DISQUS

Steve_in_CNJ · 1 year ago

just put it on hold until 2009. then bush won't be able to pardon himself (by proxy) or his fellow criminals.

karlInSanDiego · 1 year ago

Dennis might not be a congressman in 2009, so he's running out of time to right this wrong. He's still fighting to save his seat. This is not a stunt for him. He's been adamant about accepting his responsibility as the Constitutionally mandated Executor's check for a long time.

Pelosi, Reid, Issa and Feinstein (leaders and my reps) won't listen to the will of the people. Issa and Feinstein each sent emails pre-war signalling that they're in Rubber Stamp mode to support the Pres and show an undivided country standing up against those who would hurt us. Crap!

Dennis understands that unchecked corruption sets precident, and War Crimes without the slightest bit of investigation, will make it impossible for Middle Eastern countries (and everyone else for that matter) to know the US as anything more than an Imperialist Autocracy that can't begin to preach Democracy to others.

bumpkis · 1 year ago

This could all be about Presidential Pardons. If impeachment articles are filed, I don't think Bush can issue pardons. They could drag this out until he leaves office, and leave all his henchment without pardons....just a thought.

FunMe · 1 year ago

Thank You!

tbhull · 1 year ago

Cheney's impeachment might become more appealing to the masses once the cameras roll while Fat Boy Scottie squeals in 10 days.

kiki · 1 year ago

IMPEACH OR WIND UP PROBABLY GOING TO WAR AGAIN. IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO IMPEACH. CONGRESS NEEDS TO GET THEM OUT OF THEIR OFFICE NOW!

Bobby · 1 year ago

This is NOT a publicity stunt! Dennis is serious about protecting the Constitution and bringing these murderous monsters to justice.

But.......it's too late for impeachment hearings. This should've been done 2 years ago.

224 more days of this filthy administration. Let's just try Bush and Cheney for war crimes at the Hague.

FunMe · 1 year ago

Having impeachment hearing will help Middle America to PAY ATTENTION since they are so caught up with Dancing with the Stars and American Idol. This will help them see for the first time how corrupt their republiCON government is.

Are we a rule of law kinda country? Or are we a country that only cares about "winning" an election?

Besides, Democrats ARE going to win no matter what. This is frosting in the cake.

Our "representatives" were elected to do their CONSITUTIONAL duty. Impeachment is one of those duties.


Besides, no real work happens in DC - and better yet, this will help stop bush from even THINKING about going to war in Iran.

Impeach!
Oh, and

gustavmahler · 1 year ago

Sorry, John, you are wrong on this one. At least the articles have been read into the record. I don't get the comments about how Kuchinich looks. Wexler just signed on, maybe some of the other chickens will too. Conyers wants people to tell him why he should do impeachment. This is not a waste of time, as Turley said today 'congress is playing politics but the are forgetting about principle'!! Principle!!!

SociologistTina · 1 year ago

Right at the moment, John, I agree that you are probably on target about this.

KerrynowCampau · 1 year ago

Dennis has been branded as a nut ball so I don't think it matters what or when he does something. But if this is to prevent future pardons, rock on Dennis.

MorgaineSwann · 1 year ago

The power structure tries to paint Dennis as a radical because if you can ridicule someone, it's easier to discredit anything they say, no matter how correct they might be.

When they start branding someone as a nutjob, pay particular attention. Many times, they're doing it because that person is telling the truth and they don't want you to take them seriously.

Take Kucinich seriously, and get behind him - he and Wexler are the only ones in Congress doing what they were elected to do.

KerrynowCampau · 1 year ago

The nutjobs ALWAYS get my support!

ComradeRutherford · 1 year ago

The five actual Democrats are always described as Nutballs or Whackjobs. "Progressive" blogs only support the Democrats that are pwned by the GOP, and while these blogs may bitch and moan about the Dems not doing ANYTHING to stop the Bush crime spree, whenever a Democrat bucks their overlords and speaks the truth, those same 'progressive' blogs shit all over them.

So which is it? Complain about the majority of Dems that refuse to fight back against the GOP, or complain about the handful of Dems that actually TRY to do something?

I am fully in support of Kucinich, and the Dems that publicly back him are the few Dems that we can moderately trust. The Dems that DON'T back Kucinich are fully under the control of the GOP (like Pelosi and Reid).

We leftist blog readers have a patriotic duty to support ANY Democrat that defies Republian control. Rep. Kucinich has done that, it is our patriotic duty as American Citizens to have his back. If we don't support Kucinich, then we are just another bunch of Democrats that have appeased the GOP.

MorgaineSwann · 1 year ago

I'm a Progressive blogger, and I fully support all the efforts of the REAL Democrats. It's the elite male bloggers that toe the party line and dismiss people like Kucinich and Wexler. I wonder when Progressives are going to realize that there's a power structure in the political blogosphere and it's pretty much the same as the power structure in the Democratic Party. The ones with the power are closet conservatives, the real activists are dismissed as nuts.

Savage8862 · 1 year ago

This is not a publicity stunt. At least one Democrat on the Hill has the balls to try to find out the truth behind the lies that is The Bush Administration. I resent you calling his actions a publicity stunt. Regardless of whether or not this impeachment has any chance, at least he has the principles to try to do something. Protecting the Constitution is not a publicity stunt...ever!

SociologistTina · 1 year ago

On second thought, perhaps there is something to be gained

mirth · 1 year ago

You overlook one detail: the oaths congresspersons take to uphold the constitution...even when it's inconvenient or not timely.

FunMe · 1 year ago

"But the country isn't in the mood for it"

You mean the 69% of USA readers that want impeachment?
http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/06/de...

I'm sure if you had a "legitimate" poll, you would get the same results.

kiki · 1 year ago

Yes, probably more than 69% want impeachment if an honest poll was taken.

scooter in brooklyn · 1 year ago

mood or no mood, it's never too early to return to the rule of law. impeachment might prevent the next war or prospective pardons. it's the right thing to do when high crimes and misdemeanors have been committed. bush, cheney and their closest henchmen should also be surrendered to the hague for war crime prosecutions once their out of office.

Busboy · 1 year ago

I was hoping that Bob Barr would talk Kucinich or Ron Paul to run with him on the Lib ticket; but guess that's not going to happen. I do think, as of now that Obama will be the next pres because Barr is going to get at least 5% of the vote.
O/T; for everyone who was calling me crazy about climate change being towards "cooler" (not "coaler"), here is a little more scientific evidence to throw in your hopper...



http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/08...

MikeinSanJo · 1 year ago

Congressman Wexler has signed on as Co-Sponsor.

"I will now expand my efforts to secure impeachment hearings in the Judiciary Committee for these new Articles of Impeachment against President George W. Bush." -Robert Wexler from today's wexlerwantshearings.com newsletter.

And it seems that I have heard that if Bush is subject of Articles of Impeachment that takes Presidential Pardons out of the picture.

So I say, GOOD JOB DENNIS!! Let Bush serve out his term, unable to pardon any of his cronies, and then criminally prosecute the bastard!

sanfranguns · 1 year ago

I agree with John in theory, but I'd also suggest that screaming in hysterics that the Democratic Party is going to implode if Hillary doesn't drop out before June is equally silly and embarassing. And turns out - incorrect as well....

SusieQ · 1 year ago

Yes, it has been a little hysterical here the last few months.

dula · 1 year ago

Maybe Dennis believes impeachment is the only thing that can push the Bush Administration of its track to bombing Iran. Besides, whenever people get tentative and fearful about how things are gonna look at the expense of doing the right thing...things don't work out so well.

Butch1 · 1 year ago

There have been petitions signed, over a million plus last time I got something about it in the emails, and these names were presented recently. I understand Wexler is also behind it and Conyers is on board as well so perhaps, it is larger than one thinks.

In any event, I too, think it is too late to do anything about it, thanks to Speaker Pelosi taking that Constitutional right off the table from the beginning of her tenure.

