BS: A Declaration of Impeachment

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Teribus
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 02:25 AM

"Bush should be charged with crimes against humanity for not stopping the use of depleted uranium against the people of Afghanistan, Iraq and our own soldiers."

If that is the level of it Amos, then neither Bush nor Cheney, or indeed any member of the current Administration need worry. Accusations and charges solely amount to trendy, left-wing, "right-on" chatter. I believe that if you are going to instigate any form of legal action against anyone you first of all need some form of charge of substance with clear evidence to back up those charges. In all the "cut 'n' pastes" supplied by Amos (That make up about 80% of this thread) there is only opinion based on lies, misrepresentations, myths and half-truths.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 02:58 AM

I am sure that is only one of many charges. As for lies and half-truths, I am surprised you even think you can see them now.


A

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 03:01 AM

Here ya go....


A

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Teribus
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 09:53 AM

Political posturing Amos that most admit will get no-where, and suceed in doing nothing except paralyse the United States of America politically for the next two years.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 10:02 AM

Given that we have been going to hell politically for the last seven, an interlude of paralysis while we find our moral bearings might be in order, old chum. The first thing you want to do when you have dug yourself into a deep hole is to stop digging.

A

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 10:47 AM

From a letter to the Napqa Valley Register:

"...It was reported in the news that President Bush was horrified when he learned of the shooting on the Virginia Tech campus that took 32 lives.

Why the horror, George? Under your "democracy at the end of a gun" guidance, massacres like that have been occurring daily for the past five years in Iraq.

I just started reading a new book from the library, "The Deserter's Tale" by Joshua Key, the story of an American soldier who walked away from the war in Iraq. Key enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2002 and went to Iraq with the 3rd Armed Calvary Regiment. In the book, Key relates the war he found himself participating in was not the campaign against terrorists he had expected. Instead, he saw Iraqi citizens beaten, shot and killed or maimed for little or no provocation. Nearly every other night, he participated in destructive raids on homes he was told were harboring terrorists — never finding evidence of terrorist activity. When he returned home on leave, Key knew he could never return to Iraq, so he went into hiding and eventually sought asylum in Canada (A total of 3,196 active-duty soldiers deserted from the U.S. Army in 2006).

Support our troops — bring them home now! And impeach the pompous, irresponsible, fascist-minded simpleton in the White House!"

Al Cardwell / Napa

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Teribus
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 10:49 AM

Unfortunately Amos the prize is so great that the politicians in the US at present are so interested in self-promotion and keeping clear of sensitive issues (This impeacment gambit is being used solely to keep a rank outsider's hopes alive and name on the Democrat ticket that would otherwise have slipped into obscurity months ago).

Get bogged down in this and it could well lose the Democrats the next Presidential election. The US currently has troops engaged abroad, you have a House of Representatives and Senate bickering about funding and attempting to impose conditions on those armed forces, or more correctly on their Commander-in-Chief, for purely political reasons. From abroad it looks bad, it demonstrates amazing weakness and an incredible lack of resolve.

The situation has got nothing to do with holes, its got to do with fighting an enemy who has attacked you - in that case you don't stop until you have won, or at least effectively discouraged them. For that you need national unity, purpose and leadership - not petty personal party politics.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 01:16 PM

Wise words, Teribus.

Why do you suppose we chose an enemy that had not?

We prosecuted the Taliban because they gave aid and comfort to Bin Laden. Iraq was completely independent from Al Qeda AND from Osama bin Laden. Granted it had a gruesome regime in place, but so does Somalia.

In other news:

The following is a petition form from a site called Democratic underground:

"Impeach George Bush and Dick Cheney

I ask Congress to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney for the following reasons:
1) The Offense of Lying and Inducing America to Support a War

President Bush and Vice President Cheney intentionally misled the Congress and the American people regarding the threat from Iraq in order to justify a war against Iraq, and intentionally conspired with others to defraud the United States in connection with the war against Iraq in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 371.

2) The Offense of Reckless Indifference to the Lives and Welfare of American Troops

President Bush and Vice President Cheney failed to provide US soldiers with bulletproof vests or appropriately-armored vehicles and had no serious plan for the aftermath of the war, thus demonstrating a complete disregard for the welfare of the troops and the need for proper governance of a country after occupation. The result has been a never-ending war that will cost U.S. taxpayers over $1 trillion with over 3,000 U.S. soldiers killed and over 21,000 wounded.

3) The Offense of Torture in Violation of U.S. Laws and Treaties

President Bush and Vice President Cheney conspired to commit the torture of prisoners in violation of the "Federal Torture Act," Title 18 United States Code, Section 113C, the UN Torture Convention and the Geneva Convention.

4) The Offense of Wiretapping Surveillance in Defiance of the Law

President Bush and Vice President Cheney admitted to ordering the National Security Agency to conduct electronic surveillance of American civilians without seeking warrants from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, duly constituted by Congress in 1978, in violation of Title 50 United States Code, Section 1805.

These provisions are detailed in "The Impeachment of George W. Bush: A Practical Guide for Concerned Citizens," by former Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman. ".

The suspension of habeas corpus and the erosion of constitutionally provided separation of church and state are two other items that could be mentioned.

A

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Stringsinger
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 01:32 PM

Bush committed an impeachable offense when he went into Iraq, the first time officially the US used a pre-emptive strike.

If the Democrats don't get behind the Impeachment, they don't deserve to win the next election.

As for the "enemy", the real enemy is that apathy here at home.

Frank Hamilton

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Teribus
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 05:10 PM

Ah! Welcome back Mr. Hamilton,

Exactly what International Law did the United States of America break Frank? Can you provide a reference so that I can read it.

Or is the question a bit too tough for you? Or are you being asked to substantiate and give flesh and bones to something that you really know is a myth? There is no such "International Law" is there Frank?

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 05:15 PM

AN act of military aggression on a unilateral basis, without declaration of war, is a violation of international law, I believe. Do you think it is not?

A

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 05:31 PM

The British Attorney General carefully concluded :

"36. Finally, I must stress that the lawfulness of military action depends not only on the existence of a legal basis, but also on the question of proportionality. Any force used pursuant to the authorisation in resolution 678 (whether or not there is a second resolution):


must have as its objective the enforcement the terms of the cease-fire contained in resolution 687 (1990) and subsequent relevant resolutions;
be limited to what is necessary to achieve that objective; and
must be a proportionate response to that objective, ie securing compliance with Iraq's disarmament obligations.
That is not to say that action may not be taken to remove Saddam Hussein from power if it can be demonstrated that such action is a necessary and proportionate measure to secure the disarmament of Iraq. But regime change cannot be the objective of military action. This should be borne in mind in considering the list of military targets and in making public statements about any campaign.

(signed) ATTORNEY GENERAL 7 March 2003 "

---

Discussion of some subsequent violations of Conventions can be found here,for example.

A Spanish judge adjudicated the situation thusly:

"Baltasar Garzón, the Spanish judge who sought to prosecute Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet, has called for US President George W. Bush and his allies to be tried for war crimes over Iraq. Writing in El Pais on the fourth anniversary of the invasion, Garzón stated, "Today, March 20, marks four years since the formal start of the war on Iraq. Instigated by the United States and Great Britain, and supported by Spain among other countries, one of the most sordid and unjustifiable episodes in recent human history began.

"Breaking every international law, and under the pretext of the war against terror, there has taken place since 2003 a devastating attack on the rule of law and against the very essence of the international community. In its path, institutions such as the United Nations were left in tatters, from which it has not yet recovered." "Instead of commemorating the war," Garzón continues, "we should be horrified, screaming and demonstrating against the present massacre created as a consequence of that war."

He then writes that George W. Bush and his allies should eventually face war crimes charges for their actions in Iraq: "We should look more deeply into the possible criminal responsibility of the people who are, or were, responsible for this war and see whether there is sufficient evidence to make them answer for it." "For many it would be merely a question of political responsibility, but judicial actions in the US are beginning to emerge, as is the case of the verdict passed on one of vice-president Cheney's collaborators, [I. Lewis Libby] which point in a different direction." "There is enough of an argument in 650,000 deaths for this investigation and inquiry to start without more delay," he added.

