Bush impeachment comes up again
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/07/25/art.kucinich.gi.jpg caption="Kucinich is pushing for the impeachment of President Bush."]WASHINGTON (CNN) - At a crowded Judiciary Committee hearing today, House Democrats talked about impeaching President Bush.... to the disgust of the committee's Republicans.
It was purely stagecraft. The day's star witness, Ohio Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich, received a noisy ovation filled with cheering, clapping and whistling as he walked into the hearing room. Kucinich, who has introduced articles of impeachment, exhorted the committee to "support and defend the constitution that has been trampled time and again over the last seven years."
The hearing, technically, was not about impeachment but about executive power and its constitutional limitations. Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, D-Michigan, ticked-down a list of items that included, in his words, "the politicization of the Department of Justice, the misuse of signing statements, the misuse of authority with regard to detention, interrogation and rendition, possible manipulation of intelligence regarding the Iraq war, improper retaliation against critics of the administration... and excessive secrecy."
While Conyers called the evidence "both credible and substantial," Republicans scoffed.
Texas Rep. Lamar Smith, the senior Republican on the committee, dismissed the hearings as "an anger management class."
For more on the impeachment back-and-forth, tune into Campbell Brown: Election Center tonight at 8 pm ET.
"This hearing will not cause us to impeach the president; it will only serve to impeach Congress's credibility," Smith said. Rep. Trent Franks, R-Arizona, went further with his criticism, saying Friday’s session "amuses our terrorist friends greatly," and "would make Alice in Wonderland roll her eyes.”
In the end, the committee took no action toward beginning an impeachment inquiry.
So? Congress doesn't have a collective spine. He walked all over them for 7 years, now all of a sudden, six months before he leaves, they're talking about impeachment. Yeah, it's just talk. What a bunch of ninnies.
If Barack becomes the president, he needs someone just as brave as he is–even braver.
Bush could never have done what he did without the greedy, selfish Congress.
We need to get this done so we can move on. The abuse of power is unprecedented and high crimes against the nation and world
Thank you miss Pelosi for taking impeachment off the table, now th burning bush will never be held accoubntable for crimes, while Clintons friends joined in impeaching him, shame on you democrazy's , I refuse to vote Democratic, because DEMS have NO back Bone.
You cannot impeach a President. They are the outcome of your own failure...
WELL THAT BITES THE BIG ONE. HOPEFULLY THIS ADMINISTRATION WILL BE BROUGHT UP ON WAR CRIMES
Bush and Cheney both. What they have done to this country certainly deserves impeachment. I personally believe that is deserves imprisonment.
We are in a war that was brought on false pretenses, without any forethought, and anyone who dared to oppose it was made out to be unAmerican and unpatriotic. This war was rammed down this country's throat and these two will waltz out of office without a care in the world.
Meanwhile, this country stands on the brink of collapse.
They both need to be impeached and they both need to serve time. This country cannot allow itself to be destroyed from the inside, our laws mocked, and our Constitution systematically dismantled.
Bush and Cheney need to be held accountable and the full extent of their crimes needs to be held up for the world to see.
it's a shame that this can't at least be discussed in the committee with the respect that it deserves. i'm an independent liberal, who has maybe once or twice agreed with the bush administration. i'm not in favor of impeachment, but i would at least like both houses of congress to have an unbiased discussion of the transgressions against the constitution that may or may not have been committed by this president.
the attempt would be to determine how best to protect the constitution from any future presidents who may see the bush administration as a blue print.
i would also love to see someone in the media ask both presidential candidates how they would restore the constitution to pre bush white house.
If this president and the Vice President are not, at least, on trail for impeachment who will ever be ?
The congress is creating a very damaging precedent and the Republicans should be very careful, as the impeachment or lack of it will bite them back.
When will we see some real action?
While many mothers have given up their sons for the nation, George H.W. Bush gave up his nation for his son.
about 7 years too late guys.
wow, cnn covering real news. amazing and good job!
Glad to see that somebody is trying to hold up the constitution rather than shredding it.
Congress has got time to stage events but not the time to do the work it should be doing.
The country is running amok and all the reps and sens can worry about is the little things that don't have squat to do with our daily lives...impeach bush and leave with him, let someone else collect a check for a change...
Idiots.
If only we could have a real hearing with real evidence where Bush would actually have to speak for himself in front of an audience that is actually allowed to ask him a direct question or two... under oath even.
I guess this is all we get. Thank you anyway Dennis, keep it up.
Put Bin Laden and Bush in the same prison. They share a lot of values.
The Republicans are right. The Democrats don't have the stones to impeach Bush, as much as he deserves it.
Maybe that's why the Congress has a single-digit approval rating.
Go ahead guys, prove me and the Republican criminals wrong. Impeach them and then turn them over to the International War Crimes Tribunal.
I DARE YA!
It is about time for Congress to get some backbone to them. This should have been done years ago. George Bush is a disgrace to this country. Probably, Cheney, deserves it more than George Bush. It always seemed to me that Cheney lead and Bush followed.
It's odd to note how Republicans are "scoffing" at the thought of impeaching George Bush, when they were all set to organize a neck tie party and skewer Bill Clinton for sexual indiscretions, which had no affect on anyone other than perhaps his wife. The laundry list of items leveled against Bush, however, have a huge impact on every citizen of this country.
Get him out of office as soon as possible.
It's about time! Of course, the Democrats have been so craven since their election, that they'll never push for the impeachment. Somehow their disturbing vision of "unity" is more important than justice. They seem to completely agree with the Bush administration's echo of Nixon that they are above the law.
While I don't hold out much hope for the impeachment procedings, I'd encourage any who are to call their representatives and support it. More than that, support the money bomb on August 8 (the day that Nixon resigned in disgrace) at http://accountabilitynowpac.com
I seriously think that the future will add much more than what is being brought up here.
While it won't happen, it should be on record, because impeachment is the right, just, and AMERICAN thing to do. To defend one's country "against all enemies DOMESTIC and foreign". The Bush Administration is a cancer to the American soul.
Bush AND Cheney deserve to be impeached a million times more than the circus the Repub's pulled with Bill Clinton lying about sex.
Just the fact Cheney refuses to disclose whom he met with 30 + times to set national energy policy and being so secretive, sneaky is grounds for impeachment alone.
Bush and Cheney run the White House as if they are above the law and Constitution and forget we the taxpayers have the right to know who they meet with to form policy at OUR expense.
The only thing that is saving them is the fact they will be gone in 6 months anyway.