One more thought, if our party's winning this November is so fragile that we cannot impeach someone, after eight year of hell, who definitely deserves it, then we as a country, are worse off than I imagined and anyone who would stand behind this buffoon when it is obvious he and his minions have broken the law and this country, deserve to be removed with him. The public who would rally behind him deserve him as well. I know, I would love to see some backbone in the democratic party and have them do what is constitutionally right under these conditions and not let these fools get away with this. I think there is more on the line letting Bush and Cheney get away with this for our future presidents and the setting of precidence by letting them run over us and being above the law for election's sake. That is no guarentee we will win anything giving these fools a pass.

We'll see where it goes and maybe when the public actually knows this is happening more will get on board.

dula · 1 year ago

OFF it track

dula · 1 year ago

FUCK! OFF ITS track

bumpkis · 1 year ago

And facing the prospect of NO PARDONS, you might have certain individuals willing to cut deals for immunity to testify....

I wonder if they offered McClellan immunity?

Moderation · 1 year ago

Sorry, John. I simply must disagree. A lot of the dirt on Nixon didn't come to light, thus forcing his resignation, until impeachment hearings began. Once all of that nasty business began to see the light of day, Republicans were forced by constituent pressure towards impeachment. Nixon resigned before he was actually impeached, in large part because of those impeachment hearings. That is where the smoking gun tape was forced in to the light, for all to see, after all. That was the beginning of the end, and the end came very, very quickly once that tape was brought to light.

Public impeachment hearings with actual evidence being presented to and by Congress, would reveal just how much malfeasance was going on in this administration, how many (primarily) Republican members of Congress and Republican political appointees were in on it. Once the record is built up, and exposed to the light, I am quite certain the calls for impeachment will increase, not decrease. Most likely quite substantially. 52% of those polled by Zogby WANT impeachment if all that comes to light is that he illegally wiretapped Americans. That is without the war crimes, the profiteering, the firing of attorneys as a political tool, and so on, along with any evidence uncovered by such hearings. Fifty-two percent want Bush impeached on the grounds of illegal wiretapping alone, man! He could be impeached with the support of the majority of the country on those grounds alone! Surely, such a shift in the country's demeanor towards (primarily) Republicans in power will work in favor of Democratic chances in November, not against them.

Finally, this is a country theoretically ruled by laws, not men. Impeachment hearing are the Constitutional JOB of those in Congress. To refuse to impeach a standing president for whom there is evidence, ample evidence, of high crimes and misdemeanors, is grounds for impeaching those in Congress who refuse to pursue such! Enforcing the rule of law is never a waste of time. Pardoning Nixon is, in part, what gave us Bush Jr in the first place. It had some political backlash for Ford himself, and likely contributed to his loss later, but overall, what it really accomplished, was it allowed the bastards to keep their foot in the door, and commit additional crimes in our name (Iran/Contra, the entire Bush Jr administration, etc).

scooter in brooklyn · 1 year ago

amen.

tlsintx · 1 year ago

i second. impeachment passes. begin the proceedings.

and i agree with the commenter below...Kucinich isn't doing it as a publicity stunt. he means it. and he's right.

DonQ · 1 year ago

Even though it may be, um, quixotic, Kucinich is doing the right thing for honorable reasons. It may not be popular, it may not advance the overall Democratic agenda, but it's a great example of standing up for the rule of law against all odds. (Cynical addendum: he sure makes the rest of the Dems look pretty moderate, doesn't he? That may advance the overall agenda, too.)

MorgaineSwann · 1 year ago

He makes the rest of the Dems look too damned Conservative, which is exactly what they are. Dennis is one of the few who is a Democrat and not a DINO.

FunMe · 1 year ago

Better said than I could have today. GREAT POST!

interlude · 1 year ago

i agree it may be too late and not wildly popular, i really want to see them all face war crimes trials, actually.
and Kucinich may not be the best TV face to put on this, but SOME publicity ought to be available, and some dems might wanna mention the possibility...
while i am not crazy for impeachment at this stage of the Bush imperium, i wonder what impeachment might look like come late august or september in the heat of the campaign, and before Bush tries to invade Iran....

just wondering

moxiegrrrl · 1 year ago

Sorry, I have to disagree.

When Wexler took initiative and tried to rally support for impeachment, I wrote my officials. The only one who wrote back basically said "we have better things to do." I was peeved. Bush will likely skate through, but I support any attempt to hold him accountable. People may pat me on the head and call me naive, I still think it's the right thing to do.

DonQ · 1 year ago

You go, grrrl!

Rab · 1 year ago

As much as I'd like to personally slap the cuffs on these clowns can you imagine what the 24 hour news cycle would be? Obama is running for President and that would be drowned out and become a circus. The impeachment ship left port last year, it is simply too little, too late.

MorgaineSwann · 1 year ago

Not if Obama grew a pair and got behind the Impeachment, as he should. I've already written to Obama and begged him to uphold his oath of office. Courage is what the American people respect, not shrewd politics.

Hardy_Haberman · 1 year ago

I have to dssagree. If a crime had been committed and the statute of limitations was about to run out, would it be "so 30 minutes ago" to try an prosecute the criminal? Bush and Cheney will have gotten away with their crimes if someone does not speak out.

JamesR · 1 year ago

Crank, "stunt," whatever, it IS the RIGHT thing to do. And who better to do it than someone who is considered flaky? Reasonable deniability. See where it goes.... See who notices, besides the lame Media. I believe we of good conscience are far FAR more numerous and pissed off then traditional politicians account for, thus clouding their traditional prediction making capability. John is right in Traditional terms. These are NOT traditional times. Power left unused is power wasted or given away. We need to use this one as far as it will go, then do it again, and again. FOR THE CONSTITUTION if for nothing else, for without it we are NOTHING.

Have the pantywaist Repukes play and joke and punt it to the Judiciary committe like they did with Cheney's. It / they will be waiting. it's all about strategery. We, not just Democrats or Republicans but all citizens need to have these options available to our legislators to use, when they need to. Like just in case our Decider decides to do something REALLY catastrophic. ??!

I know traditional wisdom says the country was all burned out of impeachment with Clinton, kinda like 'crying wolf' when there really wasn't one. Well there IS now. To mix metaphors it will be too late when the sky is falling, from fallout.

PeteWa · 1 year ago

Count me as one more to the "you're wrong here John" column.

There is no reason why impeachment should ever be off the table.
High Crimes are still High Crimes.
Once we're done with them, send them to the Hague.

cagefreebrown · 1 year ago

a giant supermarket of horseshit.
you think an incumbent Democrat will be protected against impeachment by Republicans so impressed by our restraint and good manners? HA!

impeachment was a JAWBONE and it should have been laid on the table DAY ONE. I'm not saying we should have used it, I'm just saying that we should have said "LOOK AT THIS JAWBONE" and talked about something else.

they PLAYED us. they told us how we had to behave and we bought it.

If a kid comes over to my house and gets a cookie, that kid gets a time out.
we have a giant growing dogpile of proof of these guys lying to the country to get what they wanted and not following laws. who cares how it looks? I shouldn't give my kid a time out because I look silly?

when b.s. happens and nobody says "HEY" then MORE B.S. HAPPENS - you can set your watch by it.
D.K. is saying "HEY" who cares who thinks he looks foolish? you remember the 109th congress? I mean, come on. grade on a curve!

gaystereotype · 1 year ago

Maybe if Dennis looked more like Scott Kleeb and less like Dennis Kucinich he'd be more popular, both on this blog and in the electorate.

MorgaineSwann · 1 year ago

I'm sorry, but I have to vehemently disagree with you on this one. People are dying. Bush let Katrina drown New Orleans, and similar things are happening in Iowa and Wisconsin right now. Our infrastructure is crumbling, people are being wiped out by broken levees and floods, and FEMA isn't doing a damned thing to help. Our soldiers die every day for no god damned reason. Every day Bush is in office, more people will die who might not have if someone with a sense of empathy or responsibility were in that office. I don't care if he leaves even 1 day early - that's one less day with that clown up there dreaming of Armageddon. Every Congressperson who doesn't act to remove him from office has blood on their hands, and so do the rest of us if we don't try to stop this madness.

Democrats have to do the right thing. It's who we are. When did we start selectively enforcing the law for political favor? This is not political posturing. Bush has committed the most serious crimes imaginable for a President, and that has to be addressed if we're going to return to the rule of law. This country can't wait until January for a change. The world is watching us.