Garzón then turns his scathing criticisms towards the former Spanish Prime Minister, José María Aznar, who followed British Prime Minister Tony Blair in supporting Bush's war of aggression against Iraq. "Those who joined the US president in the war against Iraq have as much or more responsibility than him because, despite having doubts and biased information, they put themselves in the hands of the aggressor to carry out an ignoble act of death and destruction that continues to this day."

---

Francis Boyle, professor of law at the University of Illinois discusses later illegailities:

"On 19 March 2003 President Bush Jr. commenced his criminal war against Iraq by ordering a so-called decapitation strike against the President of Iraq in violation of a 48-hour ultimatum he had given publicly to the Iraqi President and his sons to leave the country. This duplicitous behavior violated the customary international laws of war set forth in the 1907 Hague Convention on the Opening of Hostilities to which the United States is still a contracting party, as evidenced by paragraphs 20, 21, 22, and 23 of U.S. Army Field Manual 27-10 (1956). Furthermore, President Bush Jr.'s attempt to assassinate the President of Iraq was an international crime in its own right. Of course the Bush Jr. administration's war of aggression against Iraq constituted a Crime against Peace as defined by the Nuremberg Charter (1945), the Nuremberg Judgment (1946), and the Nuremberg Principles (1950) as well as by paragraph 498 of U.S. Army Field Manual 27-10 (1956).

Next came the Pentagon's military strategy of inflicting "shock and awe" upon the city of Baghdad. To the contrary, article 6(b) of the 1945 Nuremberg Charter defined the term "War crimes" to include: ". . . wanton destruction of cities, towns or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity. . ." The Bush Jr. administration's infliction of "shock and awe" upon Baghdad and its inhabitants constituted the wanton destruction of that city, and it was certainly not justified by "military necessity," which is always defined by and includes the laws of war. Such terror bombings of cities have been criminal behavior under international law since before the Second World War: Nagasaki, Hiroshima, Tokyo, Dresden, London, Guernica-Fallujah.

On 1 May 2003 President Bush Jr. theatrically landed on a U.S. aircraft carrier off the coast of San Diego to declare: "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended." He spoke before a large banner proclaiming: "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED." As of that date, the United States government became the belligerent occupant of Iraq under international law and practice.

This legal status was formally recognized by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1483 of 22 May 2003. For the purpose of this analysis here, the relevant portions of that Security Council Resolution 1483 (2003) are as follows:


Noting the letter of 8 May 2003 from the Permanent Representatives of the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the President of the Security Council (S/2003/538) and recognizing the specific authorities, responsibilities, and obligations under applicable international law of these states as occupying powers under unified command (the "Authority"),
5. Calls upon all concerned to comply fully with their obligations under international law including in particular the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Hague Regulations of 1907; . . .

In that aforementioned 8 May 2003 letter from the United States and the United Kingdom to the President of the Security Council, both countries pledged to the Security Council that: "The States participating in the Coalition will strictly abide by their obligations under international law, including those relating to the essential humanitarian needs of the people of Iraq." No point would be served here by attempting to document the gross and repeated violations of that solemn and legally binding pledge by the United States and the United Kingdom from that date until today since it would require a separate book to catalog all of the war crimes, crimes against humanity, and grave human rights violations inflicted by the United States and the United Kingdom in Iraq and against its people.

Suffice it to say here that no earlier than President Bush's 1 May 2003 Declaration of the end of hostilities in Iraq, and certainly no later than U.N. Security Resolution 1483 of 22 May 2003, both the United States and the United Kingdom have been the belligerent occupants of Iraq subject to the Four Geneva Conventions of 1949, the 1907 Hague Regulations on land warfare, U.S. Army Field Manual 27-10 (1956) or respectively its British equivalent, the humanitarian provisions of Additional Protocol I of 1977 to the Four Geneva Conventions of 1949, and the customary international laws of war. I do not take the position that the United States is the belligerent occupant of the entire state of Afghanistan. But certainly the laws of war and international humanitarian law apply to the United States in its conduct of hostilities in Afghanistan as well as to its presence there. "

---

According to this analsyis there are only two provisions in international law for one nation to use force against another: self-defense and Security Council mandate. Otherwise the exercise of force against another nation is illegal.

The analysis goes on to demonstrate that both defenses in the case of Bush are badly flawed.

A

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 25 Apr 07 - 06:41 PM

The following is a press release sent to the national and international media by ImpeachBush.org. The second half of the press release includes a statement from Ramsey Clark, former U.S. Attorney General.

A nationwide grassroots movement to impeach George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and other high officials was launched on January 18, 2003. Ramsey Clark called for the impeachment of President that day when he addressed a crowd estimated to be nearly a half million strong on the Mall in Washington D.C., in what the Washington Post described as the largest anti-war protest since the end of the Vietnam War.

As President Bush and Vice President Cheney were actively deceiving the country with false propaganda aimed at justifying an unprovoked war of aggression, Mr. Clark on January 18 announced the formation of the VoteToImpeach.org and ImpeachBush.org web sites He stated that the active preparation for the launch of a war of aggression against Iraq constituted an impeachable offense. He asked people to join an on-line referendum.

As of today, nearly 900,000 people have voted for impeachment with ImpeachBush.org web site.

The impeachment movement that Mr. Clark started has evolved into one of the most dynamic grassroots movements in recent U.S. history.

On April 23, 2007 the Vermont State Senate voted in support of the impeachment of Bush and Cheney. One week earlier, elected officials in Vermont said the impeachment resolution didn't stand a chance. Then their offices were flooded with emails, faxes, and phone calls, and the tide turned.

Scores of cities around the country have witnessed impeachment resolutions carry in the City Council.

On April 28, impeachment actions will be taking place from New York City to San Francisco and every place in between.

Polls taken by Zogby have indicated that 52% of the American people support the impeachment of Bush if he lied to Congress about the reasons for going to war in Iraq.

The ImpeachBush.org movement has placed full page newspaper ads in the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Globe and many other newspapers. When President Bush speaks at the Coast Guard Graduation on May 23 in New London, Ct. there will be a large crowd of protesters calling for his impeachment. When Dick Cheney speaks three days later at the West Point Graduation Ceremony he will be met too by a big crowd calling for his impeachment along with that of President Bush.

Today as the rumblings for impeachment are starting to reverberate inside the House of Representatives, the only place where Articles for Impeachment can set the impeachment process into motion, Ramsey Clark issued the following statement.

Ramsey Clark's statement to the media

"We have seen that Congress can be moved. The Bush Administration is reeling from its own wrongdoing. The horror its war of aggression has wreaked on the people of Iraq and thousands of U.S. service members must trouble the sleep of every sentient American. The Surge is only adding to the death and destruction.

"All over the country supporters of impeachment are intensifying their efforts. Our focus must be on Congress, and the priorities of full troop withdrawal and the impeachment of President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other culpable officials within the Administration.

"In recent weeks, tens of thousands of people have sent letters or called their elected representatives in Congress. On the statewide and local level people have been demanding local officials take a stand. Large scale pro-Impeachment demonstrations took place on March 17 at the Pentagon and in more than 1,000 other protests marking the 4th anniversary of the start of the Iraq war.

"The crimes committed by President Bush and Vice President Cheney are numerous. The Bush Administration's war of aggression, its assault on human dignity at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, demeaning the Geneva Conventions and Habeas Corpus, invading the privacy of any American it chooses, corrupting the rule of law in the Department of Justice and others.

"President Bush and Vice President Cheney should be held accountable as it is proscribed in the Constitution, Article II, Section 4: The President, Vice President, and all civil officers of the United States shall be removed from office or impeachment for and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.

"The authors of the Constitution were serious about impeachment and intended that the carefully prescribed procedures and principles of impeachment written into the text be faithfully executed. We, the growing impeachment movement that is sweeping this country from one end to the other, will make the members of the House of Representatives become as serious and courageous about impeachment as the Founding Fathers were."

