Today Representative Dennis Kucinich introduced HR 333 (full text) IMPEACH CHENEY
In a nutshell:
Kucinich read the three charges then Rep. Jose Serrano who was chairing the hearing said a time would be allotted within the next two days to discuss the bill
Then Danny Hoyer (majority leader) introduced a call to table the resolution-take it OFF the table.
Remember, Pelosi said impeachment was off the table.
As the votes started being tabulated it went well beyond the 15 minutes allotted.
At first, the votes to table it were far ahead.
Then something strange started happening.
According to someone being interviewed on CSPAN, the Republican leadership called in for the Republicans to CHANGE their votes on tabling it to vote NOT to table it.
Why?
Because according to this person being interviewed the Republicans want to "embarass" the Democrats because they feel this resolution is so far out of the mainstream.
The vote NOT to table the resolution was twice as many R's voting not to table it as D's.
So the vote was NOT tabled.
Then Hoyer appeared again and asked for a vote to send the resolution to the judiciary committee.
A voice vote was ordered and then an electronic vote was ordered.
The Dems were able to overcome the Rep's so now the bill is going to the judiciary committee because according to Hoyer, the bill is so "serious it merits serious discussion".
This bill could linger OR die in the judiciary committee which is evidently what the Dems want.
My conjecture is that the Dems want to shut Kucinich up, they do NOT want to rock the boat, they don't want Kucinich to have ANY chance of advancing his agenda because they have a VESTED interest in their own political rear ends. ALSO, I feel the Rep's HOPE to split the Democratic party because they HOPE Kucinich runs as an independent and splits the Dem' vote.
To them, this is about winning in 08, NOT because they don't think the resolution has merit, but for the SOLE REASON of splitting the Democrats.
But what if Kucinich were to get the nomination?
The Reps think he is easy pickins, EASY pickins compared, but better yet, just let him cipher off votes from Hillary who is bound to get the nomination unless a MIRACLE happens.
This same person being interviewed stated that Kucinich did this to advance his own presidential bid since he is so far behind.
Well folks, what do I have to say to that accusation?
WE NEED A PRESIDENT WHO IS WILLING TO TELL THE TRUTH.
WE NEED A PRESIDENT WHO IS WILLING TO TAKE ON THE FREAKING MESS THIS REPUBLICAN ADMINISTRATION WITH THE COMPLIANCE OF THE DEMOCRATS HAS MADE.
FOR EVERY DEMOCRAT THAT VOTED AGAINST THIS RESOLUTION I SAY GO TO HELL.
YOU ARE NOT WORTH SHIT. YOU WERE ELECTED TO TAKE ON THIS CORRUPT ADMINISTRATION AND IF YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DO THAT YOU ARE EVERY BIT AS EVIL AS THIS ADMINISTRATION!!!!!!!!!!!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marjorie Cohn, NLG President, Marjorie@tjsl.edu;
Heidi Boghosian, NLG Executive Director, director@nlg.org
James Marc Leas, NLG member who drafted the resolution,
The resolution provides for an NLG Impeachment Committee open to all members that will help organize and coordinate events at the local, state, and national level to build public participation in the campaign to initiate impeachment investigation, impeachment, and removal of Bush and Cheney from office without further delay.
The resolution calls on all other state and national bar associations, state and local government bodies, community organizations, labor unions, and all other citizen associations to adopt similar resolutions and to use all their resources to build the campaign demanding that Congress initiate impeachment investigation, impeach, and remove Bush and Cheney from office.
The full text of the resolution can be found at http://nlg.org/convention/2007%20Resolutions/Impeachment%20resolution.pdf
National Lawyers Guild President Marjorie Cohn said, "The war of aggression, the secret prisons, the use of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, the use of evidence obtained by torture, and the surveillance of citizens without warrants, all initiated and carried out under the tenure of Bush and Cheney, are illegal under the U.S. Constitution and international law."
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UPDATE: Finally there's something being said, but note, AGAIN it is stated that the Republicans prevented the bill from being tabled in order to "embarrass the Democrats" because this resolution is so far LEFT and out there.
The only embarrassment for the Democrats comes from trying to TABLE this bill. Every single one that voted to table it needs to be held accountable. EVERY ONE OF THEM.
Cheney Impeachment Resolution Sent to House Committee
The House voted today to send a resolution considering the impeachment of Vice President Cheney to the Judiciary Committee, a move that embarrassed Democratic leaders who were forced into the parliamentary tactic to avoid a floor debate on impeachment.
Led by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, the long-shot anti-war candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, scores of Democrats were joined by scores of Republicans in initially supporting a Kucinich resolution that would have prompted a full debate on impeaching Cheney.
Democratic leaders long ago rejected any consideration of impeaching Cheney and President Bush as an irresponsible move supported only by the far left, so they tried today to table Kucinich's impeachment resolution. After initially having more than enough votes to kill the resolution - the "yea" tally to table impeachment topped out at 291 - Republicans decided they had a chance to politically shame Democrats into a full debate on the sensitive issue. Republicans gleefully said they wanted the debate to show the public how many Democrats would actually support impeaching Cheney, which they consider a move supported only by a fringe element of anti-war activists.
More than 120 members, predominantly Republicans, then switched their votes in favor of holding a one-hour debate on the issue, with a final vote of 251-162 supporting a debate on impeachment. Rather than allow a debate fraught with political risk, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) moved to send the Kucinich resolution to the Judiciary Committee, whose chairman, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), has publicly speculated about impeaching the president or vice president but has declined taking any action since taking the gavel in January.
Defusing any chance of an actual impeachment debate today, the House then voted 218-194 to send the motion to Conyers's committee, with Democrats overwhelmingly supporting the move.
Today's resolution from Kucinich (D-Ohio) was essentially the same as the legislation he introduced earlier this year, which included three articles of impeachment against Cheney based largely on allegations that he manipulated intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war. The last article accuses Cheney of threatening "aggression" against Iran "absent any real threat."
"In all of this, Vice President Richard B. Cheney has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as Vice President, and subversive of constitutional government, to the prejudice of the cause of law and justice and the manifest injury of the people of the United States," Kucinich said on the floor today, reading his resolution. "Wherefore Richard B. Cheney, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office."
Kucinich, who had 22 co-sponsors for his articles of impeachment measure, predominantly members of the left leaning Out of Iraq Caucus, has been angry that Democratic leaders would not allow impeachment to be considered. He took to the floor today to offer his impeachment articles as a privileged resolution, which under the chamber rules can be offered by any member and must be considered within two days of its offering.
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