Cheney Impeachment Goes To Judiciary Committee
The House voted today to send a resolution considering the impeachment of Vice President Cheney to the Judiciary Committee, a move that embarrassed Democratic leaders who were forced into the parliamentary tactic to avoid a floor debate on impeachment.
After initially having more than enough votes to kill the resolution – the “yea” tally to table impeachment topped out at 291 – Republicans decided they had a chance to politically shame Democrats into a full debate on the sensitive issue. Republicans gleefully said they wanted the debate to show the public how many Democrats would actually support impeaching Cheney, which they consider a move supported only by a fringe element of anti-war activists.
More than 120 members, predominantly Republicans, then switched their votes in favor of holding a one-hour debate on the issue, with a final vote of 251-162 supporting a debate on impeachment. Rather than allow a debate fraught with political risk, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) moved to send the Kucinich resolution to the Judiciary Committee, whose chairman, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), has publicly speculated about impeaching the president or vice president but has declined taking any action since taking the gavel in January.
Defusing any chance of an actual impeachment debate today, the House then voted 218-194 to send the motion to Conyers’s committee, with Democrats overwhelmingly supporting the move.
Today’s resolution from Kucinich (D-Ohio) was essentially the same as the legislation he introduced earlier this year, which included three articles of impeachment against Cheney based largely on allegations that he manipulated intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war. The last article accuses Cheney of threatening “aggression” against Iran “absent any real threat.”
“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,” Kucinich said on the floor today, reading his resolution. “Wherefore Richard B. Cheney, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office.”
Kucinich, who had 22 co-sponsors for his articles of impeachment measure, predominantly members of the left leaning Out of Iraq Caucus, has been angry that Democratic leaders would not allow impeachment to be considered. He took to the floor today to offer his impeachment articles as a privileged resolution, which under the chamber rules can be offered by any member and must be considered within two days of its offering.
November 6th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
[...] Cheney Impeachment Goes To Judiciary Committee [...]
November 6th, 2007 at 10:51 pm
Is “hopelessly incompetent” valid as an Article of Impeachment?
November 6th, 2007 at 11:02 pm
It was actually funny and confusing to watch. Boeher and Hoyer out doing each other just to get something eventually buried. Both parties are all so busy trying to make each other look bad or save face that neither party can get crap accomplished.
November 7th, 2007 at 10:58 am
Remember, even Feingold has said he would not press for impeachment because Congress has ‘more important’ work to do.
OUT! Everyone of them OUT!
November 7th, 2007 at 11:46 am
Our Congress no matter how much they say they are a yellow dog democrats are just chicken shit.
I would think that restoring and abiding by the Constitution would be one of the “important” freaking things they have to do.
Worthless!!!
November 8th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
Dennis Kucinich is not only the Democrat from Ohio; he is running for President of the United States. We actually have a chance to have as President the man who introduced this legislation and shamed every other Democratic “representative” of the people in Congress. Dennis Kucinich does not accept a dime from business or special interests or entities; his healthcare plan is the only one that does not involve the insurance companies; he stands for free education through college for all; and he is ready and able to clean up the corruption in the White House. If he can’t do it with the help of Congress, let’s put him IN the White House. He came in FIRST in the Democracy for America poll this week and SECOND in another grass-roots poll, so your vote will not be wasted. In fact, it may be the most important vote of your life. Vote Kucinich for President in 2008!
November 8th, 2007 at 11:25 pm
Belva:
Kucinich has mush to be proud of. I would even consider voting for him, however, it’s unfortunate the lack of attention and the MSM poor treatment of him, has not allowed his message to clearly get out.
November 9th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
Belva i am with you ALL THE WAY NOW, and let me just say – please Judiciary committee build the case and pursue these people even after they leave office. Any democrat that calls impeachment a distraction is drastically off kilter. It is the entire underpining of anything that is good about America – until it is restored we will continue to live under the JUNTA that took over , was installed in 2000 and stole 2004 ..a banana republic. I will be voting Kucinich too. I gave Edwards a real good look see, and i like him. BUT BUT i love Democracy and i LOVE what seabisqit is trying to do. I must support HIM. Only we can amplyfy his message..let us give ourselves permission to change our minds as more information becomes available..let us not be defeatist..compromise is important sure…but too much , as we have seen …isn’t there some saying about all of this…what settling for mediocrity does….anyhow that is where i am at today.
IMPEACHMENT ! the only medicine and cure for the Constitutional crisis we are in. IT is the medicine, not the problem. Impeachment is the cure for the problem.
November 9th, 2007 at 12:54 pm
However, nytexan, he’s coming in first in national grassroot polls. I believe that there is some reason the MSM, even progressive blogs like HuffPo, are ignoring Kucinich, and that scares me. But, I’m an optimist, and I see him being the Seabiscuit of the campaign, coming from behind and finishing first! He’s the only candidate who bodes well for us, the people, IMHO.