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 01:07 AM

...A listing of the many impeachable offenses can be found at MaineImpeach.org and on a growing number of websites and blogs — just search the phrase "impeach Bush" and be amazed. They include committing fraud by presenting false evidence to Congress and the American people that led to this war of aggression, which itself is a violation of the Geneva Conventions; as well as condoning torture of U.S. prisoners, suspension of habeas corpus, illegal wiretapping of Americans, and dereliction of duty and gross negligence in the scandals surrounding Katrina and Walter Reed Hospital.

Another strong motive to remove Bush and Cheney from office can be found in the agenda of the Project for a New American Century (search the web), drafted in 1997 by Cheney, Rumsfeld, Bolton, Armitage, Libby and Wolfowitz.

This policy document clarifies the grand plan behind the Bush regime to consolidate more power in the executive branch than any other presidency in history, and the pursuit of U.S. domination over world resources. Connect the dots that lead from the refusal to pull troops out of Iraq, to the ongoing battle to force the Iraqi government to sign over the management of its oil resources to American and British oil giants, to construction of permanent military bases in Iraq — all testimony to the plan for "war without end" and world dominance.

If Congress fails to act to impeach, there is strong evidence that the president will be emboldened to start another war against Iran, again on the basis of lies, deceptions and exaggerations.

In response to objections that in a time of war no one should challenge the commander-in-chief, a young Congressman in 1847 wrote: "That the President must be allowed to make wars as they choose and to go unquestioned and unchallenged during the course of that war destroys the whole matter of the American experiment, and places presidents where kings have always stood, and I will not put our President there or our Republic in that circumstance." (Abraham Lincoln on the impeachment of President Polk)

These words are still vital today. ...

---

From "Village Soup", a local paper in Maine. Complete article here.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 01:21 AM

From ABC News:

Capitol protestors campaign to impeach Bush
By Michael Rowland

American anti-war activists and other opponents of the Bush Administration are trying to drum up a nationwide campaign to impeach the President.

A rally at the US Capitol overnight attracted a diverse coalition of administration critics, all united in the view that George W Bush has abused his powers and lied to the American people.

One of the key speakers was Cindy Sheehan, who has been railing against Mr Bush ever since her son was killed in Iraq.

"The only solution to end this war is to impeach them, impeach the liars, impeach the murderers, and get our troops home," she said.

Joining the array of East Coast liberals at the rally was Rocky Anderson, the Mayor of Salt Lake City, in solidly Republican Utah.

"I think impeachment is an incredibly appropriate and important remedy at this stage in our nation's history," he said.

"We're not the kind of nation that goes around kidnapping, disappearing, torturing people, that engages in aggressive war in violation of our constitution."

Despite Mr Bush's unpopularity, most Americans do not seem to support the call to impeach him.

Mr Anderson says he thinks that is starting to change.

"I was on the other side until not too long ago, [thinking] it's a pretty radical remedy and that's probably not the way we ought to go, and we don't need that kind of divisiveness," he said.

"I am completely turned around on this. People more and more are coming up to me and saying, 'You know, you're absolutely right,' - even Republicans, long-time Republicans, are saying, not only is he hurting our party, this man is destroying our country."

Also at the rally was Daniel Ellsberg, the man who, by leaking the so-called Pentagon papers in 1971, helped trigger the downfall of president Richard Nixon.

"The impeachment clause was actually written into the constitution with officials like Bush and Cheney in mind," he said.

Democratic leaders in the US Congress are not willing to launch impeachment proceedings, but at least one congressman has broken from the pack.

Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kuchinich has filed impeachment papers against Vice-President Dick Cheney.

"Who stands with me? The Washington Post today glibly suggested no-one, I'm all alone," he said.

"Well let me tell you, no-one's with me but the people on this."

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Dickey
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 12:36 PM

House rejects impeachment resolution

Published: Thursday, April 26, 2007
By Nancy Remsen
Free Press Staff Writer

MONTPELIER -- Duncan Keir of Huntington took a day off from his timber-framing business Wednesday to join a crowd of more than 350 people from 102 communities who tried to persuade members of the Vermont House of Representatives to pass a presidential impeachment resolution.

The resolution, which urged Vermont's lone member of the U.S. House of Representatives to set in motion impeachment proceedings against President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, passed the state Senate on Friday, but failed to win approval in the House on Wednesday afternoon by a vote of 87-60.

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070426/NEWS01/704260309/1009/NEWS05

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Susan A-R
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 01:14 PM

Alas. At least the VT Senate did the right thing.

Susan of Montpelier VT

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: dianavan
Date: 26 Apr 07 - 09:51 PM

Will someone please post a list of those who voted in favour of impeachment and those who opposed it?

I think the Democrats should pay at the polls for this.

Vote Dem if the Dem voted in favour of impeachment.

Vote Green if the Dem opposed it.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Teribus
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 01:36 AM

Not a great supporter of democracy then Dianavan? You know, reasoned debate on an issue then a straightforward vote, the result of which demonstrating the majority decision. For you, and those like you it would appear to have to be "My way, or No way."

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: dianavan
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 03:18 AM

How does my statement in any way indicate that I don't support democracy? I say get out and vote but make your vote actually say something.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 09:53 AM

From an essay on Consortiumnews.com:

"Washington's Bloody Make-Believe

By Carla Binion
April 26, 2007


Editor's Note: It's taken years for Washington's insider crowd to grasp that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney launched the Iraq War based on lies and distortions. But the idea of demanding serious accountability still remains too hard to accept.

In this guest essay, journalist Carla Binion says it's time to finally bridge the gap between Washington's land of political make-believe and the bloody reality that it has caused:

It's astonishing that members of Congress are either unaware George W. Bush and Dick Cheney lied the nation to war with Iraq, or they are aware of the fact and don't care. A Congress grounded in reality would have unequivocally acknowledged the administration's lies long ago and taken appropriate action - almost certainly impeachment.

If we say the pre-war lies don't matter and the country should sweep them under the rug and only focus on the best way out of Iraq, what we're really saying is that the truth itself doesn't matter.

If we say we should look away from the fact that thousands of U.S. soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis died for a lie, we're saying the lost lives don't matter, the war-injured and maimed don't matter, America's honor and integrity don't matter.

The logic-free anti-impeachment excuse is that the nation can't handle running the country and impeachment simultaneously. John Nichols wrote in The Nation recently, (http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070507/nichols) "[House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi fears that impeachment would distract from the Democratic legislative agenda and provoke an electoral backlash."

However, the bottom line is, the country can't afford to let Bush and Cheney get away with deceiving us into a costly and bloody war. Decisions on a matter of this weight shouldn't be based on fear, whether fear of an impeded agenda or threat of backlash.

According to Nichols, such fears are unwarranted. He mentions the Watergate Congress was able to carry out a complex agenda in addition to conducting impeachment proceedings against Nixon. Nichols also points out that "Democrats had one of their best years ever at the polls after pressuring Nixon out of office."

The public would likely reward congressional Democrats for their courage if they impeached Bush and Cheney. Impeachment proceedings will shed additional light on the administration's malfeasance, and the increased exposure would likely cause the country to support the Democrats' efforts.

Though Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) filed articles of impeachment against Cheney on April 25, he hasn't gained support from certain members of Congress. According to an article by the Washington Post's Dana Milbank, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer declined to support Kucinich's efforts. Rahm Emanuel, chairman of the House Democratic caucus, said, "Dennis can do what he wants; I'm not going to support it."

It's ironic that Kucinich is dismissed, while Hoyer and Emanuel are actually the ones with the frivolous position. What could be more superficial and feckless than Hoyer's and Emanuel's writing off the idea of impeachment without first examining the abundant evidence for it?

The case for impeaching Bush and Cheney has already been made by prominent public figures, including former Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman. In a January 2006 article for The Nation, Holtzman says, "A President can commit no more serious crime against our democracy than lying to Congress and the American people to get them to support a military action or war."

Holtzman continues, "Given that the consequences can be death for hundreds, thousands or tens of thousands of people - as well as the diversion of vast sums of money to the war effort - the fraud cannot be tolerated." Members of Congress should read the entire Holtzman article.

