Bill Introduced to Impeach President Bush

[Makalakumu]

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120806Z.shtml

McKinney Introduces Bill to Impeach Bush

By Ben Evans
The Associated Press

Friday 08 December 2006
Washington - In what was likely her final legislative act in Congress, outgoing Georgia Rep. Cynthia McKinney announced a bill Friday to impeach President Bush.

Here are the articles of Impeachment offered by the bill.

Article I states that President Bush has failed to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. Specifically cited in this article is the charge that Bush has manipulated intelligence and lied to justify war: "George Walker Bush … in preparing the invasion of Iraq, did withhold intelligence from the Congress, by refusing to provide Congress with the full intelligence picture that he was being given, by redacting information … and actively manipulating the intelligence on Iraq's alleged weapons programs by pressuring the Central Intelligence Agency and other intelligence agencies."


This manipulation of intelligence was done, the charge continues, "with the intent to misinform the people and their representatives in Congress in order to gain their support for invading Iraq, denying both the people and their representatives in Congress the right to make an informed choice."

Article II, "Abuse of office and of executive privilege," states that President Bush has disregarded his oath of office by "obstructing and hindering the work of Congressional investigative bodies and by seeking to expand the scope of the powers of his office." The president has "failed to take responsibility for, investigate or discipline those responsible for an ongoing pattern of negligence, incompetence and malfeasance to the detriment of the American people."

This article continues by indicting Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in their actions to manipulate or "fix" intelligence and mislead the public about Iraq's weapons programs. Ultimately, this article calls not only for Bush's impeachment and removal from office but also asks the same actions to be taken against Cheney and Rice.

Article III states that President Bush has failed to "ensure the laws are faithfully executed" and that he has "violated the letter and spirit of laws and rules of criminal procedure used by civilian and military courts, and has violated or ignored regulatory codes and practices that carry out the law."
Specifically, McKinney cites illegal domestic spying as a result of failing to obtain warrants thereby subverting Congress and the judiciary in the process: "… by circumventing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act courts established by Congress, whose express purpose is to check such abuses of executive power, provoking the presiding judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to file a complaint and another judge to resign in protest, the said program having been subsequently ruled illegal; he has also concealed the existence of this unlawful program of spying on American citizens from the people and all but a few of their representatives in Congress, even resorting to outright public deceit."

What do you think?

 

[FearlessFreep]

This was laughed about...er...discusssed..on digg yesterday.


Whether or not you think he should be impeached, this is going nowhere. McKinney is a bit oof a crackpot and is not coming back in the next term. And Pelosi has already said there would be no impeachment motions

 

[Makalakumu]

This is true, it isn't going anywhere...and McKinney certainly has made a name for herself...especially after striking the police officer.

However, much of the democratic base desires this. I wonder if Polosi is worried about alienating that base.

And then there is the fact that Conyers, fully armed with congressional subpoenia power, could probably turn up enough dirt to actually impeach the President.

My guess is that Speaker Polosi is going to use impeachment as a political bludgeon in order to get the President to do what she wants...a form of political blackmail. If President Bush wants to keep what is left of his legacy, he better do what he is told.

We'll see...

 

[Ninjamom]

Nah, I have to disagree with that assessment (the part about Pelosi using this for blackmail -- I totally agree with the part about McKinney being a goofball ).

The truth is that all the intelligence assessments before the war showed a much graver threat than what has emerged since. Any 'fact finding' would uncover all the Dems and previous adminstrations which fully agreed with President Bush's assessment of the threat. Sorry, but the intelligence was faulty. It happens. Yes, someone should answer for that, but there doesn't seem to be any evidence of any cover-up or shading of intelligence data, Bush never lied about the Iraqi threat, and Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.

It's a vain attempt by McKinney to grab some glory before being rightly dumped by her constituency.

 

[michaeledward]

Representative McKinney's bill should just fade away underneath the massive Tax Cut the Republicans just gave their true constitutents on their last days in power.

But, Impeachment articles may get introduced again. There are several serious and significant text about the impeachable offenses of the Bush Administration.

