House Impeachment Inquiry Resolution Proposed: BUSH, CHENEY, ET. AL.

[L. Coyote]

House Impeachment Inquiry Resolution proposed on this day, June 4, 2007, herewith.

WARNING: Herewith means "herewith" on DU, not in the MSM or elsewhere.
DO NOT POST if you do not have a substantive comment on the language.
PLEASE, impeachment is serious business, so let's keep it serious!!

==================================
Following is a proposed resolution authorizing the House Judiciary Committee to begin an impeachment inquiry
of President Bush, Vice-President Cheney, and any others. The resolution is modeled after the resolution that
launched the impeachment inquiry of President Clinton, said having been modeled after the 1974 resolution to
impeach President Nixon.

==================================

Resolved, that the Committee on the Judiciary, acting as a whole or by any subcommittee thereof appointed by the 
chairman for the purposes hereof and in accordance with the rules of the committee, is authorized and directed 
to investigate fully and completely whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of Representatives to exercise 
its constitutional power to impeach George W. Bush, president of the United States of America and Dick Cheney, 
Vice-President of the United States of America. The committee shall report to the House of Representatives such 
resolutions, articles of impeachment or other recommendations as it deems proper against said officers and any others.

Section 2. (a) For the purpose of making such investigation, the committee is authorized to require:

  (1) by subpoena or otherwise --

    (A) the attendance and testimony of any person (including at a taking of a deposition by counsel for the committee); and

    (B) the production of such things; and

  (2) by interrogatory, the furnishing of such information;

        as it deems necessary to such investigation.

Section 2. (b) Such authority of the committee may be exercised:

  (1) by the chairman and the ranking minority member acting jointly, or, if either declines to act, 
      by the other acting alone, except that in the event either so declines, either shall have the 
      right to refer to the committee for decision the question whether such authority shall be so 
      exercised and the committee shall be convened promptly to render that decision; or

  (2) by the committee acting as a whole or by subcommittee.

      Subpoenas and interrogatories so authorized may be issued over the signature of the chairman, 
      or ranking minority member, or any member designated by either of them, and may be served by  
      any person designated by the chairman, or ranking minority member, or any member designated  
      by either of them. The chairman, or ranking minority member, or any member designated by either  
      of them (or, with respect to any deposition, answer to interrogatory, or affidavit, any person  
      authorized by law to administer oaths) may administer oaths to any witness. For the purposes of  
      this section, "things" includes, without limitation, books, records, correspondence, logs, journals,  
      memorandums, papers, documents, writings, drawings, graphs, charts, photographs, reproductions,  
      recordings, tapes, transcripts, printouts, data compilations from which information can be obtained  
      (translated if necessary, through detection devices into reasonably usable form), tangible objects,  
      and other things of any kind, both physical and electronic in form. 

[L. Coyote]

1. INVESTIGATORY POWERS OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY WITH RESPECT TO ITS IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

House Report 105-795 - INVESTIGATORY POWERS OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY WITH RESPECT TO ITS IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/cpquery/?&sid=cp105qSljN&refer=&r_n=hr795.105&db_id=105&item=&sel=TOC_103968&

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Resolved Clause

The resolved clause of the resolution authorizes and directs the Committee on the Judiciary, acting as a whole or by any subcommittee thereof appointed by the Chairman, to investigate fully and completely whether sufficient grounds exist for the House of

Representatives to exercise its constitutional power to impeach William Jefferson Clinton, President of the United States. Except for the name of the President, the Resolved clause is the same as the Resolved clause in H. Res. 803, 2d Sess., 93d Cong., (1974), which authorizes the impeachment of Richard M. Nixon.

Section Two

This resolution empowers the Committee to require the attendance and testimony of such witnesses as it deems necessary, by subpoena or otherwise. It authorizes the Committee to take such testimony at hearings or by deposition. Depositions may be taken before counsel to the Committee, without a member of the Committee being present, thus expediting the presentation of information to the Committee. This resolution further authorizes the Committee to require the furnishing of information in response to interrogatories propounded by the Committee. Like the deposition authority, the authority to compel answers to written interrogatories is intended to permit the Committee to conduct a thorough investigation under as expeditious a schedule as possible. Interrogatories should prove particularly useful in providing a basis for the efficient exercise of the Committee's subpoena power, by enabling it to secure inventories and lists of documents, materials, and things and the names of potential witnesses.