Impeachment opponents say Bush and Cheney haven't committed documented impeachable offenses. However, Michael Schudson writes in Watergate In American Memory, "A president can be impeached not only for directly engaging in criminal acts but for failing to fulfill his oath of office, failing to see in good faith that the laws of the land are executed. There is no legal 'bar' to interpreting impeachment in this light."

Any member of Congress who doubts the Bush administration lied and fixed the intelligence around the Iraq policy should read the many books and articles which detail the deceptions. In Worse Than Watergate, John Dean, former counsel to President Richard Nixon, says, "The evidence is overwhelming, certainly sufficient for a prima facie case, that George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney have engaged in deceit and deception over going to war in Iraq. This is an impeachable offense."

Dean states, "Bush deliberately violated the very authorization he sought from Congress, which was not merely a serious breach of faith with a trusting Congress, but a statutory and constitutional crime." He reminds us that Bush lied to Congress at a classified briefing when he claimed Saddam Hussein had biological and chemical weapons and was able to use them via unmanned drone aircraft against the United States.

..."

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 09:54 AM

Salt Lake mayor flays Bush, Cheney in D.C. rally

By Suzanne Struglinski
Deseret Morning News
      WASHINGTON — President Bush has demonstrated an "unprecedented" abuse of power and needs to be impeached, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson said at a rally Wednesday on a terrace outside the Cannon House Office Building.
Karen Bleier/AFP/GettyMayor Rocky Anderson speaks at impeachment rally. Also on the podium are Cindy Sheehan and Daniel Ellsberg, right.       A day after Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, introduced a resolution in the House calling for the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney, Kucinich joined Anderson and about 50 other activists — including war protester Cindy Sheehan — at their rally. Also in attendance was Daniel Ellsberg, the whistle-blower who in 1971 leaked to newspapers classified documents known as the Pentagon Papers, which revealed information about casualties in the Vietnam War.
      Anderson and the other activists outlined their reasons why Congress should move forward with proceedings to impeach Bush and Cheney.
      "They have betrayed our Constitution in the most fundamental way," Anderson said. "Impeachment is absolutely critical."
      Using similar lines from his speeches at anti-war rallies in Washington earlier this year, Anderson said that prior to Bush and Cheney coming into power, the United States looked down on other nations that tortured people, violated treaties or otherwise disregarded laws. But under this administration, the United States is becoming "just like them," the Salt Lake City mayor said.
      "We are going to stand up for the most fundamental patriotic values," Anderson added.
      The mayor said impeachment proceedings would send the message to other nations that torture, kidnapping and wiretapping are "not American values."
      "Imagine how others in other countries view us," Anderson said. "These are frightening times."
      Kucinich, who is also running for the Democratic nomination for president, said Wednesday that he may not have the support from other members of Congress just yet, but he does have the support of "the people." As he spoke, the crowd behind him raised their hands to show that they want the impeachment resolution to move ahead....

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Dickey
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 04:53 PM

From CQ Today: 'Impeach Cheney' Not a Battle Cry Democrats Are Ready to Embrace

By Martin Kady II, CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY
Published: April 24, 2007

His quixotic bid for the White House has rarely caused headaches for Democratic leaders in Congress because it's been largely ignored. But now Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich is giving Speaker Nancy Pelosi a reason to reach for the aspirin.

Months after Pelosi, D-Calif., defused impeachment talk from the left wing of her party, Kucinich, D-Ohio, plans to file articles of impeachment Tuesday against Vice President Dick Cheney.

Pelosi's office isn't amused. "Nothing's changed. It's off the table," insisted Pelosi spokesman Nadeam Elshami. "We're focusing on tough issues like bringing the war in Iraq to a responsible end and energy independence."

Kucinich gave a preview of his impeachment crusade on YouTube in March, when he accused the Bush administration of illegally "threatening aggressive war" against Iran in violation of the U.N. charter.

Kucinich press secretary Natalie Laber declined to say which "high crimes or misdemeanors" would serve as the constitutional basis for Cheney's impeachment, and she would not release the documents her boss plans to file.


http://www.nytimes.com/cq/2007/04/24/cq_2619.html

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Stringsinger
Date: 27 Apr 07 - 05:09 PM

Mr. Teribus,

The Bush Administration is yet to be tried at the International Court of the Hague.
The only problem is that Bush does not recognize International law. Nor does he recognize the Geneva Conventions which are a form of Internation Law and not a myth. International law is also covered in the UN charter. There is no question that a pre-emptive strike on a foreign country is in violation of that charter.

It is true, however, that Bush attempts to create his own laws to aggrandize his regal position. The true myth is that Bush and PNAC can act as saviors for the world while lining the pockets of himself and his cronies.

Thank you for welcoming me back.

Frank Hamilton

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Dickey
Date: 28 Apr 07 - 02:40 AM

Who else has yet to be tried at the International Court of the Hague?

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 28 Apr 07 - 08:20 PM

CA Greens endorse nationwide impeachment actions Saturday; State Party approved 2006 resolution calling for removal of Bush, Cheney, Gonzales

Members of the Green Party of California - which approved its own impeachment resolution in 2006 calling for the removal of Pres. George W. Bush, and other members of his administration, for "high crimes and misdemeanors" - endorsed Saturday's nationwide impeachment actions.
Among other actions Greens will be participating in Saturday will be creating the "I" in IMPEACH at the "Beach Impeach" action in San Francisco. The Santa Clara and San Mateo Greens will coordinate that work.

"(Vice-President Richard) Cheney should be impeached as called for by Democrat Dennis Kucinich because it would be due justice for the stooge of the big business and war machine. Cheney's removal would pave the way to impeach Bush," said Shane Que Hee, GPCA Platform Co-Coordinator.

In its 2006 resolution, the GPCA called for the impeachment of Bush, Vice President Richard B. Cheney, then Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, citing the "deception" used by the Bush Administration to start the Iraq war, the use of illegal chemical and biological weapons by the U.S., the targeting of civilians with military weapons, the torture of prisoners and violation of international treaties prohibiting those actions.

The resolution also condemns the increasing attacks on civil liberties in the U.S., specifically citing warrantless searches - including recent revelations of NSA spying on citizens, and the use of "indefinite detentions" of U.S. citizens without the right to a speedy and public trial.

The resolution specifically noted that the Bush Administration used "deliberate deceptions (by) repeatedly, consciously, and with forethought, lying to the American people and the U.S. Congress by providing false and deceptive rationales for an unjustified and illegal war in Iraq."

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 29 Apr 07 - 03:11 PM

From CapitolHilBlue.com:

"...President George W. Bush could face impeachment if he continues to refuse to deal with Congress on setting a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, Democratic Congressman John Murtha said Sunday.

Appearing on CBS News's Face the Nation, Murtha said impeachment is "one of the options" for dealing with Bush's refusal to accept a timetable for withdrawal of troops from the President's failed war in Iraq.

Murtha's comments came after Secretary of State Condi Rice told host Bob Schieffer that Bush will not only veto any Iraq funding bill that sets a timetable for withdrawal but would also reject any bill that sets "benchmarks" for the Iraqi qovernment.

Rice said the president would not agree to a plan that penalizes Baghdad if the Iraqi government fall shorts. To do so, she said, would remove the ability of Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, and other leaders to do their jobs.

"What we don't want to do is to tie our own hands so that we cannot act creatively and flexibly to support the very policies in Iraq that we're trying to enforce," Rice said.

Rather, Rice said, it makes sense to give Iraq's leaders time to meet the goals they have set. She said Bush has made clear to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki that people in the United States have limited patience.

"The United States is paying in blood and treasure," Rice said. "The Iraqi leadership is being told — and I think they understand — that the kind of Iraq there is going to be is up to them. We can't give them a united Iraq."..."


A

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 30 Apr 07 - 02:16 PM

"A top US congressional Democrat has raised the possibility of George Bush's impeachment in a bid to force him to withdraw troops from Iraq.

Representative John Murtha, chairing the House Subcommittee on Defense which holds the purse strings of the US military, made the comment Sunday in response to repeated threats by the president to veto legislation that calls for withdrawal of US troops from Iraq by the end of next March.