I was very proud of Dennis for taking a stand when almost no one else will. Wexler has been pushing for impeachment, too, and the guys at After Downing Street have been extremely active in keeping the movement alive.
Impeachment is not optional - it's our duty under the Constitution. I'm not usually one for black and white thinking, but in this case, we believe in it or we don't. It's a waste of time to complain about civil rights violations, war, torture, stolen elections and CIA operatives being outed if we don't back up our objections by pursuing the only remedy available to us.

Big deal, the Republicans abused the law when they impeached Clinton -- so what else is new? The GOP never saw a law they didn't want to break or a dollar they didn't feel entitled to. The fact that they abused their authority 10 years ago is no reason not to prosecute the most serious of crimes today.

We always talk about how spineless the Democrats seem - if we don't impeach these bastards, we truly are spineless. People are DYING.

DonQ · 1 year ago

One great strength of our system of government is its ability to correct its mistakes. One great mechanism for correcting mistakes is the procedure to make our most powerful leaders accountable. That's impeachment, and yes, because people are dying and will continue to die, we must demand accountability. Impeach.

Reason0Politics1 · 1 year ago

wonderful post!

to see americablog support this corrupt administration like this, by trivializing accountability down to the politics of it, well, sadly, displays the true character of dc scumbags like bush, cheney, and and even now, john.

"to establish justice" is alittle more important than freaking politics john. jesus man, wtf?

Reason0Politics1 · 1 year ago

john,

with this traitorous post, I think I may just have to delete my bookmark to your craptastic blog, and, I will drag as many as I possibly can with me.

your a fool, a child, and have now become a pure loyalist apologist. pathetic. if we continue to let the douche bag pelosi have her corrupt way, and keep any and all accountability "off the table', then you have MATTER OF FACTLY endorsed all the murdering, all the swindeling, the genocide of innocent iraquis, and the TRUTHFUL DESTRUCTION of the constitution.

you are an equal to lieberman.

PIG

tlsintx · 1 year ago

oh for pity's sake. John has given us a lifeline here. i'd have killed someone years ago if not for this blog. buck up. you can speak your mind but it's John's blog.

Reason0Politics1 · 1 year ago

ok. I was just damn pissed when I read his post, but ya, i guess i was a little over dramatic

heartburn · 1 year ago

Maybe if we paid more attention to holding the people we elect responsible than what Rep. Kucinich looks like, we wouldn't be the scourge of the earth. Too many of these blogs are enablers for an American government that has gone mad. What is the forum for change? My democratic congress people all say impeachment is not worth the effort. Really? It's not worth the effort to hold this administration accountable. It is a sad pathetic time we live in.

heartburn · 1 year ago

Oh, count me out too.

FunMe · 1 year ago

How about a poll to see how AB readers feel?

unrepentant_expat · 1 year ago

Illegal bombing of Laos and Cambodia.Illegal espionage of the Democratic Party ...Nixon walks

Illegal mining of Nicaraguan harbours, Illegal trade of weapons to Iran...Reagan walks

John you would have us capitulate again? No, there are some issues for which one does not back down! Sit down and listen to those three hours of incitement.

Impeach the fuckers!

Reason0Politics1 · 1 year ago

glad to see the overwhelming majority posting on this are calling americablog out on this.

seriously john, wtf?

if we do nothing, then we do not deserve any leadership, whatsoever. timing is irrelevant. as my handle suggests, when politics over rule reason, we are screwed. fuck politics. without accountability, without justice, there is no liberty, no freedom.

there was a time when i would have expected unending support for something this ballsy, from you. instead, you have sold your soul too? pathetic

Busboy · 1 year ago

Reason0Politics1 11 minutes ago

Do you have just a "half sine wave" convertor for a brain? A progressive idiot, who has no conception of politics? Maybe worse than a "neandertal" conservative...

smiling_dog · 1 year ago

Kucinich was reintroducing the Articles of Impeachment. I could care less if the public is interested or not. These cretins broke the law and had hundreds of thousands of people killed. Examine the evidence, put them on trial and let them make their case. When they bomb Iran in the next few months, remember your 51% theory.

MorgaineSwann · 1 year ago

No, he wasn't - this is 35 articles of impeachment against W. The others were against Cheney. This is brand new.

atalex · 1 year ago

Personally, I wouldn't be satisfied with impeachment. I think Bush and Cheney should be tried for treason and, if convicted, executed like the traitors they are. That said, I do agree that it is a pointless waste of time to pass articles of impeachment in the House when there is no chance of conviction in the Senate. Such a conviction would require 33 Republican Senators to vote against Bush, and no matter what comes out, I just don't think there's that many who have a shred of honor in them.

The thing I hate most about George W. Bush is that he has exposed the dirty little secret of our constitutional form of government -- that if the President has 34 Senators who will back him in all things, he has all the powers of a dictator.

Moderation · 1 year ago

Impeachment is merely step one on such a road. Ironically, without impeachment, these criminals get a free ride, pardons all around, etc. Impeachment is a Congressional tool for a reason. It has the repercussions and implications it has for a reason. Impeachment keeps these bastards from protecting themselves from further prosecution. Impeachment hearings will not require 33 Senators to vote against Bush. It merely needs to pressure Bush to resign...at which point Cheney becomes president. Cheney has impeachment articles filed against him already, awaiting further action. Bush cannot pardon while he is undergoing impeachment. If he is booted, Cheney comes in with his teeth removed, likewise unable to pardon Bush or those cronies. If both are removed, we have the first woman President of the United States, albeit briefly, and have an awful lot MORE political momentum to sweep November quite decisively. When Obama becomes president, the full record can be opened, and as much as is possible disclosed. THEN, the bastards can be (publicly, and quite noisily) arrested, and taken to the Hague. :)

I think Bush exposed less the power the President has with a 1/3 minority supporting him in the Senate, than he exposed the shameful amount of power the Executive has over the Department of Justice (and thus the courts in general, especially when combined with the Supreme Court nominations likewise influencing the courts). THAT is what allowed them to bypass the Rule of Law. The Executive simply appointed those who would not pursue them. That is wrong, and should not be within the power of the Executive. THAT is far more damaging to the Republic than the well-known political gridlock that a solid minority in Congress can cause.

ComradeRutherford · 1 year ago

This would put all Republicans and Democrats on notice in full view of the world. If this were to actually go to the Senate, their vote would show the world once and for all that the GOP supports mass murder. Their vote will indicate whether they believe in the Rule of Law.

Barb_in_DC · 1 year ago

I think some of you are missing the bigger picture. With less than a year left in this appalling administration, what would be the point? Other than to detract from the election, of course.

A little publicized bit from Obama (bythe MSM, that is) is his promise to go over EVERY EXECUTIVE ORDER issued by the Current Occupant for legitimacy. Bush isn't a lawyer, nor is Cheney, but Obama taught Constitutional Law. Bless him.

If there is anybody who could put Bush in the dock at the Hague, it is Obama. Please, just get him elected with a veto-proof Congress and we will be good to go. He won't handcuff Waxman at all.

DougStamate · 1 year ago

I am afraid you are the one missing the "bigger picture". What would the point be? - how about bringing to light corruption and malfeasance on a scale not seen even in the 1870's? How about a sitting President wiretapping U.S. citizens. How about a sitting President authorizing torture in complete disregard to U.S. laws and international treaties? Lying to his fellow citizens about national security? If an impeachment investigation is not ongoing at the time Bush leaves office, Sen. Obama can go over all the Executive Orders he wants and he won't be able to do squat to those who issued and enforced them. Bush will have issued blanket pardons on January 19, 2009 to all and sundry, effectively preventing him and any other major participant from ever being brought to justice for their crimes.
Besides the fact that Bush's trial should be in front of the U.S. Senate - not the Hague; do you really think Sen. Obama would turn a former President over to the International Court of Justice? Please!
I'm fairly hardened to the requirements of politics, but the Constitution is not something to be ignored on the off chance that it might hurt someone's political standings. If Sen. Obama doesn't believe enough in his oath of office as a Senator to do what he has sworn to do, why should anyone believe him when he take the oath of office as President?

wyldberi · 1 year ago

I, for one, am not laughing, Mr. Aravosis.