.....continues .... http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/cpquery/?&sid=cp105qSljN&refer=&r_n=hr795.105&db_id=105&item=&sel=TOC_103968&

[L. Coyote]

2. Excerpts: Reply of the US House of Representatives to the Trial Memorandum of President Clinton

From: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/impeachment/trial/house_reply.html

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATE
Sitting as a Court of Impeachment
In Re Impeachment of President William Jefferson Clinton

Reply of the United States House of Representatives to the Trial Memorandum of President William Jefferson Clinton

........

2. The Constitutional Text Sets One Clear Standard for Removal.

a. There is Only One Impeachment Standard.

The Constitution sets one clear standard for impeachment, conviction, and removal from office: the commission of "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors." U.S. Const. art. II, § 4. The Senate has repeatedly determined that perjury is a high crime and misdemeanor. Simple logic dictates that obstruction of justice which has the same effect as perjury and bribery of witnesses must also be a high crime and misdemeanor. Endless repetition of the claim that this standard is a high one does not change the standard.

.............

No President is exempt under our U.S. Constitution and the laws of the United States from accountability for personal misdeeds any more than he is for official misdeeds. And I think that we on this Committee in our effort to fairly evaluate the President's activities must show the American people that all men are treated equally under the law.

.............

As the person who ultimately directs the Justice Department - the federal government's prosecutorial authority - the President must follow his constitutional duty to take care that the laws are faithfully executed. U.S. Const. art. II, § 3. His special constitutional duty is at least as high, if not higher, than the judge's. Indeed, President Clinton acknowledged as much early in his Administration when controversy arose about the nomination of Zoe Baird and the potential nomination of Judge Kimba Wood to be Attorney General. Questions were raised about whether they had properly complied with laws relating to their hiring of household help. At that time, President Clinton said the Attorney General "should be held to a higher standard than other Cabinet members on matters of this kind ."

.............

The Senate has never adopted the standard of "beyond a reasonable doubt" in any impeachment trial in U.S. history. In fact, the Senate has chosen not to impose a standard at all, preferring to leave to the conscience of each senator the decision of how best to judge the facts presented.

[L. Coyote]

3. IMPEACHMENT PROCEDURES

IMPEACHMENT PROCEDURES
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/impeachment/guide.html

--------------------
Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution of the United States grants the House of Representatives the "the sole power of impeachment."

... established House practice is to begin with a resolution authorizing the Judiciary Committee to investigate the charges brought forth.

The House Judiciary Committee then holds hearings and investigates the charges.

If the Judiciary Committee's findings support the charges, it issues an impeachment resolution, which include Articles of Impeachment, to the full House. If the committee believes impeachment is unwarranted, it issues such a resolution to the full House.

The resolution then goes to House floor for consideration. If the House adopts any one of the Articles of Impeachment by a simple majority vote, the official is considered impeached and the matter goes to the Senate for trial.

=======

Article I, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution states: "The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments."

A fixed number of House members act as "managers", or prosecutors, at the Senate trial. ....

The impeached official's lawyers will present his/her defense. He/she has the right to testify and cross-examine witnesses, as in any criminal proceeding.

The full Senate will act as the jury.

If the trial involves the President of the United States, the Constitution states that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall preside over the trial.

At the trial's conclusion, the Senate meets in a closed session to discuss a verdict. Each Senator is allowed 15 minutes of debate.

The Senate then votes in open session on each Article of Impeachment. A two-thirds vote is required for conviction. ....

[L. Coyote]

4. LEGAL BASIS FOR IMPEACHMENT: Bush and Cheney

This subthread intends to address legal causes for proceeding with impeachment.

==============================
Wednesday, December 21st, 2005
First Step Towards Impeachment? Conyers Introduces Bills to Censure Bush and Cheney
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/12/21/1447240

We speak with Congressman John Conyers (D - MI) introduced measures to censure President Bush and Vice President Cheney for misleading lawmakers on the decision to go to war in Iraq. Conyers is also seeking the creation of a select committee to investigate the Administration's possible crimes and make recommendations regarding grounds for impeachment.

The "I" word has returned to Washington. Seven years to the week after the House of Representatives impeached President Clinton, discussion of the possible impeachment of President Bush has reached a new high.