"There's three ways or four ways to influence a president," Murtha said on CBS's "Face the Nation" program. "One is popular opinion; the election; third is impeachment and fourth is, and fourth is the purse."

Asked specifically if Democrats, who now control the US Congress, were seriously contemplating the impeachment option, the congressman, who is close to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, responded, "What I'm saying, there're four ways to influence a president ... And one of them is impeachment."

Some of the fiercest critics of President Bush have long charged he has illegally manipulated intelligence in order to accuse the Iraqi government of ex-president Saddam Hussein of secretly stockpiling weapons of mass destruction and thus create a pretext for the March 2003 invasion of Iraq.

No weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq by US experts, but the White House has strongly denied the intelligence manipulation charge. "

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Dickey
Date: 30 Apr 07 - 03:10 PM

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2131539854655700584

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 30 Apr 07 - 03:38 PM

Since Dickey failed to provide any information about his mysterious link, it styles itself as:

The complete and unedited video of Congressman John Murtha's January 7, 1980 meeting with the FBI's undercover Abscam investigation. At ... all » Abscam's W Street townhouse in Washington, D.C. With FBI Special Agent Anthony Amoroso, informant Mel Weinberg, and Howard Criden.

You may recall that the Republican hooligans did everything they could to drag Murtha's name through the mud back when he came out in support of John Kerry. This of course is completely relevant tot he issue of this thread..somehow...maybe? Please? I don't see the link between current events and 27-year-old trumped up bushwah, but I am sure Dickey could explain it.



A

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 30 Apr 07 - 08:44 PM

From Ithaca, New York, the Journal reports:

"Protesters call for Bush's ouster
By Linda Stout
Journal Staff

ITHACA — Repeated calls to impeach President George W. Bush were loud and clear Saturday afternoon on The Commons in a rally featuring local activists and musicians.

Organizers said that they plan to take a petition to the Tompkins County Legislature's May or June meeting, urging county legislators to ask Congress to impeach Bush. Organizers collected about 150 more signatures to add to the 1,000 they obtained prior to the rally.

        
While people, many holding "Impeach Bush" signs or wearing shirts printed with slogans like "Impeach King George," listened and clapped in the cold mist, there was little counter protest.

A young man with a tall plush American flag hat quietly shot video and was seemingly part of the crowd until he held a sign that said, "Impeachment is a waste of time."
The rally, a brainchild of Fay Gougakis of Ithaca, was organized by a local group calling for impeachment on constitutional grounds. Members of the same group organized the March 17 March for Peace, an organizer said.

One organizer said a tourist on The Commons expressed an interest in taking a similar protest to his home in Sarasota, Fla., and that a group in nearby Broome County will similarly petition its county Legislature to call for the president's impeachment.

Some speakers also called for the impeachment of National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice and of Vice President Dick Cheney, citing the introduction of H.R. 333 to impeach Richard B. Cheney by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, a Democrat from Ohio...."

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 01 May 07 - 10:36 AM

And from San Francisco:

"Feminists Say Impeach Bush and Cheney Now: Act on Bush's War on Women
by Feminist Issues Group - SFGreen Party
Monday Apr 30th, 2007 5:07 PM

The Bush Administration declared a war against women the day it was sworn in, said feminist leaders of the San Francisco Green Party (SFGP) today. President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney need to be impeached immediately, urged the Feminist Issues Group (FIG), a working group of the SFGP. While pressure from the grassroots to impeach Bush and Cheney continues to build, FIG criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her failure to act and for declaring the impeachment issue "off the table".

Green Party members, who have been calling for impeachment since 2003, took part in Beach Impeach over the weekend. "It was one of many pro-impeachment events that have taken place in Pelosi's backyard," said Erika McDonald, FIG Co-Founder and local Green Party Spokesperson.

Feminist leaders pointed to the international gag rule, attacks on reproductive rights, health misinformation and discrimination as reasons why women across the US and around the world are paying the price for the misogyny of Bush and his allies.

"In addition to the catastrophic war, women are the main caretakers for the young and old. We have seen our domestic budget slashed, wages decrease, violence increase, and our lives and liberties diminished," said Vicki Leidner, Chair of FIG. "The party is over. These people have got to go," said Leidner.

Members of FIG expressed disappointment and disgust at Congress's failure to hold Bush accountable. "Members of Congress who take orders from corporate paymasters are incapable of upholding the Constitution any more than the Administration. Six years of lies and denials of global warming puts every life on this planet at risk. This deceit has consequences for every living thing. It is up to the people to demand impeachment. It will take the ever-increasing numbers of people in third parties or declining to state a party and those disgusted with the behavior of their respective Republican and Democratic parties to unite. Impeachment IS on the table - that is the democratic and political process," said Leidner. "

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 01 May 07 - 11:06 AM

And from Kennebec, Maine:

Betrayers of the oath



Monday, April 30, 2007


from the Kennebec Journal


There has never been an executive duo more deserving of impeachment than George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. They have sponsored a campaign to deceive Congress and "We The People" not only into an illegal war of aggression, but they have systematically embarked on a campaign to shred the very Constitution they took an oath to defend. There is strong evidence of unethical if not illegal behavior by multiple staffers and appointees who carry out the wishes of these two executives.

I agree with the premise of Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler's book "War Is a Racket" and these two have exploited every facet of that Racket. Maj. Gen. Butler contends that as long as a few can make huge profits from war, then we will be subject to continual war. Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler was a two-time Medal of Honor recipient and is well known by all United States Marines.

Our servicemen and women are dying in Iraq so private oil companies can obtain rights to Iraqi oil. The American taxpayer is not only financing this quest for private profit, but also paying extremely high costs for this energy at home. We are being robbed by those who do not honor their oath.

Impeachment is the only answer. It is the duty of those who honor the oath they have taken.

Timothy G. Bickford

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 01 May 07 - 11:18 AM

Meanwhile, down in Washington, D.C.:

Green Party Leaders Join and Lead Events on April 28 Calling for Impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney

WASHINGTON - April 27 - Green Party leaders called Rep. Dennis Kucinich's (D-Ohio) filing of articles of impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney an important first step towards holding the Bush Administration accountable for numerous impeachable high crimes and misdemeanors.

"The Green Party endorsed a resolution in 2003 calling for impeachment of President Bush, and Green leaders have expanded the call to include Mr. Cheney, who is clearly the brains behind many of the White House's worst and most illegal actions," said Carl Romanelli, Pennsylvania Green candidate for the US Senate in 2006. "The chief obstacle to impeachment has been the Democratic Party leadership, which has indulged and enabled the Bush Administration's abuses of power every step of the way."

Greens across the US plan to participate in various events in Washington, DC, and across the US calling for impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney this coming weekend .

In Utah, the Desert Greens Green Party of Utah and People for Peace and Justice of Utah have organized an 'Impeach' rally at noon on April 28 at the Federal Building in Salt Lake City, 100 South State Street.

The Green Parties of Santa Clara and San Mateo (California) will participate in a Beach Impeach action, and will gather to create the 'I' in 'IMPEACH' on the beach .

The Green Party of the United States passed a resolution in July, 2003, urging impeachment of President Bush .

The Green Party's impeachment page can be visited at . A Green petition for impeachment is at .

After the initial illegal invasion of Iraq, said Green Party leaders, the crimes of the Bush Administration began to mount precipitously:

* manipulation of intelligence to deceive the public into supporting the war (fraudulent claims about Iraqi WMDs, collusion between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda, attempts by Saddam to obtain nuclear weapons materials)

* cover-ups of the administration's knowledge of information about the impending 9/11 attacks

* encouragement of torture and 'extraordinary rendition' of prisoners to exact information

* denial of habeas corpus and due process

* warrantless surveillance of US citizens

* hundreds of 'signing statements' purportedly exempting the Bush Administration from over 1,000 federal laws

* censoring and tampering with scientific research to conceal the seriousness of global warming

* threats to attack Iran despite Iran's lack of any real threat to the US."

