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The Duty of Congress
This work of electing a new president is important, indeed.
And it is exciting, especially as the contests for both the Democratic and Republican nominations remain unsettled.
But it is important to remember that the current president and vice president hold a lease on something akin to absolute power that does not expire for a year. And if George Bush and Dick Cheney have proved anything over the past year, it is that they do not require a great deal of time to do a great deal of damage.
So while the work of electing a new president is important, the work of restoring a system of checks and balances on the executive branch is equally important.
Florida Congressman Robert Wexler recognizes this fact, and he refuses to allow congressional Democrats to neglect their most important duty.
Wexler, the House's most ardent advocate of opening impeachment hearings against Vice President Cheney, reminded his colleagues this week, "The issues at hand are too serious to ignore. Dick Cheney faces credible allegations of abuse of power that if proven may well constitute high crimes and misdemeanors."
Wexler is airing the right questions when he asks: "Did the vice president unmask a covert CIA agent for political purposes? Did the vice president order the illegal surveillance of Americans and the illegal use of torture?"
Wexler is reaching the right conclusions when he declares, "Evidence mounts almost daily on these charges. Just recently former White House press secretary Scott McClellan revealed that the vice president and his staff purposefully gave him false information to report to the American people -- a clear obstruction of justice. This administration has undermined the checks and balances of our government by brazenly ignoring congressional subpoenas, and through reckless claims of executive privilege. Impeachment hearings are the only means available to this House to force the Bush administration to answer questions and tell the truth."
And the Florida Democrat is stating a blunt truth about the current Congress, a Congress that was elected to hold this administration to account: "If we fail to act, history may well judge us complicit in the alleged crimes of Vice President Cheney."
The work that Wexler is doing to initiate impeachment hearings is as important as the work of electing a new president.
"In fact," he told the House last week, "in the history of our nation we have never encountered a moment where the actions of a president or vice president have more strongly demanded the use of the power of impeachment."
Wexler and those who have sided with him -- including Madison Democrat Tammy Baldwin, a fellow member of the Judiciary Committee -- are not accepting the excuses made by members who appear to believe, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi does, that some parts of the Constitution are "off the table."
"I have heard the arguments -- that it is too late, that we have run out of time, and that we don't have the votes. While today there may not be enough votes in to impeach, it's premature to think that such support would not exist -- after hearings," Wexler says. "Let us remember that it wasn't until hearings began that the Watergate tapes emerged. Arguing that it is too late to hold hearings sets a dangerous precedent, as it signals to future administrations that in their waning months in office they're immune from constitutional accountability."
It is an election year, a time of great political theater. But nothing that will be said in the presidential debates is as important as what Wexler is saying about the holding the current administration to account.
© 2008 Capital Newspapers
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20 Comments so far
Show AllTo initiate the impeachment process is imperative. The Radical Right continues to compose its revisionist history, blotting out its transgressions as quickly as they are committed. Unles congress acts, there will be no public record, no truth, no accountability, no political voice upon which to base our democratic futures. The lies will evolve into self-proclaimed 'truths' which will eventually be used to discredit all the discordant 'radical' voices who proclaim otherwise.
The term "Orwellian" is much used these days - and with good cause. I doubt even the master of political insight would have predicted we would have come this far down the path of dissolution so rapidly and blindly. We are, in truth, in crisis.
Nothing new here, but it's good to hear it said over and over and over again. Maybe it will eventually sink into the minds of more Americans that they have been had if this continues.
"Impeachment hearings are the only means available to this House to force the Bush administration to answer questions and tell the truth."
It's not a lot to ask is it? lol
If the Bush Administration is innocent of any wrong doing they should be happy to go along with hearings to settle all of the nonsense once and for all and prove they are as pure as the driven snow. On the other hand.....I have read that if we knew all of the abuses that have been done to this country and to our Constitution the economy would go south. That has already happened, so not to worry. With the economy already tanked this would be a perfect time to expose all and let the chips fall where they may. It is the responsibility of Congress to uphold the Constitution and the Rule of Law. Plain and simple! They are not doing the job we elected them to do.
In 1868 the President was impeached in 3 days.
Every Presidential impeachment has led to winning the next Presidential election for the opposing party.
BTW, where's our favorite Doormat-ocrat apology-monger?
Like my morning coffee, I look forward to his excuses that nothing can be accomplished as long as a single Republican lives.
This guy broke into my house, stole everything valuable, vandalized everything he didn't steal, and I suspect he bugged my bedroom but I can't get anyone to check for sure. I know exactly who he is, because he announced what he did to the whole neighborhood. Some of my neighbors said he's done the same thing in other places, but there he even murdered some people's family members during his crimes.