A relatively sane argument has been made recently that articles of Impeachment actually should be considered a responsibility of the Congress, against the idea of a Unitary Executive.

More importantly, and something that will make President Bush the lamest, lame duck in recent history, is the important committee Chairs, come January, are going to be some of the people most aggrieved by the actions of the White House. Senator Leahy reported said recently that President Bush should be extremely concerned about his (Leahy's) position as Chair of the Judiciary.

 

[FearlessFreep]

Or in other words, the Democrats prove they are just as politically mean-spirited and selfishly motivated as the Republicans.

Well, *that* didn't take long to remind that they are all the same.

"Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss"

 

[michaeledward]

Or in other words, the Democrats prove they are just as politically mean-spirited and selfishly motivated as the Republicans.

Well, *that* didn't take long to remind that they are all the same.

"Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss"

Or, it could mean the new Judiciary Chair is actually going to pay attention to things like "The Law" and "The Constitution" and "The Bill of Rights"

 

[Don Roley]

Or, it could mean the new Judiciary Chair is actually going to pay attention to things like "The Law" and "The Constitution" and "The Bill of Rights"

Well, if there was anything in the past to indicate that the democrats uphold the law and the constitution any better than the other party I might believe that. As it is you have to consider that the guy that was caught on this FBI surveilance tape is now pretty influential in congress and you can see that things are probably not going to get any more cleaner in congress.

Oh sure, they will talk about cleaning things up- as long as the dirt seems to point to the other party. But I don't expect them to go after many of their own based on thier past history in the matter.

And I fully think that they will try to talk about things as much as possible to get things in the media. But unless they could actually prove something, it will go nowhere. If there is a hint of scandal in the news, that will help them in the next election they are already preparing for. But if there is no substance to their accusations, it is best for them to just keep talking about things instead of taking action.

 

[elder999]

Well, if there was anything in the past to indicate that the democrats uphold the law and the constitution any better than the other party I might believe that. As it is you have to consider that the guy that was caught on this FBI surveilance tape is now pretty influential in congress and you can see that things are probably not going to get any more cleaner in congress..

Uh, to be fair to Mr. Murtha, you should note that he turned down the money in ABSCAM, though with a qualifier:""I'm not interested. I'm sorry,"

"I meant, at this time"

In fact, the FBI believed that he was trying to string the "sheik" along to get him to invest in his district, concluded that he wasn't interested in their "bribe," and they found no wrongdoing-he wasn't indicted.

 

[Don Roley]

In fact, the FBI believed that he was trying to string the "sheik" along to get him to invest in his district,

And I am quite free to believe otherwise based on what I see. And of course, unlike the FBI, I do not have to prove anything before I take an opinion. I understand that the FBI is limited to what they can prove. But just the fact that he was offered a bribe, said he was not interested at this time and did not report it to anyone kind of colors my view of the guy.

 

[MA-Caver]

Aww man, McKinney needs to pick up the latest supermarket tabloid: The Weekly World News, because it says that a "Super Depression is due to hit us in two months from now... BUT Dubya has a "plan" to get us out of it... it's called D.E.E.P.E.R. :lol: (no, seriously... that's what it said)... DEEPER stands for Depressed Erroneous Economy Plan Emergency Response. (or something like that!).

 

[Phoenix44]

I think impeachment would take too long, and he's a lame duck--REALLY lame, with a Democratic Congress. However, I would like to see investigations into the events leading up to the Iraq war.

In 2003, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence started an investigation. Phase 1, which was completed, looked at the failure of intelligence. Phase 2 was supposed to look at how the intelligence was used and whether it was manipulated. We're still waiting for Phase 2.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

And I am quite free to believe otherwise based on what I see. And of course, unlike the FBI, I do not have to prove anything before I take an opinion. I understand that the FBI is limited to what they can prove. But just the fact that he was offered a bribe, said he was not interested at this time and did not report it to anyone kind of colors my view of the guy.

I would be the last person to defend any politician but I certainly believe that almost all of our polictician's have been offered bribes and I would imagine that a good amount accepted and some politely rejected them.
Having said that I doubt many reported it to the authorities.