The effects of these crimes and abuses of power include:

* the deaths of more than 3,300 US service members and 650,000 Iraqi citizens, as well as countless more injured because of the US invasion

* anger and hostility towards the US and US citizens throughout the world, especially in Muslim nations

* broken treaties and alienation of US allies

* damage to US democracy and entrenchment of the administrations' theory of 'unitary executive power'

* danger to captured US service personnel and citizens in retaliation for torture committed at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, and other sites

* a possible regional or global conflict if the US attacks Iran

the US treasury plundered for the benefit of arms makers, oil companies, and other corporate profiteers like Halliburton and Blackwater

s* evere damage to public health and the environment in coming decades because of the White House's failure to address climate change

Greens also noted that some of the Bush Administration's crimes were carried out with the cooperation of Democrats and Republicans in Congress..."

More at http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/0427-05.htm.


A

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 01 May 07 - 06:49 PM

While down in Atlanta, they do it with candles:

(APN) ATLANTA – About 20 Atlanta activists met at sundown at Freedom Park to spell out the word IMPEACH with an array of candles on a hill at a major intersection, Freedom Parkway and Moreland Avenue.

So for about 90 minutes, motorists and pedestrians coming from at least three different directions got a message: impeach.


The event completed a day of impeachment rallies and marches in Atlanta and indeed nationwide. In Atlanta, activists met to rally at Freedom Park at 11am, and later marched as the impeachment contingent in the annual Inman Park Parade, a local community parade.

Numerous cars honked in support this evening. One man walking by stopped to get a closer look.

"What are you trying to spell out?" he asked.

"Impeach," one activist replied.

"Hell yeah," he said back.

One Atlanta resident stopped by to find out more about what was going on. "I drove by and was like that was so cool. It looks amazing from the street," Erin Routson said.

"I thought [the events] were really great. We definitely put the whole thing out there," Tracie Stern of Atlanta World Can't Wait said.

Protester Nick Prakash with World Can't Wait said he was there "to get the word out on impeaching Bush. He think's he's God or King. He thinks he's absolute. Abu Ghraib, the Iraq war, a possible Iranian War. Stealing two elections, contempt for the Constitution, getting rid of habeus corpus," he said.

"They committed a conspiracy of fraud against the American people," activist Gloria Tatum said of Bush's deceptive case to invade Iraq.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Dickey
Date: 02 May 07 - 09:39 AM

Coney Island 'impeach' draws a thin crowd

Sunday, April 29th 2007, 4:00 AM

Only 150 protesters and not the 1,000 that had been hoped for spelled out 'Impeach' on Coney Island beachfront.

A national protest designed to support a nascent movement to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney failed to draw much of a crowd in Coney Island yesterday.

The organizers of "Impeachment Summer" had been hoping to draw 1,000 supporters to Coney Island and then use their bodies to spell out "IMPEACH" in large letters across the beach. But just 150 demonstrators showed up, forcing the organizers to form much smaller letters.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/04/29/2007-04-29_coney_island_impeach_draws_a_thin_crowd.html

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Peace
Date: 02 May 07 - 10:10 AM

"Our Great List of Scandalized Administration Officials
By Justin Rood - December 4, 2006, 7:11 PM

A number of readers have sent in tips to help the folks at Powerline, who recently admitted to having trouble remembering administration officials (beyond Scooter Libby) who had been accused of corruption or resigned in the face of scandal.

How could you foresake us! cry our old pals Claude Allen, David Safavian, Brian Doyle. Who could forget former FDA commissioner, Lester Crawford? After the jump, you'll find our partial (but fast-growing) list. If we're missing a name, please send it along!

Indicted / Convicted/ Pled Guilty

* Scooter Libby - Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff - resigned after being indicted for Obstruction of Justice, Perjury, and Making False Statements in connection with the investigation stemming from the leak of a CIA operative's identity.

* Lester Crawford - Commissioner, FDA - resigned after only two months on the job. Pled guilty to conflict of interest and making false statements.

* Brian Doyle - Deputy Press Secretary, DHS - Resigned in wake of child sex scandal. Pled no contest to 32 criminal counts.

* Claude Allen - Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy- resigned, pled guilty to shoplifting from Target stores.

* David Safavian - former head of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy at the Office of Management and Budget - convicted of lying to ethics officials and Senate investigators about his ties to lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

* Larry Franklin - intelligence officer, Defense - resigned, pled guilty to passing secrets to Israel.

* Roger Stillwell - desk officer, Interior Department - pled guilty to failing to report Redskins tickets and free dinners from Jack Abramoff.

* Frank Figueroa - senior DHS official, former head of anti-sex-crime Operation Predator - pled no contest to exposing himself to 16-year-old girl in Florida mall. Girl says he fondled himself for ten minutes. Figueroa forfeited his badge, gun, and access to databases; employment status pending internal DHS review.

* Darleen Druyun - senior contracting official, U.S. Air Force - pled guilty and sentenced to nine months in prison for her role in the Boeing tanker lease scandal.

* John Korsmo - chairman, Federal Housing Finance Board - pled guilty last year to lying to the Senate and an inspector general. He swore he had no idea how a list of presidents for FHFB-regulated banks were invited to a fundraiser for his friend's congressional campaign. On the invites, Korsmo was listed as the "Special Guest." Got 18 months of probation.

* P. Trey Sunderland III - chief, Geriatric Psychiatry, Nat'l Institute of Mental Health - admitted to a criminal conflict of interest charge for failing to report $300,000 received from Pfizer, Inc. *As of 12/11/06, still employed by NIMH."

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Peace
Date: 02 May 07 - 10:11 AM

"Resigned Due to/Pending/After Investigation

* Carl Truscott - Director, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Bureau - resigned. A report by the Justice Department's Inspector General found that Truscott wasted tens of thousands of dollars on luxuries, wasted millions on whimsical management decisions and violated ethics rules by ordering employees to help his nephew with a high school video project.

* Joseph Schmitz - Inspector General, Defense - Resigned amid charges he personally intervened to protect top political appointees.

* Steven Griles - Deputy Secretary at the Interior Department - resigned, currently under investigation by the Justice Department for his ties to Jack Abramoff.

* Susan Ralston - assistant, White House - resigned amidst revelations that she had accepted thousands of dollars in gifts from Abramoff without compensating him, counter to White House ethics rules.

* Dusty Foggo - Executive Director, CIA - stepped down following accusations of corruption in connection to the Duke Cunningham scandal. Under investigation.

* Janet Rehnquist - Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services - resigned in the face of allegations she blocked a politically dangerous probe on behalf of the Bush family.

* Ken Tomlinson, Board Chairman, Corporation for Public Broadcasting; member, Broadcasting Board of Governors - resigned at the release of an inspector general report concluding he had broken laws in spending CPB money to hire politically connected consultants to search for "bias" without consulting the board. At BBG, a separate investigation found he was running a "horse racing operation" out of his office, and continuing to hire politically-wired individuals to do "consulting" work for him. He's still there.

* George Deutsch - press aide, NASA - resigned amid allegations he prevented the agency's top climate scientist from speaking publicly about global warming.

* Richard Perle - Chairman, Defense Policy Board - resigned from Pentagon advisory panel amid conflict-of-interest charges.

* James Roche - secretary, U.S. Air Force - resigned in the wake of the Boeing tanker lease scandal, after it was revealed he had rather crudely pushed for Boeing to win a $23 billion contract.

* Marvin Sambur - top contracting executive, U.S. Air Force - Druyun's boss, Sambur resigned in the wake of the scandal. Investigations cleared him of wrongdoing.

* Philip Cooney - chief of staff, White House Council on Environmental Quality - a former oil industry lawyer with no scientific expertise, Cooney resigned after it was revealed he had watered down reports on global warming.

* Thomas Scully - Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services - shortly after Scully resigned in 2003, an investigation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General found that Scully had pressured the agency's actuary to underestimate the full cost of the Medicare reform bill by approximately $100 billion until after Congress passed the bill into law. Scully was also charged wtih conflict of interest allegations by the U.S. attorney's office for billing CMS for expenses incurred during a job search while he still headed the agency. He settled those charges by paying $9,782.

* Michelle Larson Korsmo - deputy chief of staff, Department of Labor - Helped her husband (see Frank Korsmo, above) with his donor scam. Quietly left her Labor plum job in February 2004, about two weeks before news broke that she and her husband were the targets of a criminal probe.