But the cops said they aren't going to even question him, much less arrest him, because he's old and he promised to retire next year anyway. The cops said they need to focus on positive community relations instead.
Irish Bear,
Politicians are shaping up to be untouchable mobsters. They're the only sorts of people that can do all this and not be subject to arrest. Politics is a law-free zone, apparently.
Cheney's the Bush hole card, baby - when the time is right, everything will be blamed on the old crazyman, who will then suffer some sort of "medical related" whatever that requires he be hospitalized in an undisclosed location forever.
Bush will then claim that, golly shucks, I thought Dickie was doin' a hellava job and dang if I didn't jawbone about not invadin' and tortr'n. One thing the 'Mercan people have'ta un'erstand, see - freedom's happ'n and the e-con-o-me is fun-da-mental strongly...
One correction:
The article points out that BushCo has "proven over the past year that they do not require a great deal of time to do a great deal of damage." Reality: It should be apparent to anybody who hasn't been locked in a closet for the past seven years that BushCo has inflicted damage at the same pace since inaguration day 2001, not just the past year.
Pelosi's November 2006 declaration that "impeachment is off the table" was tantamount to saying that "Now that we control Congress, we can let the clock run out". That statement demonstrated the Democratic leaderships' collective incompetence and/or level of corruption and will go down in history as the kiss of death for the Democratic Party.
Wexler needs to work fast and furious !
When Cheney is impeached, wouldn't Nancy P become Veep? Maybe
that's a job she doesn't want, or the DNC don't want. Maybe
that was a bargain she made in order to be Speaker of the House.
Why else would she make such a committment?
The Impeachment hearings should be waved through with ease but they are not. There still members of congress who are neglecting their responsibilities. Why would thousands of people march for impeachment if Cheney and Bush were innocent? I am so angry that the 'I" word has been floating around since right after the 04' elections and yet they are still walking as dangerous men. Un-fricken-believable.
"If we fail to act, history may well judge us complicit in the alleged crimes of Vice President Cheney."
Both history and "the people" WILL judge you "complicit" in these crimes. Make no mistake about that!
Representative government means playing the oligarchy's game. When will people realize that they're trying to kill, imprison, enslave, impoverish, dumb-down and destroy us all and our environment so they can have it all? And that representative government gives them the means to bribe and coerce 500 politicians to accomplish it?
Even if Congress betrays the Constitution and the American people by refusing to do its duty, there could be a belated solution. Wexler should be the next Attorney General and should still, to deter future would-be tyrants and war criminals, regain the respect of the civilized world and remove a major impetus to terrorism against us, investigate and prosecute any and all public officials, up to and including the President, who have enaged in war crimes, violation of the rights of American citizens and foreign nationals, and justly earned us the opprobrium of decent people everywhere.
Exactly. Both parties yielded absolute power to the two most incompetent people in Washington, DC. Heaven help us!
"The work that Wexler is doing to initiate impeachment hearings is as important as the work of electing a new president."
I would think that, at this point in history, the restoration of the constitutional balance of powers via the remedy known as impeachment is significantly more important that the business of electing the next president. After all the next president will inherit the power that the Bush/Cheney cabal have garnered to the executive branch. Considering who the current front runners are on both sides, I for one would like to see some congressional oversight and restraint on any of these beacons of democratic principles that are likely to be the next pres.
Would it be possible to hire Tom Delay to run an impeachment for Cheny and then Bush, and then Pelosi? He has time now , and he sure did a great job on Bill Clinton with very little reason to even try it. Apparently, the "Hammer" knew how to get people in line to get something done. Our dear Dims are great talkers, but forget taking any action, as they are all going in different directions and it is like herding chickens.
Congress has sniffed the glue, taken the Koolaid, and remains in a coma on life support. The champagne i-v causes an occasional involuntary smile but doctors assure us that the body is brain dead.
Wexler is absolutely right in saying that this Administration has abused its power in ways never seen before. I shall not run down the laundry list of offenses; instead I shall advance three reasons that impeachment is imperative:
(1) to tie this cabal up so that it cannot start another illegal and immoral war against another sovereign country that has done nothing to us;
(2) to establish grounds for further charges that bring this Administration to justice after the impeachment process runs its course; and
(3) to use the impeachment process to re-circumscribe the powers of the President and cabinet officers, so that the next President will not be able to utilize or expand the unitary executive, which is plainly out of control and not what the founders established.
D n G -- The taxpayers are thrilled not to have the ongoing waste of thousand dollar bottles of champagne, now that we can use the cheap stuff and they no longer notice.