Several hundred thousand innocent and dead Iraqi Citizens are not laughing.

Tens of thousands of seriously wounded soldiers and Marines are not laughing, right alongside their families and the ghosts of perhaps 10,000 dead American combat troops.

Your great-grand children will not be laughing throughout their entire lives as they continue to struggle under the weight of the accumulated interest for the unfunded debt george w. bush and his cronies pilfered from the U.S. Treasury.

And neither will the elderly among us be laughing, those who live on fixed incomes who will be paying triple the cost to heat their homes next winter; they will pay that cost because the criminals in the white house made a deal with the devil to increase profits for oil cartels facing dwindling supplies.

As it's been pointed out, it is the sworn responsibility of every federal officer to protect and defend the Constitution. When Congress convenes after the elections that are held every two years, each member takes this oath of office. They don't swear to pass supplemental emergency spending authorizations, they don't swear to pass increases in the federal minimum wage. They don't swear to protect the lives and property of U.S. Citizens. They swear to protect the integrity of the document that guarantees and secures your freedom and mine.

When it grows too late to uphold Justice in the land of liberty, what you've got left is a hollowed out shell that's not worth defending.

Dennis Kucinich is the single Representative in the House of Representatives who has fulfilled his Oath of Office. He has provided history with a record of the crimes committed by the bush regime. If Congress fails to act on his charges, they stand convicted of being willing accomplices.

It's not Obama's responsibility to deal with impeachable offenses. That power, authority and responsibility is vested in the Congress.

Ridicule Rep. Kucinich if you want. It only shows your ignorance and the degree of your foolishness, for you've taken your stand to defend those who wish to destroy your country and mine.

Crittergm · 1 year ago

Nonsense. The mood of the country is in disbelief that he hasn't been impeached. This party and it's leadership are in no mood. which is as disgusting as blog leadership finding it a no go. I'm from Dupage county, Illinois. No one seems to get that asking for accountability is a winning issue. Smart politics is not neglecting the fundamental duty. A majority of Americans actually believe in the constitution. It's shameful that those 35 articles aren't on the front page of every newspaper. They are substantive and the point of impeachment is to establish precedent. Apparently, you are just another smarmy pundit telling us what we should care about.

chowderSF · 1 year ago

I feel that this will not amount to much, unfortunately IMHO, but I think that it is good to have it on the record all of the things that Bush has done, put into the Congressional record.

echoman2000 · 1 year ago

dear john,

your dismissive attitude (this is so six minutes ago) is rather offensive, and, dare i say it, so log cabin republican of you. how does that feel? i must be really silly. so silly i could spit. but that would be rude now wouldn't it? so i won't.

you were a whiny mess over clinton not letting go. i lurked in the shadows and said nothing. this, however, is too much.

it may not be popular with you, but i feel you're out of step on this one. it seems to have split your readers too. from the comments i see here, it's you that's small. not dennis. you.

unless you can convince me that some international tribunal will take care of this at some future date, i'm all for throwing all of this on the table now. stop everything. elections, iraq, tomatoes, gas, etc. let's stop the whole damn thing and just focus for a few days on this. we may never have another chance as a nation to look at this mess. i'm all for rolling my sleeves up and holding people accountable for their actions. this rolling over because we don't want to piss people off has got to stop. now's as good as time as any.

FunMe · 1 year ago

"your dismissive attitude (this is so six minutes ago) is rather offensive"

I strongly agree with what you said. I the past I agreed with you in most issues. But this time NO.

For John to spend so much time with JEFF GOOKERT or whatever that guy's name is and for it to go nowhere, and when something where the MAJORITY of Americans are in agreement, I am at a lost why John took so long to post this. Oh yeah, he thinks it's so "6 minutes ago"

John, the majority of your readers (based on the posts here) are not on board with you on this.

So we spend many days attacking sHillary (I agreed with you because I she was doing so much harm to the Democratic Party and to America) but come on, impeachment is ALWAYS an option that should taken anytime, especially when the MAJORITY of Americans want it.

we are about the same age - come on like Clinton, the 90s are over and so are the strategies of that time.

Obama won because it is no longer business as usual. But even if you don't come around, I am happy that Crooks & liars, Think Progress, HP, Democratic Underground, RawStory and all the major progressive/liberal blogs are on board on IMPEACHMENT.


maybe I should commit a crime. Oh yeah, steal some cigs from a covenience store. They won't care.

"It's so six minutes ago"

GEEZ!!!!!!!

echoman2000 · 1 year ago

salute,

thanks for your reply. john is a coward. he's acting like a school girl. i woke up this morning thinking i would apologies to john for some of my rougher comments yesterday. lo and behold, i scroll down the site and there's 10 more pictures of the storms in dc. it's like he's burying us on his own website. so, this of course made even more outraged. it's all school house rock now. nothing to see here, everyone move around.

i really haven't hung out here on this site for a while. but all the names that i remember from two or three years ago are gone. they've left.

i know he's done some incredible things with this blog. and i was going to say such today, but why bother. he'd just bury it. like he's doing with the whole impeachment thing. it's his blog and he has the right to do what ever he wants.

i intend to be a pain in his log cabin republican ass until he comes to his senses or bans me from the site. which is very american isn't it. the very things he says he's against, he ends up showing the same horrible character traits. it's like he's bill o riley sticking his fingers in his ears.

he certainly isn't man enough to think he's made a mistake and take a moment to retract or reissue some type of statement in regards to how many of us here on this site he has pissed off. he acts as though he doesn't care. and i really believe he doesn't.

my anger grows for him daily. like a scab. he's the worst type of queen. self righteous, smug, and thinks he knows everything there is to know about politics. he's been in the beltway for way too long. has surrounded him self with like minded people, doesn't take criticism well at all. it's like he's a minni gay version of bush.

i just want to shake the shit out of him and tell him to wake the fuck up. take a look a round. see how livid we all are. but no...he will continue to dismiss us, because he thinks his ideas are the only ideas that are right.

the sad thing is...they aren't even his ideas. they're from the higher ups in the political system whom he wants to impress. the whole thing just makes me sick. and this is why the crooks will go on. because john is basically carrying the water for half of the democratic officials in office right now. sad sad world we live in, isn't it?

mirth · 1 year ago

How is John a coward? Did he not post this story of Kucinich? Disagree with his opinion regards impeachment, as I certainly do, but a coward would have ignored this issue and stayed on safe ground.

As to the rest of your self-righteous diatribe...GFY.

SusieQ · 1 year ago

Thanks FunMe for the list of blogs to go to.

unrepentant_expat · 1 year ago

Hearing democratic leaders whimper " impeachment is off the table" is like hearing the ghost of British prime minister Neville Chamberlain echoing "peace for our time"

echoman2000 · 1 year ago

hey expat....i'm in mexico...since last year...couldn't take it anymore in the states...found a better way of living here.

just wondering where, on the planet, you might have landed?

unrepentant_expat · 1 year ago

I'm in Chilliwack, British Columbia currently though i spent the 80s and 90s in Thailand. Left America rather than go to Vietnam.

MorgaineSwann · 1 year ago

Good for you. I had two cousins who went to Vietnam and they came back with all their limbs, but they were never the same wonderful boys they were before they went through that hell. It destroyed their lives.

heartburn · 1 year ago

"I think some of you are missing the bigger picture. With less than a year left in this appalling administration, what would be the point? Other than to detract from the election, of course."

Yes, the bigger picture. fu. The point is 4000+ dead kids, countless, and I mean we haven't counted them, dead innocent Iraqis, lies, lies, lies. On Iraq alone impeachment is important. Then there is all the rest.

What is your point? This is all just a bit unfortunate. My, we have an election to think about. Sh*t, we are so screwed up.