* David Smith - Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, Interior Department - resigned after shooting a buffalo and accepting its remains as an illegal gratuity. He eventually paid over $3,000 for the dead buffalo, but only after the internal inquiry had commenced.

* Sean Tunis - Chief Medical Officer, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) - Last summer, the State of Maryland suspended his medical license because he faked documentation relating to his medical education. Despite that, he stayed on board for several months at CMS, albeit on administrative leave. He has since been replaced, although it's not clear when because CMS did not announce the switch and has not responded to our calls."

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Peace
Date: 02 May 07 - 10:12 AM

Nomination Failed Due to Scandal

"* Bernard Kerik - nominated, Secretary, Department of Homeland Security - withdrew his nomination amidst a host of corruption allegations. Eventually pled guilty to a misdemeanor relating to having accepted improper gifts totaling tens of thousands of dollars while he was a New York City official in the late 1990's.

* Timothy Flanigan - nominated, Deputy Attorney General - withdrew his nomination amidst revelations that he'd worked closely with lobbyist Jack Abramoff when he was General Counsel for Corporate and International Law at Tyco, which was a client of Abramoff's.

* Linda Chavez - nominated, Secretary of Labor - withdrew her nomination amidst revelations that an illegal immigrant lived in her home and worked for her."

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Peace
Date: 02 May 07 - 10:14 AM

Julie MacDonald

Randall L Tobias

Johnnie Frazier--is he next?


Gotta love the Bush administration, huh?

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 02 May 07 - 10:16 AM

Jaysus, it looks much grimmer when you list them all out together. What a parade of maroons.


A

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 02 May 07 - 12:38 PM

A Case Against Cheney

By Richard Cohen
Wednesday, May 2, 2007; Page A15, Washington Post

The resolution offered by the gentleman from Ohio reads sensibly. It alleges crimes high and low, misdemeanors galore -- all of them representing an effort to mislead the American people and take them into war. It is Dennis Kucinich's articles of impeachment directed at Dick Cheney. The vice president will, of course, deny being a liar. As long as Kucinich is at it, add that to the articles.

The congressman's case is persuasive, although his remedy may be too radical. He calls for Cheney to be impeached by the House and tried by the Senate, just as Bill Clinton was for what turned out to be neither a high crime nor much of a misdemeanor. What was it, anyway, compared with more than 3,300 American dead?

In his articles of impeachment, Kucinich details the many statements Cheney made that turned out to be factually wrong. For instance, he quotes Cheney as saying, "We know they [the Iraqis] have biological and chemical weapons," which of course, they didn't. Still, that was excusable, since it was early in the game and little contradictory evidence was being presented. As Condi Rice said Sunday, "When George [Tenet] said 'slam dunk,' everybody understood that he believed that the intelligence was strong. We all believed the intelligence was strong."

But in Cheney's case, the slam-dunking went on and on -- way past the point where it was possible anymore to believe him. He continued to insist that Saddam Hussein had high-level contacts with al-Qaeda -- " the evidence is overwhelming," he once said -- while others in the government not only knew that the evidence was not overwhelming but that it hardly existed. It was the same with Cheney's insistence-- not just wrong, but irrefutably so -- that Hussein "has weapons of mass destruction," and "[t]here is no doubt he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies and against us." The percussive march of these statements is so forceful, one after another after another, that it suggests Cheney wanted war no matter what. If he was lying to himself as well as to the rest of us, that is only a mitigating circumstance -- sort of an insanity defense.

Kucinich also alleges that Cheney "purposely manipulated the intelligence process to deceive the citizens and Congress." That, as the expression goes, is the gravamen of the charge. Kucinich doesn't stand a ghost of a chance of making it stick because Congress is not about to vote impeachment. But no one who reads Kucinich's case against Cheney can fail to conclude that this is a rational, serious accusation. It's possible that each individual charge can be rebutted, but the essence of it is shockingly apparent: We were being manipulated.

It is something of a joke that Washington is now transfixed by l'affaire Wolfowitz. This is the contretemps at the World Bank in which an architect of this misbegotten war stands accused of favoring his girlfriend. Do not be concerned with the details -- this is a parody of a Washington scandal -- but concentrate instead on what else Wolfowitz has done in government and how, now, it is a salary increase awarded to a companion that might do him in. This is tantamount to getting Al Capone for tax evasion.

In the same vein, we tend to focus on single events or statements regarding Iraq (to slam dunk or not to slam dunk, that is the question) and how poor George Tenet, a self-deceived careerist, is misunderstood -- as if he had uttered a statement of principle dramatically resigning over the manipulation of intelligence and it is suspiciously missing from the record. In all this back-and-forth, what gets lost is the immensity of the outrage, the enormousness of the breach of trust, the naive faith some of us had that when it came to the making of war, we'd be told the truth. This was not the case. The harping on weapons of mass destruction was an attempt to scare the American people into supporting a war that need not have been fought.

Kucinich is an odd guy for whom the killer appellation "perennial presidential candidate" is lethally applied. But he is on to something here. It is easy enough to ad hominize him to the margins -- ya know, the skinny guy among the "real" presidential candidates -- but at a given moment, and this is one, he's the only one on that stage who articulates a genuine sense of betrayal. He is not out merely to win the nomination but to hold the Bush administration -- particularly Cheney -- accountable. In this he will fail. What Cheney has done is not impeachable. It is merely unforgivable.

...

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: katlaughing
Date: 02 May 07 - 05:11 PM

Related, at least, to this thread (wasn't sure where else to put it)..from news stories about Bush's veto of the Iraq bill (my emphasis):

Arguing against provisions of the bill he vetoed yesterday, Bush said, "Look, all the radicals and extremists in Iraq don't want to attack America. I'm not saying that. But many do. And . . . therein lies the danger to our country. Al-Qaeda terrorists who behead captives and order suicide bombings in Iraq would not simply be satisfied to see us gone. A retreat in Iraq would mean that they would likely follow us here."

Bush told the supportive gathering, "Even if you think it was a mistake to go into Iraq, it would be a far greater mistake to pull out now."

One wonders if that is what he said to Laura when she mentioned birth control at an indelicate moment.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Dickey
Date: 02 May 07 - 11:06 PM

Vote to impeach is embarrassment

April 26, 2007

I used to be so proud to say that I was born and raised in the beautiful state of Vermont. But now, after reading the headlines in today's Herald, I can only hide my head.

We may not agree with what President Bush is doing all the time, but he is our president. We are in a war. Our young men and women are putting their life on the line for us — all of us — on a daily basis. And Vermont wants to impeach the president? How embarrassing.

We need to look for a solution on how to safely withdraw our troops while at the same time leaving the country we are stationed in with a sound basis towards renewing themselves.

So many of our young men and women have already given their lives so that you and I can live in a free and democratic society.

What kind of a message are we sending to those who continue to stay in harm's way for us?

We have a mouthy senator who does enough damage all by himself. To have the state of Vermont make such a resolution is unconscionable.

SUE CLAIRE BACHELDER

Poultney

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: heric
Date: 02 May 07 - 11:13 PM

>What kind of a message are we sending to those who continue to stay in harm's way for us?<

That we're sorry and we hope they understand that we were obliged to hold our tongues for a time.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 03 May 07 - 01:05 AM

This article courtesy of Atlanta Progressive News

(APN) ATLANTA – H Res 333, the bill introducing Articles of Impeachment against Vice President of the United States Dick Cheney, now has two co-sponsors, for a total of 3 current total supporters, including sponsor US Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Atlanta Progressive News has learned.

The two cosponsors are US Reps. Wm. Lacy Clay (D-MO) and Janice Schakowsky (D-IL). APN currently has press requests in to both Offices since this morning but has not heard back yet; check back here for updates on their comments.

US Reps. Clay and Schakowsky were early cosponsors of US Rep. Conyers's (D-MI) former bill, H Res. 635, in the last, or 109th, Congressional Session. Conyers's bill had been introduced December 18, 2005. The first round of cosponsors appeared on December 22, 2005. Clay and Schakowsky had been part of the second round of cosponsors appearing on January 31, 2006.

