As liberal Democrat calls for special prosecutor on Iraq, Democrats duck

[hang a left]

Sorry guys....Headline sucks.

As liberal Democrat calls for special prosecutor on Iraq, Democrats duck

John Byrne
Published: February 8, 2006




Rep. John Conyers (D-MI)NEWS ANALYSIS

Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), the feisty septuagenarian congressman who serves as the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee will issue yet another missive to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales later this week calling for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate possible criminal misconduct in regard to the Bush Administration's march to war in Iraq.

Just three other Democrats have signed Conyers' letter: Reps. Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Susan Davis (D-CA).
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Conyers' move comes on the heels of yet another British memorandum showing that President Bush had conspired with Prime Minister Tony Blair to set a fixed date for war before even bringing Iraq to the United Nations. The memo also asserts that Bush had proposed a plan to paint a U.S. spyplane with UN markings and use it to attempt to lure Saddam Hussein into war.

What's striking isn't that Conyers is calling on Gonzales to appoint a special prosecutor. He's done it before, and he'd likely do it again. But his decision to take public action to seek a Justice Department investigation of pre-war policy and manipulation of the press has met resounding silence among his Democratic Party.



snip>

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/As_liberal_Democrat_calls...

[Vincardog]

1. resounding silence among his Democratic Party "LEADERS".

[BlueEyedSon]

2. Anybody have a list of bullet points/ criminal misconduct related to Iraq?

There must be a bunch

Plame
Plane
Lying to congress
Lying to the UN
16 words
Contract malfeasance
Negligence

[Straight Shooter]

3. They don't "duck." They cringe.

Good grief. Get behind the man, you bunch of wusses.

[lavenderdiva]

8. And yet, in today's NYT, 'Some Democrats Are Sensing Missed Opportunities'

Some Democrats Are Sensing Missed Opportunities

link: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/politics/08dems.html?...

Democrats are heading into this year's elections in a position weaker than they had hoped for, party leaders say, stirring concern that they are letting pass an opportunity to exploit what they see as widespread Republican vulnerabilities.

snip:
But Democrats described a growing sense that they had failed to take full advantage of the troubles that have plagued Mr. Bush and his party since the middle of last year, driving down the president's approval ratings, opening divisions among Republicans in Congress over policy and potentially putting control of the House and Senate into play in November.

Asked to describe the health of the Democratic Party, Senator Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said: "A lot worse than it should be. This has not been a very good two months."

"We seem to be losing our voice when it comes to the basic things people worry about," Mr. Dodd said.



Here's a perfect example of someone DOING something, that the people want, and the Democrats don't rally behind the effort and take advantage of something IN THEIR LAP!!!!

[Nye Bevan]

4. Damn. Why the hell couldn't they *all* sign? (nt)

[Sadie5]

5. Can't believe this

The memo also asserts that Bush had proposed a plan to paint a U.S. spyplane with UN markings and use it to attempt to lure Saddam Hussein into war.


How much more do they need to exterminate the White House and rid the place of the rats now running our government?

[TacticalPeek]

6. Wesley Clark, over two years ago:

October 4, 2003

Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark called on Friday for an independent probe of the Bush administration's use of intelligence before the Iraq war, calling it "twisted" and possibly criminal.

The retired four-star Army general and NATO commander who entered the 2004 White House race two weeks ago amid a flood of publicity and instantly rose among the leaders in some polls, said the American public needed to know if it was "intentionally deceived."

In his harshest indictment yet of President Bush, Clark said the administration's "irresponsible" Iraq policy had put Americans in danger and the United States in crisis mode at home and abroad.


Going further than his nine rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, most of whom have called for a special counsel to probe the leak of an undercover CIA officer's name, Clark also demanded an independent commission investigate the "possible manipulation" of intelligence leading to the war in Iraq.

"Nothing could be a more serious violation of public trust than to consciously make a war based on false claims," he told a conference of military reporters and editors. "Its handling of intelligence and its retaliation against its critics may have been criminal."

more
http://www.politicalstrategy.org/2003_10_04_weblog_arch...


Virtually ignored by the corporate media, naturally.

[hughee99]

7. When did Sanders become a democrat? n/t

[Zorra]

9. Rep. Conyers has to know that asking that lying slimy weasel

Gonzalez to do anything that smacks of genuine honesty and integrity is a lost cause.

I watched Gonzalez on CSPAN the other night at the hearings on Bu*h's illegal and unconstitutional wiretapping of thousands, perhaps millions, of innocent Americans.

That guy is really bad news; it is easy to see that the Attorney General of the US is a conscienceless psychopathic liar.

[stillcool]

10. We the people

have been thrown overboard...pushed over the edge...our government might just as well be on Mars.

[CornField]

11. This is why Conyers, while not my rep, gets my money eom

[brentspeak]

12. This isn't LBN, it's an editorial

[mzmolly]

13. This is where WE come in. We need to assist Conyers in lighting a fire

under the asses of this party.

However, I think half the problem is - "so many scandals so little time."

[Angry Girl]

14. A 70-year-old with more balls than most will ever know

Conyers has NEVER disappointed me. Conyers, you absolutely ROCK!

[FogerRox]

21. This country needs ovaries like Boxer and Balls like Conyers

[acmavm]

15. Hey all you Kerry and Hillary fans, where are your two dems

on this one?

I know Hillary is busy with flag burning and video games, but couldn't Kerry have spared the time to sign?

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

16. Isn't this an initiative...

Based in The House of Representatives? I believe it is.

[acmavm]

17. Then they need to stand up with Conyers and start screaming

that they want all this looked into as well.

Screw that, they should have said all that Conyers is saying a LONG LONG LONG LONG time ago. One ran for pResident and won but rolled over like a dog instead of fighting for his position and the other, regardless of what she says, wants to be the candidate this coming election.

WELL THEY BOTH NEED TO GET OFF THEIR ASSES AND FOLLOW CONYERS LEAD and pronto. Because we sure as hell look to be doing the same damn thing with Iran, and we can't afford it in troops or money.

[AndyA]

18. Bush/Repugs must have dirt on Dems

If not, why aren't they doing SOMETHING?!?!?!?!

ANYTHING!!!!!

They can't even all agree on a plan of action. This is a basic. WTF?

[OneBlueSky]

19. this is why we need someone from outside Congress . . .

as our presidential candidate in 2008 . . . tons of evidence that BushCo lied us into an immensely costly war, and all we get from this crew is cowardice and disgrace . . . and a complete abdication of their responsibility to uphold the nation's laws (starting with the Constitution) and the peoples' interests . . .

on edit: recommended . . . highly . . .

[tom_paine]

20. It is getting so hard to support these Vichy Dems

Hell, I worked my ass off for them in 2002 and 2004 (and will again this year and in 2008), but not only does it feel like participation in a Reality TV show, and a rigged one, at that, but the Vichy Dems do NOT inspire confidence (with some notable exceptions) that they even know, even at this late date, what the problem is.

Even still... NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER SURRENDER! If the Old American Republic comes to a permananent end, and the chances are very high that it is already gone (but may return), it is not a benefit to humanity. For all our faults and flaws, up until Dec. 12th, 2000, we WERE spreading democracy (the real thing, not the BushPutinist Simulation we currently live in) and more or less living up to the Founders dreams. How ironic, that just before now, when none of us really has the vote anymore (perhaps at the local level, but this too, will come to an end eventually in 20-100 years, I predict), that America was closer than ever to giving everyone the vote who deserved one (which is to say everyone except felons currently serving).

No more of that, now. But, damn I am sick of these Vichy Dems and ther caving!