In recent days, Senator Barbara Boxer, Congressmen John Lewis and John Conyers, Nixon's former White House Counsel John Dean as well as numerous legal scholars have suggested Bush has committed impeachable offenses by illegally ordering the National Security Agency to eavesdrop inside the country without a court warrant.

Even conservative legal scholars have admitted the severity of Bush's actions. Norm Ornstein, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, said "I think if we're going to be intellectually honest here, this really is the kind of thing that Alexander Hamilton was referring to when impeachment was discussed."

..........

[L. Coyote]

5. TEXT House Resolution 333: Articles of Impeachment of Vice President Cheney

House Resolution 333 was submitted by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) April 24, 2007.

Supporting Documents for H Res 333 - http://kucinich.house.gov/SpotlightIssues/documents.htm

PDF Synopsis of Resolution - http://kucinich.house.gov/UploadedFiles/int2.pdf

PDF Text of Resolution as Introduced in the House of Representatives - http://kucinich.house.gov/UploadedFiles/int3.pdf

=======================================
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.RES.333:

Resolved, That Richard B. Cheney, Vice President of the United States, is impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors,
and that the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to... (Introduced in House)

H. RES. 333 -  - 110th CONGRESS - 1st Session

Impeaching Richard B. Cheney, Vice President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - April 24, 2007

Mr. KUCINICH submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

RESOLUTION

Impeaching Richard B. Cheney, Vice President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.

      Resolved, That Richard B. Cheney, Vice President of the United States, is impeached for high crimes 
      and misdemeanors, and that the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to the United States Senate:

      Articles of impeachment exhibited by the House of Representatives of the United States of America in the name  
      of itself and of the people of the United States of America, against Richard B. Cheney, Vice President of the  
      United States of America, in maintenance and support of its impeachment against him for high crimes and misdemeanors.

Article I

      In his conduct while Vice President of the United States, Richard B. Cheney, in violation of his constitutional  
      oath to faithfully execute the office of Vice President of the United States and, to the best of his ability,  
      preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty  
      to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has purposely manipulated the intelligence process to deceive  
      the citizens and Congress of the United States by fabricating a threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction to  
      justify the use of the United States Armed Forces against the nation of Iraq in a manner damaging to our national  
      security interests, to wit:

            (1) Despite all evidence to the contrary, the Vice President actively and systematically sought to deceive  
                the citizens and Congress of the United States about an alleged threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction:

                  (A) `We know they have biological and chemical weapons.' March 17, 2002, Press Conference by Vice President 
                       Dick Cheney and His Highness Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain at Shaikh Hamad Palace.

                  (B) `. . . and we know they are pursuing nuclear weapons.' March 19, 2002, Press Briefing by Vice President  
                       Dick Cheney and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Jerusalem.

                  (C) `And he is actively pursuing nuclear weapons at this time . . .' March 24, 2002, CNN Late Edition  
                       interview with Vice President Cheney.

                  (D) `We know he's got chemicals and biological and we know he's working on nuclear.' May 19, 2002,  
                       NBC Meet the Press interview with Vice President Cheney.

                  (E) `But we now know that Saddam has resumed his efforts to acquire nuclear weapons . . . Simply stated,  
                       there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt that he  
                       is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us.' August 26, 2002,  
                       Speech of Vice President Cheney at VFW 103rd National Convention.

                  (F) `Based on intelligence that's becoming available, some of it has been made public, more of it hopefully  
                       will be, that he has indeed stepped up his capacity to produce and deliver biological weapons, that he  
                       has reconstituted his nuclear program to develop a nuclear weapon, that there are efforts under way  
                       inside Iraq to significantly expand his capability.' September 8, 2002, NBC Meet the Press interview  
                       with Vice President Cheney.

                  (G) `He is, in fact, actively and aggressively seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.' September 8, 2002, NBC  
                       Meet the Press interview with Vice President Cheney.

                  (H) `And we believe he has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons.' March 16, 2003, NBC Meet the Press  
                       interview with Vice President Cheney.

            (2) Preceding the March 2003 invasion of Iraq the Vice President was fully informed that no legitimate evidence   
                existed of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The Vice President pressured the intelligence community to   
                change their findings to enable the deception of the citizens and Congress of the United States.