Go to the VA hospital near you and spend a day. Take a moment to read the KIA list from last week. Then tell me about distraction. And John, you have a powerful tool here, be careful with it.

cagefreebrown · 1 year ago

the point is this: action and re-action.
those clowns have had a pass for far too long.

other powerful people need to deal with consequences. not this crowd.
this election cycle I know people who are suckers for "terrorist fist jab" type crap. why? nobody was ever made to eat their words over "john kerry faked his own wounds" or other bald faced lies.
liars get called liars. when you don't, more people lie.

mirth · 1 year ago

Maybe missed in the passion of this is that Kucinich is not bringing articles of impeachment against George Bush; the 3 articles are against Richard Cheney.

Here are the three articles and their documentation:

http://kucinich.house.gov/SpotlightIssues/docum...

To scream at our public officials when they do not do their jobs and then to label them a kook when they do...that's just wrong.

If impeachment were to proceed, yes, the newz boys & girls will give us non-stop "opportunistic and complicit Democrats" who did little to stop this war criminal, but they would find it difficult not to also talk about one prez candidate who wants to continue these corrupt policies and one candidate who wants to change these policies. Plus, there are blogs and other news sources to counter whatever mainstream news media gets a jones for.

Also, if impeachment were to proceed, that could impede or eliminate impending attacks on Iran. Stopping WW3 is no small thing.

But impeachment will not happen. Corrupt and complicit Democrats will see to it. Ask, for one, Diane Feinstein. She knows a thing or two about war profiteering.

60thStreet · 1 year ago

These are different, mirth,...they are 35 articles against George Bush

mirth · 1 year ago

Thanks for correcting me, 60thStreet.
That's what I get for trying to keep up with too many things. I went to Kucinich's site and didn't notice the date of the post. Probably not the last time I won't know what I'm talking about. :)

Bush, then. Even better! Seems no one can find a complete list of the 35 articles of impeachment against him. Here's what Kos has:

http://dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/6/10/65218/2...

I'll stand by the rest of my comment.

60thStreet · 1 year ago

Check it out....its on the Span (channel and site) right now, the clerks are reading it and the caption reads "TheHouse Clerk is reading Rep. Kucinich's 35-count resolution to impeach Bush. Thy just switched clerks after an hour (it's that long). The new clerk started on Article 8. http://www.c-span.org/watch/index.asp?Cat=TV&Co...

mirth · 1 year ago

Once again, thank you.

Everybody needs a hero and today you are mine.

60thStreet · 1 year ago

No prob man! Loving this! :)

Here's the full PDF

http://chun.afterdowningstreet.org.nyud.net:808...

mirth · 1 year ago

Bookmarked...ty

me 2, luvin' this

MorgaineSwann · 1 year ago

The full list can be found here:

http://www.democrats.com/files/amomentoftruth.pdf
and http://chun.afterdowningstreet.org/amomentoftru...

trubbaman · 1 year ago

I would also like to see impeachment, but don't see it happening at this stage. But, here's what I am wondering: Is there any way to stop Bush from pardoning all the felons in his administration when he leaves office. Also, will it be possible to go after him when he is out of office for war crimes or other malfeasance while he was president?

Moderation · 1 year ago

Yes. Impeachment. :o Impeachment stops Bush (and then Cheney) from pardoning themselves, and all their cronies. Only impeachment, or flat-out arrest and removal from office by force. So, really, just impeachment.

So...umm...about that impeachment being off the table? That was literally telling everyone in this administration, and future administrations, that they can get away with these kinds of crimes. They can even cite precedent! No, IF Pelosi were going to pull it off the table, she should have explicitly let the administration know that this was an act of good faith on the part of the newly-elected Democratic Congress. Then, when the administration shows bad faith...which they have...repeatedly...and will continue to...repeatedly...THEN you thrust it back on the table vocally, with impeachment hearing lined up and good to go, and loudly and publicly tell the people that impeachment is back on the table because the Bush administration chose to bargain in bad faith. Pelosi would be fired if she were a negotiator in the business or legal world, pulling such a ridiculous stunt as removing the most powerful tool your party has with regards to such behavior on the part of the opposing party. Fired, in a heartbeat, for incompetence at negotiating. Sheesh, it would be like capturing Timothy McVey red-handed just after a bombing, with ample evidence to convict telling him to tell you everything he knows...right after you've told him that prosecuting him for anything, regardless of the evidence, is completely off the table. >_< Gee, I wonder if he'll negotiate in good faith, or lie his ass off?

ComradeRutherford · 1 year ago

The WHOLE POINT of Pelosi assuring Bush that impeachment was 'off the table' was to explicitly condone all of his past crimes and let him know that his Democrats were NOT about to stop him in whatever unConstitutional and illegal venture he felt like trying next.

When Bush attacks Iran, the GOP-owned Dems will jump and shout to put on a front for the cameras, but they WON'T STOP Bush!

michaelt · 1 year ago

yep, me too, i completely disagree with you john. i'm very much in the mood to see Kooch recite the crimes of the bush admin. i want it on record. i wanted it 5 years ago. but since then all i've seen is a littany of crime committed by the highest office in the country. i saw the other branches of gov't sit on their hands and i saw the press do nothing to bring to our attention. man, your goddamn right i'm in the mood to hear these things be spoken.

60thStreet · 1 year ago

First time poster here, John..I love your blog but I have to disagree wholeheartedly with you now.
First, these articles are well articulated and very well delivered. It took a LONG time and no, no doubt, a lot of hard work, so relegating them to a "publicity stunt" is a misread. I think Kucinich is absolutely right in doing so and this is the perfect time to do this. I have long hoped that the Democrats in the House introduce articles of impeachment during this election cycle and Kucinich doing this right after the presumptive nominee is chosen is great timing.

You assume the country is not willing to back impeachment, however I believe it has never been more willing to back such a movement than right now and it is only getting worse for the Repbulicans and scores of them are jumping ship. No one but the 20%-ers is going to back the Bush administration. There will be no reversal of the tide against Republicans this year, so you should really lose the fear of a reversal and get behind Kucinich. We need to attack Republicans from various fronts and ride this wave of momentum given to us by the primary campaigns and overall dissatisfaction with the administration and Republican rule. Furthermore, we need to cripple the NeoCon standard to which McCain has tethered himself and thus weaken his entire campaign. Since the Senate is hopelessly mired in Republican filibuster after filibuster followed by certain presidential veto, lawmaking is crippled. Moreover, the House has more than enough power to vote on and pass the articles. This will kill the McCain campaign and the Bush legacy in one fell swoop.

RussGirl · 1 year ago

WOW - I TOTALLY Disagree! How can you suggest that we not do our DUTY as CITIZENS and STOP THIS MADNESS???
-----

“And in the general hardening of outlook that set in … practices which had been long abandoned … — imprisonment without trial,
the use of war prisoners as slaves,
public executions, torture to extract confessions,
the use of hostages and the deportation of whole populations —
--- not only became common again,
but were tolerated and even defended by people
who considered themselves enlightened and progressive.”
~george orwell
1984

vegasbaby · 1 year ago

John, I've loved your blog for years but I must disagree.

He is upholding his constitutional duty to put on record what this administration has done to our country.

Silly or not, he's the only one doing his job!!!!!

scottinsf · 1 year ago

John is wrong on this one. I'm not surprised.

Pennship17 · 1 year ago

John,

You are 100% WRONG on this.
A huge number of Americans are waiting for someone with the BALLS to do this. Of course, it came down to Dennis. By the way, the saddest thing about the democratic primaries is that nobody (other than Dennis) has brought up the subject of impeachment. In fact neither Obama nor Clinton had the COURAGE/BALLS/OVARIES to do the right thing and bring it up!
In every opportunity public speech, vistory rally, press conference, debate, etc. they should have made a point of the concept of "restauring honor to the White House" (hell the "Village Idiot" run on this crap about sex on 2000!).
Obama and Clinton should have said plain and simple that it was a matter of justice, respect for the dead, example for future generations, etc.
Imust be done. The crimes commited by Nixon are "small potattoes" in comparison to those commitede by this White House.
John,
You are completely out of touch on this one, or you have no guts or principles.

Pennship17

mimart · 1 year ago

Sorry John, but I adamantly disagree with you on this one. To say that this is just a publicity stunt is disregarding the thousands of American soldiers and innocent Iraqi, lives lost – “all on a pack of lies”. We must always uphold the constitution, even when it’s “unpopular” or at the “wrong” time.

