John Nichols: McClellan Will Testify, But Will Congress Act?

[marmar]

from The Nation:




McClellan Will Testify, But Will Congress Act?
posted by John Nichols on 06/09/2008 @ 7:41pm


Scott McClellan is the John Dean of the Bush-Cheney administration -- an in-the-know White House aide who has begun to provide the details of high crimes and misdemeanors committed by his bosses.

Like the former Nixon administration lawyer who started talking about a "cancer on the presidency," the former White House spokesman has revealed dramatic details about wrongdoing on the part of George Bush, Dick Cheney, presidential and vice-presidential aide Scooter Libby and political czar Karl Rove.

So the fact that McClellan has agreed to testify under oath before the House Judiciary Committee next week is a big deal.

How big?

That depends on Congress and the media.

What McClellan will talk about goes to the heart of the matter of a lawless administration. When a White House insider agrees to deliver testimony to Congress about whether the Vice President of the United States ordered him to lie about a plot to discredit administration critic Joe Wilson, that's a big deal. When a longtime aide to the president is prepared to tell a House committee that the commander-in-chief admitted to ordering the release of classified information as part of that plot, it is an even bigger deal.

But will members of the House Judiciary Committee recognize McClellan's testimony for what it should be: the opening of an examination of impeachable offenses committed by the president, the vice president and their inner circle? Or will the key congressional committee -- under pressure from a Speaker of the House who arbitrarily determines that the checking and balancing of the imperial presidency is "off the table" -- approach its essential duties as a less-than-equal branch of government? (Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich proposed impeaching Cheney last year, and on Monday he introduced articles of impeachment against Bush. But only a handful of Judiciary Committee members, led by Florida Congressman Bob Wexler, have been willing to call for the opening of impeachment hearings.)

Will a free press that prefers to cover the sport of political campaigning rather than serious issue of how the current government has subverted the Constitution bother to put McClellan's testimony in to context? For instance, will broadcast and cable networks note that the abuses of authority detailed by McClellan parallel the abuses that formed the underpinning for the third article of impeachment that a previous House Judiciary Committee lodged against Richard Nixon? ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat/328202/mcclellan_will_testify_but_will_congress_act

[still_one]

1. They should gather the evidence, but NOT act until bush is out of office

The worst possible outcome would be for them to act to soon, and bush start to pardon these criminals

Gather the evidences and testomony, then when the new president takes office, screw impeachment, file ciminal charges against Cheney, Rove, and whoever has violated the law

The only other alternative would be impeachment, but it would need to be impeachment of both the president and vice president, and I don't think they have the votes

[goodhue]

2. impeach

[goodhue]

3. kick

[goodhue]

4. Will DU Act?