                  (A) Vice President Cheney and his Chief of Staff, Lewis Libby, made multiple trips to the CIA in 2002 to  
                      question analysts studying Iraq's weapons programs and alleged links to al Qaeda, creating an environment  
                      in which analysts felt they were being pressured to make their assessments fit with the Bush  
                      administration's policy objectives accounts.

                  (B) Vice President Cheney sought out unverified and ultimately inaccurate raw intelligence to prove his  
                      preconceived beliefs. This strategy of cherry picking was employed to influence the interpretation  
                      of the intelligence.

            (3) The Vice President's actions corrupted or attempted to corrupt the 2002 National Intelligence Estimate, an   
                intelligence document issued on October 1, 2002, and carefully considered by Congress prior to the October 10, 2002,   
                vote to authorize the use of force. The Vice President's actions prevented the necessary reconciliation of facts   
                for the National Intelligence Estimate which resulted in a high number of dissenting opinions from technical   
                experts in two Federal agencies.

                  (A) The State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research dissenting view in the October 2002 National  
                      Intelligence Estimate stated `Lacking persuasive evidence that Baghdad has launched a coherent effort  
                      to reconstitute it's nuclear weapons program INR is unwilling to speculate that such an effort began  
                      soon after the departure of UN inspectors or to project a timeline for the completion of activities  
                      it does not now see happening. As a result INR is unable to predict that Iraq could acquire a nuclear  
                      device or weapon.'.

                  (B) The State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research dissenting view in the October 2002 National  
                      Intelligence Estimate also stated that `Finally, the claims of Iraqi pursuit of natural uranium in  
                      Africa are, in INR's assessment, highly dubious.'.

                  (C) The State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research dissenting view in the October 2002 National  
                      Intelligence Estimate references a Department of Energy opinion by stating that `INR accepts the judgment  
                      of technical experts at the US Department of Energy (DOE) who have concluded that the tubes Iraq seeks  
                      to acquire are poorly suited for use in gas centrifuges to be used for uranium enrichment and finds  
                      unpersuasive the arguments advanced by others to make the case that they are intended for that purpose.'.

      The Vice President subverted the national security interests of the United States by setting the stage for the loss of more 
      than 3300 United States service members; the loss of 650,000 Iraqi citizens since the United States invasion; the loss of  
      approximately $500 billion in war costs which has increased our Federal debt; the loss of military readiness within the  
      United States Armed Services due to overextension, lack of training and lack of equipment; the loss of United States  
      credibility in world affairs; and the decades of likely blowback created by the invasion of Iraq.

      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. Wherefore, Vice President Richard B. Cheney, by such conduct, is guilty of an  
      impeachable offense warranting removal from office.

Article II

      In his conduct while Vice President of the United States, Richard B. Cheney, in violation of his constitutional oath to  
      faithfully execute the office of Vice President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect,  
      and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws  
      be faithfully executed, purposely manipulated the intelligence process to deceive the citizens and Congress of the United  
      States about an alleged relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda in order to justify the use of the United States Armed  
      Forces against the nation of Iraq in a manner damaging to our national security interests, to wit:

            (1) Despite all evidence to the contrary, the Vice President actively and systematically sought to deceive the   
                citizens and the Congress of the United States about an alleged relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda:

                  (A) `His regime has had high-level contacts with Al Qaeda going back a decade and has provided training  
                       to Al Qaeda terrorists.' December 2, 2002, Speech of Vice President Cheney at the Air National Guard  
                       Senior Leadership Conference.

                  (B) `His regime aids and protects terrorists, including members of Al Qaeda. He could decide secretly to  
                       provide weapons of mass destruction to terrorists for use against us.' January 30, 2003, Speech of  
                       Vice President Cheney to 30th Political Action Conference in Arlington, Virginia.

                  (C) `We know he's out trying once again to produce nuclear weapons and we know that he has a long-standing  
                       relationship with various terrorist groups, including the Al Qaeda organization.' March 16, 2003, NBC  
                       Meet the Press interview with Vice President Cheney.

                  (D) `We learned more and more that there was a relationship between Iraq and Al Qaeda that stretched back  
                       through most of the decade of the '90s, that it involved training, for example, on biological weapons  
                       and chemical weapons . . .' September 14, 2003, NBC Meet the Press interview with Vice President Cheney.