Saying "this is all so six minutes ago" is equivalent to bush's comment that the lives lost will be nothing but "a comma" thus I find your six minutes comment extremely offensive. Shame on you!

thedeanpeople · 1 year ago

FWIW, we've been dealing with lame excuses like yours for literally years now.

Selected reading for Impeachophobes -- and the Patriots seeking to cure them.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Senator

--

Raymond T. Anderson · 1 year ago

I really like you, John, but that has to be your dumbest, most thoughtless post ever, especially as witnessed by the amount of opposition here. Sure, Dennis Kucinich is kinda funny looking, but that doesn't make him wrong. We complain about the Democrats being spineless, which they usually are, and now that we have one standing proud and tall, you call him nuts. Kucinish was my first choice for President, as he was for about 35% of us, precisely because I know he did want to impeach. And I'd be a lot more supportive of Obama if he had the balls to say likewise. This is why I'm not a Democrat. I can't stomach a party who's more worried about its public image than doing right by the people. I have no use for Nancy "take the Constitution off the table" Pelosi and her vermiform sidekick Harry "scared of a filibuster" Reid. They deserve all the grief Bush gives them and more, but We the People do not. We need a House ¾ full of Kuciniches and a Senate ¾ full of Feingolds and a Surpeme Court ¾ full of Thurgood Marshalls. Gods bless anyone who can work slowly and painstakingly for that happy goal. But I refuse to knock someone who does right no matter how unpopular it is. Most of us call that a hero.

FunMe · 1 year ago

I call Nancy a stank. People might say "that's not nice'. And I say "it was not suppose to be nice!"

And why? To highlight how that skank (there I said it again) has failed her CONSTITUTIONAL DUTIES as speaker of House. What an embarassment she has been. She should be FIRED, too!

What is it going to take to take back our country?

IMPEACHMENT!

It is never too late.

scooby_doo_in_mexico · 1 year ago

Wuh-woh. John in trouble now...

incontext · 1 year ago

Whoa! You're getting a bit too prissy little queen with the U.S. Constitution, John...(i.e., 'so six minutes ago"...snap!).

As you can see from most of the replies, you got this one wrong.

Not even a half-talented drag queen considers doing Nancy Pelosi in public. She's that uncool.

Your Republican roots are showing.

scooby_doo_in_mexico · 1 year ago

To be fair, I think John can be excused for his "So six minutes ago" comment.. he was
just having an Alicia Silverstone moment! Don't forget all the work he has put into this
blog from the start.
However...
I remember the Nixon impeachment hearings, and I also remember a giant sigh of relief across the country, when he resigned. No one said "oh... that's so Six Minutes Ago!"

Impeachment was made to USE. Look up Bill Moyers interviews with constitutional scholars... it's there for us to use, and we are SUPPOSED to use it. It's like checking your GFCI circuits every month, if you have children and a pool, or checking your smoke alarms, if you have alcoholics and smoking.
I'm in Mexico now, and everyone thinks ALL politicians are corrupt, and they let EVERY
outgoing party in power off the hook, no matter what their crimes. It's tradition... 75 years.

Is that what you really want in the States?

sr

Bia · 1 year ago

"Silly"? " Stupid"?
That's what this blog is getting to be...I find it less and less relevant every time I check in!
Maybe you need a lighting strike to that complacent noggin of yours, John!
Seeya over at OpEd News, where they cover stuff that's not just Gay sh*t.

Like I wrote to my local papers here in Maine:
This is Historical news! Americans are hungry for some Accountability and Justice.
Can you please report on something beyond your little Cowpath,
or are you just too goody little Bootlickers for your Repug Masters to be Journalists?
And you wonder why people don't read Newspapers anymore!?

FunMe · 1 year ago

This is the first time EVER that I have disagreed with John.

What's more important?

"Jeff Gannon" (aka Jim gookert)?

Microsoft complaints (which I strongly supported)

photos of thunderstorms?

Oh wait, I remember, what's more important is those PLANTS (what are they called?)

I could care less ... cuz IMPEACHMENT should be more important.

I agreed with you in the immigration issues when most here did not.

I think you have for the first time MANY of your readers disagreeing with you this time on IMPEACHMENT than ever before.

Really wish your repulicon, old 90s type politics would not have influenced you. I hope you change soon "cuz" your blog will start losing more and more readers each day.

Please don't let that happen. I have been here since "The List".

Bia · 1 year ago

...and quit knocking Dennis-the-K:
I'm sure he has several times the Cojones of any average guy..including you.

Tired_of_Waiting · 1 year ago

I've checked this Blog almost daily and I can't believe you feel this is a waste of time. It is absolutely necessary and should have been done years ago. Most of the Counts could have been proven. Wondering what the other Dems in Congress are afraid of.

MorgaineSwann · 1 year ago

The other Dems are making money off this administration's crimes just like the Repubs are, and they aren't going ot upset the gravy train for a little thing like the Constitution. They should be impeached, too. The were given a mandate and they haven't done what they were elected to do.

theexog · 1 year ago

John: I strongly disagree with you on this one. I read here every day and usually you are right on the money, but I think all your years in Washington may have blunted your sensibilities.

Kucinich may be a bit of a nutcase, but he ain't stoopid. Getting all of this on the record will be invaluable after January 20th, as will Scottie's testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on June 20th, because once all this is a matter of public record it will be WAY easier to bring charges against these dreadful criminals when the Democrats have control of the House, Senate and White House.

I say more power to him, and to Wexler - the more they can bring these crimes against the people out into the open the more ammunition the newly appointed Attorney General in January will have to bring them to justice.

And to think the Senate confirmed Mukasey..... Blech.

MorgaineSwann · 1 year ago

Kucinich is not a nutcase. He's a smart man and a patriot. People make fun of him because they don't want to admit that he's right. I can't believe people are so shallow that they worry about his appearance, which isn't really that bad anyway, and don't listen to the wisdom in his words. If people took the time to read his positions on things, he'd be our president.

jack_alexander · 1 year ago

Silly? A stunt? I say NO. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Impeachment is a must. To ignore it's necessity is to join the herd (and lazy) mentality.

Õ¿Õ · 1 year ago

It's a good thing we've got someone much smarter than the rest of us. That's what everyone needs.

shell · 1 year ago

I disagree with John. As an "older" American (at least older than the vast majority of Americans), I remember distinctly the Nixon impeachment. Matter of fact, it was Nixon in the first election I ever voted in (1972). Then came impeachment, or the threat of it. Nixon left office. Then, in the 90s (the GOP never forgot or stopped seething), GOPers impeached Clinton. Hey GOP! Nixon wasn't impeached! He should have stayed in office if he was innocent, like Clinton did. I am sick to damn death of our country's leaders acting like ... literally ... children.

Anyway, my point is: MANY of the scum in the Nixon White House, who weren't punished, or even mildly punished, came back. Cough Cough Dick Cheney. We also have Rumsfeld, the truly insane Gordon Liddy, and scores of others. If you don't punish these crooks strongly -- and I do mean STRONGLY -- they will come back. Bush knows this -- another reason why he has gotten very young people on his staff. Hell, they could participate in 3 administrations.

I am sick to damn death of POLITICS, which demands that we not do this, because it will hurt our chances in the fall election, etc. This is serious. If you don't want to do it now, do it in the spring. Oh, but then, Obama will need his "First 100 days." It will never happen. Until a few years go by, when the Bush crooks will rise up again, as they always do.

Try them, convict them, and either execute them, or throw them in prison for at least 30 years. I am not kidding. An average person can rot in prison for 30 years just for possessing drugs -- yet someone who is responsible for the mass (and I do mean MASS) murder of thousands of American soldiers and Iraqi citizens -- just waltzes off and lives to do it again.

I say BULLSHIT. NO MORE. And if you are too young to remember Nixon leaving office, and disagree with what I said, just wait. You'll see.

JamesR · 1 year ago

One word: Multitasking.