November 9th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Proudprogressive, yes, I agree with you about impeachment being the solution to the problem we’ve been living with since 2000. As for Edwards, I watched the Dem debate, and I decided that if Obama and Edwards had nothing to say for themselves except to attack Hillary, they were a couple of empty suits. That’s when I went with Kucinich all the way!
November 9th, 2007 at 2:26 pm
well the DFA poll is self selected Belva.. and yes his wns are never reported. He did not win in the dem straw poll in Silicon valley and Palo Alto He did win in San Francisco. He has done some winning. but the silence is deafening. Edwards i believe does have heart , not an empty suit BUT some of his positions are flawed in that they do not address the root of the problems only kind of clear brush maybe for us to get there some day….BUT the HOUR IS SO LATE. some may say like i did ..better an EDwards speed bump in this road of runaway empire. And i have also said that country may not want the U turn Kucinich suggests. Lets hope that even though it is drastic and the country may not be ready ..for a hairpin turn. (the power elite of both parties certainly are not) Still its a vote. And quite frankly unless we have a U turn in the voting boothes – we are never ever gonna have a different direction. In the end. Lets hope the Judiciary committee builds its case..and we see impeachment and or criminal charges brought to the perpetrators.
OH by the way ..Order your Kucinich gear ..I know the guy who runs the store…his number is on the Edwards site too.. Keith hired a family member who screwed up orders..BUT he is working double time to get the gear we ordered out , for house parties etc. Also remember two that DENNIS gets matching funds..with public financing. If he even takes that..Anyhow , lets make sure he has enough dough to stay in till the bitter end and be on every primary ballot in country.
His phone number will soon be up on the Dennis site…he deals with the webmaster all the time..we even talked about ways to improve the site which did get implemented..talk about grass roots.. He sells for all the candidates thats his family business – but his heart is with DENNIS.
November 9th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
There are two big pictures as well. one from the view of earth and looks at long term politics parties, stragtegies ..patience …the other is from off the planet..looking at the globe. I once said oh hell knowing me i have probably said it more then once. Even if Dennis has 100 million dollars he would not win. Thats why i need to cast the vote – for the earth. For all that he represents – that platform. Hell the titanic (our ocuntry will still sink …as he may not win. Sending out the final death knell as we re arrange the chairs. Voting for him – for me will be refreshing in that its not the lesser of any evil – its for pure good. Knowing i did what i could to save all the passengers with my one weapon ..my vote.
I was not gonna vote at all you see. I am a green. This system is so toxic – i could not collude with it any longer. I have come a long way back. Even as i said tried to see how it felt to say ok well look at earnest john Edwards. And vile dispicable neo lib hillary – but really as you say what happened was lacking substance. And thank the Goddess Dennnis has seen a UFO. I have , it turned out to be a silver weather balloon..but i swear to you – I was on the phone with a friend…and had to tell em ….i am seeing a UFO…and damned if i don’t live in NM. Happens all the time !!!
November 9th, 2007 at 2:57 pm
Funny, proudprogressive, I was just looking at Dennis gear yesterday, so will be glad to check out your friend’s “official” site. As for the u-turn: the American Revolution was a u-turn; ending slavery was a u-turn; giving women the vote was a u-turn. Where in the world would we be if people had not been “ready” for these u-turns that were in reality a snatching our culture and our society off the edge of the cliff? Ready or not. We. Don’t. Have. A. Choice.
November 9th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
ProudP:
I’m glad you brought up the DFA polls. I received the email the other day and when I click on the states, Texas first of course, I was shocked to see an overwhelming number of support for Kucinich. I knew then that the poll was not reliable. Kucinich has virtually no support here those voters are going for Ron Paul.
I could not take it seriously after that.
November 9th, 2007 at 3:31 pm
Another way to look at the polls: there’s more support out there than we know. Voting for the earth is a lovely idea that I support, but I have a practical side, too. How many of us expected what happened in Congress in 2006?? Really expected it? Nobody! But it happened anyway. The reality, I think, is that there’s a revolution brewing, and Kucinich is our hope for a bloodless u-turn (if you will) toward what the people urgently need and want. These things are so urgently important that the voters are actually paying attention to the candidates now, and that can only be good for Kucinich. Go Dennis.
November 9th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
Oh, and as far as UFOs. Come on. It means UNIDENTIFIED flying object. That stupid Chris Matthews was squealing like a little girl post debate as though Dennis had said he saw a space ship with little green men running around it. “Unidentified” means “I don’t know what it was,” not “I saw a space ship.” Every one of us has seen something in the sky in our lifetimes that we didn’t know what it was. Matthews and the other idiots on the air are just trying to tweak the Shirley McLaine frienship while ignoring the monumental courage and statesmanship it takes to do what Dennis Kucinich does every day, i.e. going public IN THE SENATE to impeach the sitting V.P.