                  (E) `Al Qaeda had a base of operation there up in Northeastern Iraq where they ran a large poisons factory  
                       for attacks against Europeans and U.S. forces.' October 3, 2003, Speech of Vice President Cheney at  
                       Bush-Cheney '04 Fundraiser in Iowa.

                  (F) `He also had an established relationship with Al Qaeda providing training to Al Qaeda members in areas  
                       of poisons, gases, and conventional bombs.' October 10, 2003, Speech of Vice President Cheney to the  
                       Heritage Foundation.

                  (G) `Al Qaeda and the Iraqi intelligence services have worked together on a number of occasions.' January 9, 2004,  
                       Rocky Mountain News interview with Vice President Cheney.

                  (H) `I think there's overwhelming evidence that there was a connection between Al Qaeda and the Iraqi government.' 
                       January 22, 2004, NPR: Morning Edition interview with Vice President Cheney.

                  (I) `First of all, on the question of--of whether or not there was any kind of relationship, there clearly  
                       was a relationship. It's been testified to; the evidence is overwhelming.' June 17, 2004, CNBC: Capital  
                       Report interview with Vice President Cheney.

            (2) Preceding the March 2003 invasion of Iraq the Vice President was fully informed that no credible evidence   
                existed of a working relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda, a fact articulated in several official documents, including:

                  (A) A classified Presidential Daily Briefing ten days after the September 11, 2001, attacks indicating that the 
                      States intelligence community had no evidence linking Saddam Hussein to the September 11th United 
                      attacks and that there was `scant credible evidence that Iraq had any significant collaborative ties with Al Qaeda'.

                  (B) Defense Intelligence Terrorism Summary No. 044-02, issued in February 2002 by the United States Defense  
                      Intelligence Agency, which challenged the credibility of information gleaned from captured al Qaeda leader  
                      al-Libi. The DIA report also cast significant doubt on the possibility of a Saddam Hussein-al-Qaeda  
                      conspiracy: `Saddam's regime is intensely secular and is wary of Islamic revolutionary movements.  
                      Moreover, Baghdad is unlikely to provide assistance to a group it cannot control.'.

                  (C) A January 2003 British intelligence classified report on Iraq that concluded that `there are no current  
                      links between the Iraqi regime and the al-Qaeda network'.

      The Vice President subverted the national security interests of the United States by setting the stage for the loss of more  
      than 3,300 United States service members; the loss of 650,000 Iraqi citizens since the United States invasion; the loss of  
      approximately $500 billion in war costs which has increased our Federal debt; the loss of military readiness within the  
      United States Armed Services due to overextension, lack of training and lack of equipment; the loss of United States credibility  
      in world affairs; and the decades of likely blowback created by the invasion of Iraq.

      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.

      Wherefore, Vice President Richard B. Cheney, by such conduct, is guilty of an impeachable offense warranting removal from office.

Article III

      In his conduct while Vice President of the United States, Richard B. Cheney, in violation of his constitutional oath to  
      faithfully execute the office of Vice President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect,  
      and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws  
      be faithfully executed, has openly threatened aggression against the Republic of Iran absent any real threat to the United  
      States, and done so with the United States proven capability to carry out such threats, thus undermining the national  
      security of the United States, to wit:

            (1) Despite no evidence that Iran has the intention or the capability of attacking the United States and despite   
                the turmoil created by United States invasion of Iraq, the Vice President has openly threatened aggression   
                against Iran as evidenced by the following:

                  (A) `For our part, the United States is keeping all options on the table in addressing the irresponsible  
                       conduct of the regime. And we join other nations in sending that regime a clear message: We will not  
                       allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.' March 7, 2006, Speech of Vice President Cheney to American  
                       Israel Public Affairs Committee 2006 Policy Conference.

                  (B) `But we've also made it clear that all options are on the table.' January 24, 2007, CNN Situation Room  
                       interview with Vice President Cheney.

                  (C) `When we--as the President did, for example, recently--deploy another aircraft carrier task force to  
                       the Gulf, that sends a very strong signal to everybody in the region that the United States is here  
                       to stay, that we clearly have significant capabilities, and that we are working with friends and  
                       allies as well as the international organizations to deal with the Iranian threat.' January 29, 2007,  
                       Newsweek interview with Vice President Cheney.

                  (D) `But I've also made the point and the President has made the point that all options are still on the  
                       table.' February 24, 2007, Vice President Cheney at Press Briefing with Australian Prime Minister in  
                       Sydney, Australia.