I believe voters, both parties and the Country could stand perfectly well both an election and the beginnings of an impeachment process. NOTHING is EVER "off the table," especially when one side CHEATS PERPETUALLY. If one side cheats and the other side is 'honorable' then one side wins and the other side is a fool. Which is OK if we're talking about a game of jacks and we're five years old but we're not. We as a nation will not survive this sort of learning curve. We were not meant to - as it is laid out in our Constitution we know what out duty is.

It would also be interesting to truly know the real mood of the "voters" folk are fond of quoting opinions of. I know the majority of people I have talked to about this would be perfectly fine with impeachment, save that they are leery of it's worth - that is, it is seen as a waste versus just waiting him out and having the Congress do their needful things in the meantime However when the power to pardon is factored in, I believe Impeachment does really become more imperative. Most people are unaware of this legal technicality. I too am unaware of the specifics and it would be great to hear expert legal opinion on this, it would illuminate any strategy / strategies involved, from both sides.

Impeachment, so long overdue, is still obligatory. Not 'realpolitik' in the standard sense but obligatory nonetheless. Bush has blazed new trails in the history of sovereign's crime: he doesn't do just one crime at a time, he does three, five, ten, more outrages ALL AT ONCE giving US the same ADHD he has. We don't know what to go after first, as he's picking our pockets, charging our credit cards to no limit, killing our sons and daughters, shredding the Constitution.

Personally, I think the man is nuts. Not that it excuses anything or entitles him to any sort of 'insanity' plea. No plea. No plea bargain. I do think many who have seen him closeup on-the-job do think in terms of "plea bargain." They think he's nuts and they are scared as shit.

I think that that is the wrong way to deal with a person who is nuts in that position. I think it's like a mad dog - if you keep backing up he will keep advancing and will be more likely to bite. Contain him and limit his movements without appearing to corner him, THEN wait 'till January 21st. A proper show of force, without entrapment, which a slow impeachment can surely accomplish, will contain and mollify the creature until it becomes too late for him to do more harm. Then of course draw and quarter him.

Does anybody else watch the Dog Whisperer?

unrepentant_expat · 1 year ago

It's Congress, not a king's court.

By Mickey Edwards Tue Jun 10, 4:00 AM ET

The central feature of American government, the one that made the United States "exceptional" and preserved our freedoms for more than 200 years, is in the process of being destroyed. The enemy is not in Iraq or the hills of Pakistan but in Washington and in cities and towns throughout the United States.


America's Founders, it turns out, were not as smart as we thought. They assumed that if they put most of the nation's real powers – over war, taxes, and spending – in the hands of the people themselves, through their representatives, those representatives would do their duty and prevent an American president from acting as though he were king.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20080610/cm_csm/yed...

Jean in Slovenia · 1 year ago

Crappy post by John (not that I was expecting anything different), terrific comments by readers. Thank you, Dennis, for putting this into the official record.

mirth · 1 year ago

"Impeachment is not a political question. Impeachment is a constitutional duty,"
Ramsey Clark

This, above all else.

Plisko · 1 year ago

Any Americans that would be pissed off by an impeachment process and change their votes because of it don't deserve to be Americans.

This is empty political meme and you have been drinking the same Koolaid as the out of touch politicians John. Anyone who categorizes a justifiable impeachment as a joke and/or a political liability needs to seriously reexamine their principles. I swear to god some of you political types are all starry eyed with your quest for political standing and you would sell out the long term health of your country for single election cycle. It would be nice for Democrats to win but maybe, just maybe, we need some things a little more.

There is no member of the Democratic congress today keeping impeachment off the table that will be spared from an extremely harsh judgment from history. These people will have no legacy at all as the horrible truths of this administration slowly come out. 20 years from now people will look on most of this congress as the ones who are goofy and insane . .. not Dennis Kucinich. The biggest question asked in that future time will be "how could they let it happen?" Just like we ask about every other shameful time in our history when politicians were being politicians and now people of principle.

firebrand · 1 year ago

Sorry..... you're wildly out touch.Since when is it "silly" to ignore the constitution?

By the way impeachment is just a starter. Bush Cheney and their ilk are gulity of warcrimes and treason and should be punished accordingly.

Jean in Slovenia · 1 year ago

Is John qualified to know what the country is in the mood for, or is he just talking out of his ass? Or perhaps he's just referring to what the Democratic political leadership (sic) is in the mood for, and the various libloggers like John who take their cue from same. What this small and unrepresentative slice of Americans thinks should not be confused with the national mood. It's just that the former have a near monopoly on the megaphones. In fact, public opinion polls show that the country has been in the mood for impeachment for some time, but the village elders in Washington (Obama included) have dismissed it as not worthy of their attention. Next we'll hear--well, actually, we've already been hearing it, for some time--that the country isn't in the mood for the kind of high-quality single-payer universal health care that we Europeans and other non-Americans have enjoyed for decades, or for an expeditious end to the massive catastrophe in Iraq. Yet here, too, polls show otherwise.

When self-serving politicians and pundits all-knowingly tell us what the country is in the mood for, you can assume with some confidence that the opposite is true.

CTPatriot · 1 year ago

Fantastic response. Thank you!

dotmafia · 1 year ago

Impeach and imprison!

If only the Democrat-led leadership in Congress had the guts to impeach this criminal president, they would find that not only would they have the support and backing of a majority of the American public, but also the rest of the world, likely guaranteeing a Democrat win in November for the White House.

The strength of America has always relied on the foundations set forth in its laws and Constitution. To continue to ignore those cherished laws now in the republic's time of need, is a crime in itself, and indeed possibly even a greater one.

CTPatriot · 1 year ago

Apparently some of us take our commitment to the US constitution as well as the oath to defend it as signed by our congressmen just a little more seriously than the staff at AmericaBlog. Kind of sad to see such flippant disrespect for our founding document in a blog whose title bears the name of our country.

You do a lot of great work here on AmericaBlog. But this commentary is clearly not representative of that.

stillarfish · 1 year ago

America deserves a debate on Georgie's Presidency particularly while we are choosing a new President. We must review the errors of the past & present to move forward and there is no better time than the present. Start the hearings just like the summer of 1974 because America deserves some answers but over 4,000+ troops have died to pay for those answers!!!

Milli · 1 year ago

Umm, John, Kucinich knows full well this isn't going to fly - he's doing it just to get it in the record that at least there was SOME recognition that Bush was a criminal. History is already going to show that Congress failed to do their JOBS and took NO action against an out of control president for 8 years (yet had time to impeach Clinton for a blowjob 10 years ago).
Why does no one wants to GOVERN anymore??? God forbid that we stop worrying about elections for half a second and start worrying about ACTUALLY preserving, protecting, and defending the Constitution of the United States. We've had a perpetual excuse for not pushing impeachment and it ALWAYS has to with "upcoming" elections. Meanwhile, the war goes on, gas in $4 a gallon and going higher, the economy sucks, we can't afford food or heating oil anymore, and this current maniac may very well go to war with Iran!! If he does that WILL be on the backs of everyone who refused to speak up. Wanna talk about appeasement?? What the hell is going to take John? Does Bush need to go out on the White House lawn and kill puppies for us to be disgusted enough to act? God help us if McCain steals this election. He's going to do what he wants to because Bush got away with it. He's going to use the Constitution as toilet paper because he knows that this country is too fucking lazy and afraid to stop him.

Why don't we stop putting our faith into "dream" candidates like a Hillary or an Obama - and start believing in, and using, the PROCESS that is already in place?

MorgaineSwann · 1 year ago

Good response - people seem totally unaware that there's still a possibility McCain could steal this one just like they did the last two.

Nimrod · 1 year ago

1. Doesn't anyone proofread anymore?
2. I see no reason to cast aspersions on John McCain's good name. From what I can see he is an honorable man and certainly a true American hero even if I don't always agree with his positions.
3. An educated, literate person should be able to make a convincing argument without resorting to vulgarity.

Milli · 1 year ago

I just want to say I'm so sorry for swearing and making grammatical errors. They are a bit of a distraction aren't they? And thanks for catching on to the real point of my post. Your insights into my concerns have affected me profoundly and I will carry them with me always.

