Impeachment resolution gains co-sponsor Nick Juliano

Published: Tuesday June 10, 2008



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Print This Email This Stalwart liberal Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL) became the first member of Congress to co-sponsor Rep. Dennis Kucinich's resolution calling for President Bush's impeachment. "President Bush deliberately created a massive propaganda campaign to sell the war in Iraq to the American people and the charges detailed in this impeachment resolution indicate an unprecedented abuse of executive power," Wexler said in a news release. "A decision by Congress to pursue impeachment is not an option, it is a sworn duty. It is time for Congress to stand up and defend the Constitution against the blatant violations and illegalities of this Administration. Our Founding Fathers bestowed upon Congress the power of impeachment, and it is now time that we use it to defend the rule of law from this corrupt Administration." Kucinich introduced 35 articles of impeachment Monday night, and the House is expected to vote on them Tuesday. The former Democratic presidential candidate accused Bush of high crimes and misdemeanors, including misleading the country into war and authorizing war crimes, and he said impeachment may be the only way to avoid another unnecessary war with Iran. Wexler was one of two-dozen co-sponsors of an earlier Kucinich effort to begin impeachment proceedings against Vice President Dick Cheney. That resolution was referred to the House Judiciary Committee last November, where it has languished since. The Bush impeachment measure is almost certain to go nowhere in the House. Before taking over as Speaker last year, Nancy Pelosi declared that impeachment proceedings would remain "off the table." She's not budged from that position since, as the president strolls through his last half-year in office. On several occasions Monday night, Kucinich referenced RAW STORY and its noted investigative news chief, Larisa Alexandrovna, as source material for the articles. Two of the RAW STORY pieces Kucinich mentioned are viewable here and here. The House was expected to formally vote to refer the Bush impeachment articles to the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday, although some Democrats feared Kucinich would delay the chamber's other business by insisting on another reading of all 35 articles, according to Roll Call (subscription only). House business may move at a snails pace Tuesday afternoon if Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) requests a full reading of his resolution calling for the impeachment of President Bush, a task that took nearly five hours on Monday. ...



Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said the House will take up the resolution about 1 p.m. and that it must be read in full by the Clerk unless Kucinich waives that right, which is possible since the bill was already read into the record on Monday night.



But it looks like the Ohio House Member, who ran for president, is standing firm. "There seems to be a number of people who want that [the reading] to happen," Kucinich said on Tuesday afternoon. "I expect it will." Back in his Cleveland-area district, Kucinich is facing criticism from his Republican opponent for pursuing the quixotic impeachment campaign. "This just shows that political games and not real policy discussion is the agenda of Clevelands congressman," GOP candidate Jim Trakas said in a press release. "While we suffer from skyrocketing food and fuel prices, due in large part to bad policies from Washington, and higher than tolerable unemployment, Congressman Kucinich pursues a bizarre political agenda with no chance of passage and that in no way solves our very real problems." Kucinich's 10th Congressional District seat is rated safe Democrat by CQ Politics, meaning it is highly unlikely Kucinich will be defeated in the fall. The six-term Congressman did face four challengers in this year's Democratic primary and waited to introduce the Bush impeachment measure until after he had secured his hold on the nomination in Ohio's primary.