            (2) The Vice President, who repeatedly and falsely claimed to have had specific, detailed knowledge of Iraq's   
                alleged weapons of mass destruction capabilities, is no doubt fully aware of evidence that demonstrates Iran   
                poses no real threat to the United States as evidenced by the following:

                  (A) `I know that what we see in Iran right now is not the industrial capacity you can   
                       bomb.' Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency, February 19, 2007.

                  (B) Iran indicated its `full readiness and willingness to negotiate on the modality for the resolution of  
                      the outstanding issues with the IAEA, subject to the assurances for dealing with the issues in the  
                      framework of the Agency, without the interference of the United Nations Security Council'. IAEA Board  
                      Report, February 22, 2007.

                  (C) `. . . so whatever they have, what we have seen today, is not the kind of capacity that would enable  
                       them to make bombs.' Mohamed El Baradei, Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency,  
                       February 19, 2007.

            (3) The Vice President is fully aware of the actions taken by the United States towards Iran that are further   
                destabilizing the world as evidenced by the following:

                  (A) The United States has refused to engage in meaningful diplomatic relations with Iran since 2002,  
                      rebuffing both bilateral and multilateral offers to dialogue.

                  (B) The United States is currently engaged in a military buildup in the Middle East that includes the  
                      increased presence of the United States Navy in the waters near Iran, significant United States  
                      Armed Forces in two nations neighboring to Iran, and the installation of anti-missile technology  
                      in the region.

                  (C) News accounts have indicated that military planners have considered the B61-11, a tactical nuclear  
                      weapon, as one of the options to strike underground bunkers in Iran.

                  (D) The United States has been linked to anti-Iranian organizations that are attempting to destabilize  
                      the Iranian government, in particular the Mujahideen-e Khalq (MEK), even though the state department  
                      has branded it a terrorist organization.

                  (E) News accounts indicate that United States troops have been ordered into Iran to collect data and  
                      establish contact with anti-government groups.

            (4) In the last three years the Vice President has repeatedly threatened Iran. However, the Vice President   
                is legally bound by the U.S. Constitution's adherence to international law that prohibits threats of use of force.

                  (A) Article VI of the United States Constitution states, `This Constitution, and the Laws of the United  
                      States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under  
                      the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land.' Any provision of an  
                      international treaty ratified by the United States becomes the law of the United States.

                  (B) The United States is a signatory to the United Nations Charter, a treaty among the nations of the  
                      world. Article II, Section 4 of the United Nations Charter states, `All Members shall refrain in  
                      their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity  
                      or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes  
                      of the United Nations.' The threat of force is illegal.

                  (C) Article 51 lays out the only exception, `Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent  
                      right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the  
                      United Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international  
                      peace and security.' Iran has not attacked the United States; therefore any threat against Iran  
                      by the United States is illegal.

      The Vice President's deception upon the citizens and Congress of the United States that enabled the failed United  
      States invasion of Iraq forcibly altered the rules of diplomacy such that the Vice President's recent belligerent  
      actions towards Iran are destabilizing and counterproductive to the national security of the United States.

      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.

      Wherefore Richard B. Cheney, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office.

[L. Coyote]

6. THE NATION, Jan. 2006: The Impeachment of George W. Bush

The Impeachment of George W. Bush
January 11, 2006
Elizabeth Holtzman
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060130/holtzman

Finally, it has started. People have begun to speak of impeaching President George W. Bush--not in hushed whispers but openly, in newspapers, on the Internet, in ordinary conversations and even in Congress. As a former member of Congress who sat on the House Judiciary Committee during the impeachment proceedings against President Richard Nixon, I believe they are right to do so.

..........

Like many others, I have been deeply troubled by Bush's breathtaking scorn for our international treaty obligations under the United Nations Charter and the Geneva Conventions. I have also been disturbed by the torture scandals and the violations of US criminal laws at the highest levels of our government they may entail, something I have written about in these pages (see Holtzman, "Torture and Accountability," July 18/25, 2005 - http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050718/holtzman ). These concerns have been compounded by growing evidence that the President deliberately misled the country into the war in Iraq. But it wasn't until the most recent revelations that President Bush directed the wiretapping of hundreds, possibly thousands, of Americans, in violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)--and argued that, as Commander in Chief, he had the right in the interests of national security to override our country's laws--that I felt the same sinking feeling in my stomach as I did during Watergate.

