads/shine.mp3
Dave Lindorff: Inappropriate Behavior and Impeachment
BuzzFlash - Chicago,IL,USA
If there is any sense of integrity, courage, and patriotism abroad in the nation at large, we will see resolutions of impeachment passed in coming weeks in ...
Discuss: Is Impeachment Worth It?
The NewStandard -
Some say that the odds of convincing Congress to pursue impeachment are so slim that the focus should be on more pressing issues, such as pulling US troops
Towns to face impeachment, war questions
Barre Montpelier Times Argus - Barre,VT,USA
NEWFANE – Twenty-three Vermont communities have placed town meeting questions calling for President Bush's impeachment on the agenda this year and just as ...
See all stories on this topic
Doug Giebel: Rampant Cynicism
Scoop.co.nz (press release) -
... but if they are permitted to leave office without facing impeachment hearings, the two men most responsible for fiscal irresponsibility, arrogance and_
America! If You Will Not Impeach This Tyrant Who Will You Impeach?
OpEdNews - Newtown,PA,USA
If you, my fellow Americans, will not demand the impeachment of the worst president in American history, a man who is a traitor to our Constitution, ...
See all stories on this topic
Keep your eye on the ball- impeachment now!
OpEdNews - Newtown,PA,USA
Are Obama, Kucinich and the rest aware that they are impeding impeachment by creating media events, or are they merely patsies? ...
See all stories on this topic
Lewes vigils expand to to cinclude cries for impeachment
“That was in fact an impeachment march. We found out that people from all over the country
Bush Opponents Differ over Impeachment
The NewStandard -
Impeachment activists, however, will have an uphill battle. The Democratic leadership seems set on keeping the idea "off the table," forcing progressives to ...
Alert for: impeachment
Impeachment Emergency Summit
By ddjango(ddjango)
I encourage you to swamp Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid with emails demanding that they put impeachment back on the table. Bush can continue to wear ear plugs, the DP leadership must take their's out. ...
P! - http://ddjango.blogspot.com/index.html
23 Towns Take Up Impeachment Resolution
By Ticia
Twenty-three Vermont communities have placed town meeting questions calling for President Bush's impeachment on the agenda this year and just as many towns will also be voting on whether the
TPMCafe blogs - http://www.tpmcafe.com/blog
Twenty-three towns take up Bush impeachment resolution
Organizers of the impeachment resolution had hoped to reach 30 to 50 towns but say the topic will come up in more communities during town meeting discussions of other business. Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, known for camping outside ...
AfterDowningStreet.org - Impeach... - http://www.afterdowningstreet.org
Conyers and Kucinich for Impeachment if Bush Attacks Iran
By Bryan Buchan
Conyers and Kucinich for Impeachment if Bush Attacks
Progressive Democrats of America Blog - http://blog.pdamerica.org
Anti-war activists "salivate" at thought of impeachment
Eric told us he hadn't run for the State Senate with the intention of leading a charge for impeachment. He had many priorities in mind, and commitment to many progressive causes, such as alternative energy development. ...
Impeachment
By Buddhagem
If a national movement calling for the impeachment of the President is rapidly ... Believe it or not there is a national movement for impeachment. ... A movement to Impeach Bush for War Crimes can quickly advance the whole struggle; ...
The Blue Voice - http://thebluevoice.blogspot.com
Is That Impeachment I Smell
The latest:. It’s finally becoming clear why ex-White House mouthpiece Ari Fleischer took the fifth and had to be granted immunity from prosecution in the case: Washington Post reporter Walter Pincus testified that Fleischer leaked the
T. Rex's Guide to Life - http://quinnell.us/index.php/all
NYC Impeachment Summit
By heuer
I'm driving from
North Jersey Impeach Group -... - http://impeachthem.com
IMPEACH? Hell yes! Senator Eric Oemig comes out swinging
By dinazina
If it passes, this will reach the floor of the US House of Representatives--and may lead to the
impeachment of Bush, Cheney, and other officials who've exhibited an unprecedented contempt for the US Constitution. ...
Washblog - Front Page - http://www.washblog.com/
IMPEACHMENT: LETTERS FROM ALEXANDRIA: NO2
By Ed, Dickau(Ed, Dickau)
... rejected resoundingly in the November Elections, surrounded with scandals, corruption, investigations, mounting Impeachment talk and preparations in as yet “private quarters”, marches and protests growing in frequency, ...
Court Of Impeachment And War Crimes - http://courtofimpeachmentandwarcrimes.blogspot.com/index.html
IMPEACHMENT: THE CRY RISES IN THE LAND
By Ed, Dickau(Ed, Dickau)
From Ed. Dickau ( http://precinctmaster.blogspot.com/ ).
Court Of Impeachment And War Crimes - http://courtofimpeachmentandwarcrimes.blogspot.com/index.html
IMPEACHMENT: LETTERS FROM ALEXANDRIA; NO.1
By Ed, Dickau(Ed, Dickau)
LETTER NO.1 These are dangerous times, made so not only by technologies that can reduce our world to a barren charcoal briquette floating silently in the icy void of space, and those that can persuade our species to alter their ...
Court Of Impeachment And War Crimes - http://courtofimpeachmentandwarcrimes.blogspot.com/index.html
Precinct Master: BUSH WAR CRIMES: CLOSING IN!
By Ed, Dickau(Ed, Dickau)
Court Of Impeachment And War Crimes. Court Of Impeachment And War Crimes ... Ed. Dickau:
Court Of Impeachment And War Crimes: IMPEACHMENT: A MATTER OF WHAT ...
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Ed. Dickau: A political activist since his Freshman year in college, Ed. began ... down to the precinct level has earned him the title : "Precinct Master". ...
IMPEACHMENT AND WAR CRIMES NEWS SOURCE AND LIBRARY: IMPEACHMENT ...
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Organizers have vowed to make “Impeachment” a daily news hour word. ... Ed. Dickau: A political activist since his Freshman year in college, Ed. began his ...
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Author encourages impeachment vote. The Barre Montpelier Times Argus - 1 hour, ... Ed. Dickau: A political activist since his Freshman year in college, Ed. ...
Jeremy Laing Collections in the Blogs
IMPEACHMENT OF GEORGE W. BUSH IS AN IMPERATIVE! The Soldier –
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The Reference Room - http://thereferenceroom.blogspot.com/index.html
Blogger: User Profile: Ed. Dickau
Ed. Dickau. Age: 65; Gender: Male; Astrological Sign: Scorpio; Zodiac Year: Snake ... Court Of Impeachment And War Crimes. Computer Alerts And Links ...
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