MorgaineSwann · 1 year ago

Milli - don't apologize to that snob. He clearly doesn't know what he's talking about. McCain is a sorry SOB who abandoned his crippled wife and their kids for a rodeo queen with a rich daddy. He's the worst kind of hypocrite, which is why he got the Republican nomination.

shell · 1 year ago

McCain -- a war HERO? I keep hearing this, and still no one has told me what he did "heroic." Did he give up his life, to save others' -- like the soldier, who got the medal last week? Did he do anything heroic?

He got put in a POW camp. That, in itself, is not heroic. Nor was crashing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of military aircraft.

Face it -- "McCain is a hero" is just bunk -- and kept in the Conventional Wisdom of stupid America by cowards.

Nimrod · 1 year ago

Anyone who served or serves in our military during time of war, and especially those who are volunteers (as I believe that McCain was), is a hero. It takes a tremendous amount of courage to land an airplane on a pitching carrier deck. Flying into combat, running the risk of being shot from the sky and killed or imprisoned by a brutal enemy is way beyond my level of courage, how about you?

Milli · 1 year ago

He's a war hero who advocates for torture as long as he's not the recipient, opposes the GI Bill and has done nothing to get our soldiers the equipment or the healthcare they need. He has no plan to stop the violence in Iraq. Our soldiers are dying in the streets of Baghdad for nothing. War isn't heroic, war is a tragedy for everyone involved except the people who are capitalizing off of it.

If you support war you should have the balls to go - complimenting McCain on having more courage than you is not some form of flattery that makes you come off looking humble, respectful, and exempt form going. . Please go see what its all about instead of praising the ones who do. War rips people apart. inside and out. You're never the fucking same. You try going to bed at night and picturing over and over kids who's heads were blown off. Thats what our soldiers are seeing everyday and thats what they are coming home with. But you still think McCain is a hero because he supports war? You have an excuse - you're ignorant, but he knows full well what its all about and the damage that it does - and he knows full well this war was never necessary.

Nimrod · 1 year ago

Howdy Milli!
Boy I can almost see the veins popping out on your neck and forehead. What vitriol! I will try to address you points one at a time.

1. Torture; if attaching a battery to a prisoner's testicles will save one American life, all I have to say is "red is positive, black is negative, and it works better if the skin is wet" It seems completely crazy to me to play by the rules when the stakes are life and death.

2. If McCain is not supporting out troops, then shame on him, but shame everyone else who is doing everything possible to provide aid and comfort to the enemy and destroy the moral of our troops.

3. I haven't really heard that ANYONE has a plan to stop the violence in Iraq. Some people have plans that would stop American casualties in Iraq (the pull out now crowd), but I can guarantee you that won't stop the violence, and I will bet you that the same people advocating pulling out now will be wailing about the horrible genocidal violence once we are no longer there. Personally, I don't really care what happens to those other folks as long as the news doesn't show it to us adnauseam. If the Shia wish to wipe out the Sunni of vice versa, I really don't care, just don't put it on the news every noon and night.

4. I agree, war itself isn't heroic, and perhaps some are unnecessary or futile, but Sadam Hussein was a monster, and what is worse he was our monster. Removing him was our responsibility.

5. You're right, I have no desire to go fight, but saying that McCain is braver than I is no flattery, just fact. I do admire those who are willing to serve so that perhaps I can live a better life, and yes, in a perfect world, all would serve and there would be no war. This isn't that perfect world, so I try to at least respect those who are willing to do that which I prefer not to do. (Same goes for the guy who pumps the septic tank, and cleans the toilets at the school.)

6. I am smart enough to know that I wouldn't like war, without having to see it in person. My grandfather served in WWI and the killing fields there make anything happening in Iraq look like practice. He came home and lived a normal productive life without undue angst, as did my father in law who served in Europe in WWII and my father who served in combat in Korea and was decorated (bronze star, silver star, purple heart) for heroism in the face of the enemy. I know numerous people serving in the military right now, many who have been in Iraq, and those I know mostly feel that what we are doing is right and meaningful.

7. I did not ever say that McCain is a hero because he supports war; I believe that his service in Vietnam was heroic. As an aside, I haven't ever heard McCain say that he supports war. I have heard him say that he does not believe that setting a date for the removal of our troops from Iraq is a wise policy, and I fully agree with that position. I heard him say that we might be there for 100 years. So what, we've been in Japan and Europe for over 60 years with no end in sight. Our presence in those areas and our military hegemony have allowed for spectacular economic growth throughout the world.

Finally, I know that you are set in your position and discussion is wasted on you, but I do feel that vulgarity is really counterproductive and as soon as it enters the dialogue, you loose me. It would also be nice if you would actually proof read what you write instead of relying on spell check exclusively.

Milli · 1 year ago

Haaaa.......I don't rely on spell-check!!

shell · 1 year ago

In a message dated 6/11/2008 3:09:08 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
writes:

Anyone who served or serves in our military during time of war, and
especially those who are volunteers (as I believe that McCain was), is a hero. It
takes a tremendous amount of courage to land an airplane on a pitching carrier
deck. Flying into combat, running the risk of being shot from the sky and
killed or imprisoned by a brutal enemy is way beyond my level of courage, how
about you?



I don't know -- I never thought of joining the military. What you don't
see, though, is that McCain was not like (most?) other service people. He was a
show-off, crashing several planes, just by being silly/drunk.

I must disagree that ALL people in the military are HEROES though.
(Remember, George W. Bush was in the military, too -- and in wartime.) They may be
described as "needing money," "brave," etc. But HEROES? I reserve that for
those who do heroic things -- in or OUT of the military.

To me, being a HERO involves doing something you choose to do, whether it be
dashing into a burning house, to save others, or risking your life to save a
swimmer in a tide, etc. He got captured. He didn't choose that. Most
humans would try to stay alive -- it's human nature. That doesn't make you a
HERO. To me, at least.



**************Vote for your city's best dining and nightlife. City's Best
2008. (http://citysbest.aol.com?ncid=aolacg00050000000102)

Nimrod · 1 year ago

Well, Shell, I was lucky. I'm just about two years to young to have been drafted for Vietnam, but my Grandfather served in WWI, my dad was a recognized hero in Korea, receiving the silver star and bronze star for heroism in face of the enemy, and although I was not in the military many of my relatives served, as have many of the people I know. I know many, many naval pilots, and I am pretty sure that anyone who crashed due to negligence or drunkenness would be cashiered out before the smoke cleared.
As to your point about being a hero involving a choice, McCain was a naval pilot by choice, knowing that it would almost surely mean flying into combat. You are simply wrong in your view of McCain's status as a POW. It is true that he didn't choose to be shot down, but he did choose to serve in a position that put him at grave risk. Heroic acts are usually thought of as acts that put one in danger while in the service of others. Well, it may be completely foreign to you, but many of the people serving in the military are actually doing so out of a desire to serve. Until someone can prove otherwise, I choose to believe that those like John McCain who choose to travel that path should be admired and respected.

Nimrod · 1 year ago

Forget that nut job Kucinich. Who's the redhead?

shell · 1 year ago

His wife.

Nimrod · 1 year ago

Wow!

MorgaineSwann · 1 year ago

Dennis asked Elizabeth to marry him the second time he met her. That makes him pretty smart in my book. You should hear her beautiful accent, too. She's also very committed to making life better for people. They make quite a team. I'd love to see them in the White House some day.

krnreimer · 1 year ago

Every spineless politician that does not have the courage to support impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheyney should be removed from office as well. It is the Congress' job to uphold the laws of the United States of America Which article presented by Rep. Kucinich in his resolution is untruthful? Publicly state so or abandon your offices. IMPEACH. NOW.

SusieQ · 1 year ago

(signed)
Your kooky friend,
Nancy Pelosi

Summitarian · 1 year ago

AMEN to the preceding comments! With only one small exception - the "Impeach and imprison!"part. You see, my son made it back from Iraq in one piece, but my nephew is one of the 4000. I say IMPEACH AND EXECUTE the low-life bastard right along with any of his cronies who can be implicated! As for cowards who would delay or deny the necessity of the process for the "good" of the party or any other sad excuse - pull your head out of your ass!