As a matter of constitutional law, these and other misdeeds constitute grounds for the impeachment of President Bush. A President, any President, who maintains that he is above the law--and repeatedly violates the law--thereby commits high crimes and misdemeanors, the constitutional standard for impeachment and removal from office.

...............

As awful as Watergate was, after the vote on impeachment and the resignation of President Nixon, the nation felt a huge sense of relief. Impeachment is a tortuous process, but now that President Bush has thrown down the gauntlet and virtually dared Congress to stop him from violating the law, nothing less is necessary to protect our constitutional system and preserve our democracy.

###

[L. Coyote]

8. The 12 main failures of the Bush-Cheney administration: A terrible legacy

Fair use only permits quoting a small portion of this highly-recommended article:

====================
The 12 main failures of the Bush-Cheney administration: A terrible legacy
By Rodrigue Tremblay - Online Journal Guest Writer
Jun 4, 2007, 00:12
http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_2038.shtml


"I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation and around the world, this administration has been the worst in history." --Jimmy Carter, 39th U.S. President

.................

4. The Bush-Cheney administration has been an administration accused of a criminal construct worthy of impeachment:

George W. Bush has flagrantly violated his oath of office, which requires him "to protect and defend the constitution."

Among the "high crimes and misdemeanors" that, under other political circumstances, would surely constitute the constitutional grounds for impeachment are these: the president and his top officials pressured the Central Intelligence Agency to put together a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iraq's nuclear weapons that both the administration and the Agency knew to be patently dishonest. They then used this false NIE report to justify an American war of aggression. After launching an invasion of Iraq, the administration unilaterally reinterpreted international and domestic law to permit the torture of prisoners held at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad, at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and at other secret locations around the world.

Nothing in the U.S. Constitution, least of all the commander-in-chief clause, allows the president to commit felonies. Nevertheless, within days after the 9/11 attacks, President Bush signed a secret executive order authorizing the new policy of "extraordinary rendition," in which the CIA is allowed to kidnap terrorist suspects anywhere on Earth and transfer them to prisons in countries such as Egypt, Syria, or Uzbekistan, where torture is a normal practice, or to secret CIA prisons outside the United States where Agency operatives themselves do the torturing.

Within the USA, the Bush-Cheney administration undertook extensive spying on American citizens without obtaining the necessary judicial warrants and without reporting to Congress on these activities. These actions were in direct violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (and subsequent revisions) and of Amendment IV of the Constitution.

......................

[L. Coyote]

9. A Partial Listing of Bush Administration Scandals, Gateway to the Many Gates.

I still need to compile a single list of current House and Senate inquiries.
It is somewhat apropo that the thread linked below begins with Jerry Falwell.
Falwell was one of the original architects/financiers of the "Arkansas Project."

First the threads with the scandals listing (do help complete the compilation):

-- Yesterday was a GREAT DAY for Falwell TO DIE. Or, the Buffalo Jump to Hell.
-- http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x899312

-- "It it Still a Crime to Lie to Congress." Gonzales Delivers Indictment, Charges BUSH with LYING.
-- http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x975882

The "Arkansas Project" thread also relates to impeachment. It examines the illegalities of the defamation of
President William Jefferson Clinton which, in sequence, led to his impeachment (do contribute also):

-- Bush vs. Gore, the 'Arkansas Project,' the USA firings, and the Swiftboat Admiral
-- http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1029113

[L. Coyote]

7. REFERENCES at Marshall University. Presidential Impeachment: an online resource guide.

Good LINKS to legal references and articles:

========================
Presidential Impeachment: an online resource guide
prepared by Timothy A. Balch MSLS, MA
Marshall University, John Deaver Drinko Library
http://www.marshall.edu/library/guides/impeach/default.asp


Legal Basis of Impeachment - http://www.marshall.edu/library/guides/impeach/impeachment_basis.asp

Procedures and Rules for Impeachments - http://www.marshall.edu/library/guides/impeach/impeachment_procedures.asp

General Background and Guides - http://www.marshall.edu/library/guides/impeach/impeachment_background.asp

Books for Further Reading - http://www.marshall.edu/library/guides/impeach/impeachment_books.asp