November 9th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
As much as I and everyone else want Cheney and Bush impeached and to have the Constitution restored, here is a very simple reason why impeachment would never happen.
****Conviction requires the vote of two-thirds of the members present, 67 Senators of all 100 members.****
Since we can not get a majority of the Senate to vote on SCHIP or Iraq withdrawal, there will never be 67 Senate votes to convict Cheney. This is probably why Pelosi will not impeach Bush or Cheney.
If impeachment happened and it’s sure to fail just by the votes needed, it would allow Bush and the GOP Senate the platform to say “democrats have wasted months on something that was going no where from the beginning”
However, if Bush and Cheney were not impeached they can still face criminal & civil charges in a federal court. A Senate majority is not needed for that, just American jurors.
Now, lets say the impeachment really happens and the Senate did get 67 votes for a conviction on Cheney; he would only be removed from office and not allowed to ever hold public office. There is no jail time, no fine, Cheney just goes home.
However, if impeached, he is not precluded from having criminal charges brought against him in a federal court. Since Cheney saw ALL the evidence presented and arguments against him at the impeachment, he would actually be very prepared for all criminal charges filed against him. This could trump a federal prosecutor during discovery or an evidentiary hearing.
Waiting to file criminal charges seems to be the best way since all the evidence would be presented fresh and without any prejudice attached. And, if convicted by jurors Cheney would go to prison.
November 9th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
Wow, nytexan, thanks for the education. If you’re not a Constitutional lawyer, you should be. This explains why everyone is playing it so close to the vest. They’re playing the waiting game possibly so that Cheney would face true consequences after leaving office. I really hope you’re right. The guy who would for sure push such judicial action would still be Kucinich if he gets into the White House. Don’t know if anyone else would, but your argument is a very good one for holding off on impeachment right now.
November 9th, 2007 at 5:01 pm
Well i will be damned this is so complex , so even if Impeachment does NOT happen, our constitution langishes..and the hr is late…BUT ulltimately more charges and penalites could be brought to bear on Cheney et al. But ok NY lets see Conyers who doesnot appear to be moving quickly precisiely for the reasons you stated above – what happens to our constitution…does it continue to langish or will the next president right the wrongs…I believe that congress needs to go through some motions at least. WE do need a candidate that will bring up the ongoing issues of this secret government. Congress must have an excutive in chief that will not just brush over what is historicallly one of our most calamitus moments of our history. Every candidate should be howling about these over reaches of the Patriot ACt, and the AUMF and war profiteering by private contractors..at the cost of the tax payers.. and also the sepration of church and state..
and on and on !
November 9th, 2007 at 5:02 pm
Belva:
No I am not a constitutional lawyer but I am glad I was able to explain this complicated crap. I think Kucinich and Edwards would be the only two who would assign a special prosecutor.
However, once Bush and Cheney are out of office Congress nor the Executive Branch would be responsible for filing charges. This would fall under the DOJ, wand don’t worry Mukasey will be out of a job with a democratic president.
November 9th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
ProudP:
While our constitution has been severely damaged, I truly believe that the next democratic president will restore it the best they can without Congressional legislation.
November 9th, 2007 at 5:09 pm
What I meant by Congressional legislation is, I’m sure many of Bush’s executive orders need to be reviewed by Congress to take the proper measure so this never happens again.
It’s sad to say but none of Bush’s orders have seen the light of day for constitutional review.
November 9th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
oh i see Mukasey gave contributions to Lierman and ghoulini ..isn’t that that nice to know. I swear i am so ready for a U turn. I mean a hair raising U turn. The whole country is fookin nuts. One business party – laws so twisted the founders would thing they are on the moon or somewhere, where rational people do not exist. And yeah every single excutive order to see the light of day – regretfully like it or not i think certain dem candidates will like to cherry pick those. cough cough.
ok over and out for now.
November 9th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
ProudP:
Certain dem like Hillary??? Of course she will. Hillary will not diminish her control to the true law of the constitution. Which is why the primaries are sooooo important to keep Hillary from getting the nomination.
I wouldn’t worry about Mukasey he has a short lived job. He will probable spend most of his time filling all the spots Gonzo managed to vacate.
October 4th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Cheney attended Yale University, but he flunked out. Cheney was twice prosecuted for and convicted of drunk driving. Cheney lied to former U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey about the grounds for going to war in Iraq. Cheney is a pathological liar. Cheney is incompetent. Cheney would like to think that he is above the law. However, Cheney must pay for crimes against the United States and the world.
Submitted by Andrew Yu-Jen Wang
B.S., Summa Cum Laude, 1996
Messiah College, Grantham, PA
October 5th, 2008 at 5:30 am
Andrew Yu-Jen Wang- where did you come from bro?! If Cheney gets of with no charges or shooting squad I will NEVER have confidence in this LCS (lying-cheating-stealing) in-the-name-of- capitialism county again. Thank you for laying it out- how can we get this truth out there?