JOHN NICHOLS: Cheney's Actions Put Impeachment on the Table

[babylonsister]

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/24669

Cheney's Actions Put Impeachment on the Table
Submitted by davidswanson on Sat, 2007-07-14 04:30. Impeachment

By John Nichols, www.thenation.com

The Nation -- Four more members of the U.S. House signed on this week as cosponsors of H. Res. 333, the measure that outlines articles of impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney for actively and systematically seeking to deceive citizens and Congress about an alleged threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and an alleged relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda and for openly threatening aggression against Iran.

Congressman Bob Filner, the chair of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, added his name, along with another veteran Democratic representative from California, Sam Farr.

The additional cosponsorships from Washington Democrat Jim McDermott, a Vietnam-era veteran who has been one of the House's sharpest critics of the war in Iraq, and Virginia Democrat James Moran bring the number of supporters for the articles to 14, including sponsor Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio.

House Members are backing impeachment for a number of reasons, including anger with Cheney's involvement with manipulations of intelligence regarding Iraq, illegal spying on Americans and the promotion of torture, as well his recent attempt to avoid scrutiny by claiming that the Office of the Vice President was not part of the executive branch. And then there was President Bush's decision to commute the 30-month prison sentence of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Cheney's former chief of staff and co-conspirator in moves to punish former Ambassador Joe Wilson for exposing the deceptions that led to war.

The founders were very clear about the fact that abuses of the presidential authority to pardon or otherwise lift the burden of the law from subordinates was an impeachable offense. And a number of House members who take constitutional matters seriously have spoken up for impeachment since the commutation of Libby's sentence.

more..

[Vincardog]

1. a number of House members who take constitutional matters seriously have spoken up for

The time for speaking up is over it is time to get on with IMPEACHMENT return our country to the rule of LAW

[tularetom]

2. John Nichols is awesome

He's the redheaded guy who was on Bill Moyers' Jouranl tonight. Both he and the other gentleman who was on, Mr. Fein, spoke more sense than anyone else I have heard for a long time.

What I took away from the conversation was that congress has an obligation, a duty, to impeach when the offenses of the executive branch are as egregious as those we see today. Mr. Nichols attributes the failure of this congress to act on their lack of understanding of the constitution and their role in upholding it. He was not very positive in his charactrerizations of Nancy Pelosi, or the Senate leadership. and felt that the Founding Fathers would be very disappointed in our current crop of congresspeople for their lack of action. Fein even referred to congress as "invertebrates".

I wish every voter in the US could see this show.

[necso]

3. Raise the hue and cry! /nt

[orleans]

4. "NANCY PELOSI IS WRONG.

SHE IS DISREGARDING HER OATH OF OFFICE."

"impeachment is the cure for the constitutional crisis. don't mistake the medicine for the disease."

both from john nichols, on bill moyers tonight.

[babylonsister]

5. Rec'd if I could-Hot Stuff from JOHN NICHOLS, THE NATION! nt

[orleans]

6. i should have recommended this! i just did! n/t

[snappyturtle]

7. K&R I thought this was the best program I have seen....maybe

in all my life. It was right to the point. Nichols and Fein said that we must do our duty as citizens and insist that the Congress does it's duty. It was non-stop truth.....they all, Moyers included,seemed surprised that it was probably Libby's commutation that has ignited the impeachment issue but they were glad for that!

[babylonsister]

8. Some DUer had a thought; We should ALL send the link to this to at

least Pelosi, but I'd send it to every member of Congress. If they get thousands, it might make a difference.

I thought it was really powerful, and hope Dems and rethugs saw it.

[snappyturtle]

9. It was also suggested on another post that we insist our critters

read the Constitution! It was said on Bill Moyers Journal tonight by either Nichols or Fein that most of our critters aren't students of the Constitution or the Federalist papers, both of which address impeachment as a tool devoid of politics.

[AndyTiedye]

10. Impeach Cheney NOW!

[DemReadingDU]

11. Nichols was excellent on Bill Moyers PBS

along with Bruce Fein too

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07132007/profile.html