The cosponsorships are significant for a number of reasons. First, it shows there is more than one Member of Congress willing to entertain real accountability for the Bush Administration, despite the insistence of US Rep. Pelosi that impeachment is off the table.

Also, this bill is calling for actual Articles of Impeachment for Cheney, unlike the last bill which not only was related to Mr. Bush, but created an investigative committee to look into possible impeachment rather than providing for actual possible impeachment.

Therefore, cosponsorships on H Res 333 have even more weight than those which were listed on H Res 635 last Session.

Also, since the time of H Res 635, Democrats have taken control of both the US House and Senate. Thus, impeachment is even more a real possibility on account of having the potential Democratic support for the bill, even though most Democrats currently aren't rushing to impeach Bush.

Because Democrats are now the Majority in Congress, we also now know that Bush refuses to be accountable to Congress, particularly on the US Invasion of Iraq. Bush has now vetoed historic legislation to attach funding for the Occupation with a deadline for withdrawal. Thus, it is now even more clear that traditional oversight mechanisms will not be effective.

Just over the weekend there had been a flurry of events supporting impeachment, including several here in Atlanta, organized by World Can't Wait and other groups. Organizing and public outcry for impeachment is ever-increasing, and Atlanta activists say that the crowd response to impeachment events are overwhelmingly positive.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Peace
Date: 03 May 07 - 01:12 AM

Nostalgia.

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 03 May 07 - 02:21 PM

Just recently one may have despaired that Bush would get away with murder. There seemed little hope of impeaching him despite his crimes, despite the growing dissatisfaction with his missrule. That Bush lived in the White House mocked the very idea of responsible and democratic government.

What a difference a few weeks have made. Topping the news was Bush's veto of the military appropriation's bill. Everyone expected it. Not expected was the effect it's had. Bush, who takes false pride in being "resolute" may have thought his veto would put the Democratic majority in Congress on the defensive and shift the agenda back to the White House.

It didn't work out that way. The real effect is two fold: The White House must now play ball with Congress (the Democrats) if it hopes to get a bill at all. Secondly, Bush is seen to have played politics with the lives of American troops. Never had this point been spelled out more forcefully and more dramatically than in the following letter from one of the "commanders" that Bush likes to say he listens to but, in fact, doesn't give a damn.

---

General Eaton's Letter to President Bush on Veto
May 1, 2007

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

Today, in your veto message regarding the bipartisan legislation just passed on Operation Iraqi Freedom, you asserted that you so decided because you listen to your commanders on the ground.

Respectfully, as your former commander on the ground, your administration did not listen to our best advice. In fact, a number of my fellow Generals were forced out of their jobs, because they did not tell you what you wanted to hear -- most notably General Eric Shinseki, whose foresight regarding troop levels was advice you rejected, at our troops' peril.

The legislation you vetoed today represented a course of action that is long overdue. This war can no longer be won by the military alone. We must bring to bear the entire array of national power - military, diplomatic and economic. The situation demands a surge in diplomacy, and pressure on the Iraqi government to fix its internal affairs. Further, the Army and Marine Corps are on the verge of breaking - or have been broken already - by the length and intensity of this war. This tempo is not sustainable - and you have failed to grow the ground forces to meet national security needs. We must begin the process of bringing troops home, and repairing and growing our military, if we are ever to have a combat-ready force for the long war on terror ahead of us.

The bill you rejected today sets benchmarks for success that the Iraqis would have to meet, and puts us on a course to redeploy our troops. It stresses the need for sending troops into battle only when they are rested, trained and equipped. In my view, and in the view of many others in the military that I know, that is the best course of action for our security.

As someone who served this nation for decades, I have the utmost respect for the office you hold. However, as a man of conscience, I could not sit idly by as you told the American people today that your veto was based on the recommendations of military men. Your administration ignored the advice of our military's finest minds before, and I see no evidence that you are listening to them now.

I urge you to reconsider your position, and work with Congress to pass a bill that achieves the goals laid out above.

Respectfully,

Major General Paul D. Eaton, USA, Retired

---

There is also the statement by Maj. Gen. John Batiste.


"The President vetoed our troops and the American people. His stubborn commitment to a failed strategy in Iraq is incomprehensible. He committed our great military to a failed strategy in violation of basic principles of war. His failure to mobilize the nation to defeat world wide Islamic extremism is tragic. We deserve more from our commander-in-chief and his administration.

--Maj. Gen. John Batiste, USA, Ret."

---

Why will we, the people, impeach George W. Bush? First, we are sovereign, not Bush, a fact Bush never mastered. Bush works for us, not the other way 'round.

Secondly, Bush violated a trust that is as sacred as possible in a secular society. That is the trust given him by a free electorate. That Bush does not care about those values is the most compelling reason he must go. By refusing to investigate the events of 911, Bush broke with precedent established with Pearl Harbor.

(From Op Ed News.com)

A

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 03 May 07 - 02:25 PM

See also:

Groups believe impeachment is 'more on the table than people think'

Miriam Raftery
Published: Wednesday May 2, 2007
(Click headline to see article).

A

Subject: RE: BS: A Declaration of Impeachment
From: Amos
Date: 04 May 07 - 11:55 AM

Demonstrators call to impeach Bush - Protesters form 'human mural' spelling out 'I-M-P-E-A-C-H' on Coney Island beach
By Joe Maniscalco 05/03/2007

from "Courier Life"--Brooklyn

More than 150 people stretched out in the sand in Coney Island on Sunday afternoon hoping to send a message big enough for the United States Congress to see.

Impeach the president.

Volunteers started showing up on the beach at around 11 a.m. to begin assembling a "human mural" stretching from West 10th Street to Stillwell Avenue forming the word "Impeach" on the sand.

"We've got an 'Impeach' on Ocean Beach in San Francisco facing the Pacific Ocean and now we've got it facing the Atlantic so it's kind of like impeachment from sea to sea," said event organizer Jacob Park.

Similar events also took place in over 125 different cities and towns nationwide as part of a grassroots coalition of organizations called A28.org and its "Impeachment Summer" campaign.

"What we want is to get people around the country who are now energized to put a lot of pressure on Congress, especially the House Judiciary Committee, and tell them we want you to take up Kucinich's articles of impeachment," Park said.

Last week, Ohio Rep. and Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich officially got the impeachment ball rolling in the House of Representatives when he introduced Articles of Impeachment against Vice-President Dick Cheney.

Brooklyn moms Pam Abrams and Susan Banta staked out their place in the sand with their children on a blanket in the "I" column.

"If the impeach sign gets all over the country and makes it onto the news, it will show that the country is solidly against the administration," Abrams said.

"I think there have been a number of crimes that are impeachable by this administration," Banta said. "I'd like to see Congress acting on the proposal right now for impeachment. I'm hoping that they'll be reassured that they would have support."

Volunteers with bullhorns patrolled the boardwalk urging weekend crowds in the shadow of Deno's Wonder Wheel to stop and join the 150 volunteers who signed up for the event online.

"We really need to get Bush and Cheney out," said Lani Bouwer, a 22-year-old photographer from Bedford-Stuyvesant. "There's a Democratic Congress now and there are changes that need to be made and now's the time to mobilize to make those changes before the situation gets any worse."

Participants overwhelmingly cited the ongoing war in Iraq as the number one grounds for the removing the president from office.

"The guy's making noise about Iran which would be compounding the disasters in Iraq and Afghanistan," said New York City resident Robert Jereski. "The Democrats have control. They have no excuse – let's see some action."

Brooklyn mom Elizabeth Schell played with her four-year-old son as they waited for the helicopter that would take an aerial photograph of the demonstration to arrive.

"Bush is continuing to pursue war when I think the majority of the country is making it clear that it's not what the country wants to do," she said. "He doesn't really seem to have the best interest of the country or the rest of the world at heart."

The local mom from Gowanus said she felt patriotic pushing for impeachment.

"The whole point of the founding of our country has been about expressing your opinion in a peaceful way and about helping other people find a peaceful way to freedom," she said.