Guess Who's Coming to the Impeachment

[davidswanson]

How They'll Try to Bury Impeachment and Fail
By David Swanson

In response to public demand for impeachment hearings and pressure from Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Congressman Robert Wexler, and others, as well as electoral challenges by pro-impeachment candidates, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi finally caved and proposed to allow Kucinich to present impeachment in a Judiciary Committee hearing.

The hearing was then scheduled for a Friday (July 25) and scheduled to last a full two-hours (10 a.m. to noon). Then the topic was altered. Rather than being about impeachment, the hearing will be about impeachment and other supposed remedies to a lawless presidency, with the bulk of the time devoted to those other remedies. Most of those other remedies will involve, believe it or not, legislative proposals. Thus, the dererrence to future presidents who follow the Bush-Cheney tradition of violating all laws and checks on power will be the knowledge that during the administration following Bush-Cheney some bills were passed criminalizing what had always been criminal activity.

Rumor has it there are two panels being planned for the hearing, one consisting of Kucinich and four other members of Congress (Jane Harman, Walter Jones, Brad Miller, and Maurice Hinchey), and the other consisting of five non-Congress Members (Elizabeth Holtzman, Bruce Fein, Frederick Schwartz, John Dean, and Bob Barr). Each of these speakers will likely have 5 minutes for opening remarks. So, Kucinich's presentation of the impeachable offenses of 7.5 years will be limited to 5 minutes. The hope of those planning this afair will be to bury impeachment.

Here's why they'll fail. Holtzman and Fein -- and Kucinich -- are among the most persuasive advocates for impeachment alive. At least those three speakers, it is safe to assume, will be standing up for our Constitution. Another you can add to that list is commmittee member Robert Wexler. Others are committee members Shiela Jackson-Lee and Tammy Baldwin. It is safe to assume that these members will direct their questioning to the need for impeachment and the advocates of beginning it. Plus Hinchey favors impeachment too.

Other supporters of impeachment on the committee are Keith Ellison, Steve Cohen, Hank Johnson, and Maxine Waters, as well as Luis Gutierrez and Anthony Weiner. Zoe Lofgren is also likely to speak up for impeachment. And those in the room as audience will be overwhelmingly defenders of our Constitution. But you can help defend it without coming to Washington. Here's how:

Contact the members of the Judiciary Committee and insist that they be there on Friday the 25th and that they speak up for impeachment:
http://afterdowningstreet.org/judiciarycommittee

[AndyTiedye]

1. Kick Those Crooks Out of Office

[chknltl]

2. KnR and signed the petition! eom

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. Sounds wonderful!!

I can't wait till Friday :bounce:

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

4. David:

What's the betting line on who the "Mystery Foreign Governmental Witnesses"? Who's the hot bet?

[seemslikeadream]

10. Yes

Who is that U.S. allie government official?

[davidswanson]

22. the hot bet is

it ain't happening

[wildbilln864]

25. so you're saying....

there's probably not going to be a special mystery guest? :shrug:

[davidswanson]

54. not that i know of

but there are lots of things i don't know

[wildbilln864]

58. well thanks for replying....

I can't get how we've let this go this far to begin with. I think the illegal spying has given them all the shit they need to blackmail officials and ram what ever they wanted through. Speculation I know but nothing else really makes sense IMO. You're a great patriot Mr. S.! Please keep up the great work. :hi:

[Webster Green]

67. I'm hoping it will be George Galloway..

He has a way with words. }(

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

5. SOME people hear the footsteps of history in the hall

and will want to be counted as patriots who saved the country in the future.

[lyonn]

43. Let's hope your first line is prophetic

"footsteps of history..."

[mmonk]

6. Good work.

Now everybody get to work. Complain later if we don't succeed.

[jwirr]

7. K&R signed the petition.

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

8. Fein is Dennis' ace in the hole

Impeccable old-school conservative (not Reich Wing) credentials and real intellectual firepower. He's been pushing, albeit decorously, for Chimpeachment for the last couple of years, most notably on KO. This guy can't be dismissed out of hand by the Repigs.

I certainly hope that Congressman Ellison (who I am very proud to say is my Congressman) will stick to his guns and vote for Chimpeachment to go to the floor,

[ray of light]

9. He wrote the articles of impeachment against Clinton & he defended Jesselyn Radack

[bertman]

21. "This guy can't be dismissed out of hand by the Repigs."

FKA, I hate to break it to you, but the Repigs dismiss out of hand EVERYONE they frickin' feel like dismissing.

It's only Democrats who have problems dismissing individuals with credentials and real intellectual firepower.

Except, of course, when it's someone like say, Dennis Kucinich. Then they not only dismiss, but ignore.

Five minutes. They're going to give Dennis Kucinich FIVE FUCKING MINUTES.

John Conyers is a fucking right wing tool prick.

Conyers seems like his armature is sticking and his . . . . battery . . . is . . . . about . . . to . . . run . . .

DOWN.

Maybe he'll just seize up completely and somebody else will take over the chair.

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

73. Fein won't be speaking to the Repigs in congress

He will be making his case to the cameras and to history. Do not underestimate Bruce Fein. He has researched this all back to the Adams administration. He is not to be taken lightly by anyone. He will be remembered by history as the Joe Welch of his generation. I speak as a graduate of the same law school and a general opponent of his philosophy. Don't worry about Dennis. He can say more in five minutes than most can say in five years.

edited for grammar and an additional thought.

[EFerrari]

44. Fein is one of the most persuasive speakers on this topic ANYWHERE.

Great choice.

[bertman]

49. Yes, he is, sfexpat2000. He was at an impeachment debate last fall that was sponsored

by some local folks. He was very impressive, articulate and convincing. (Not that I needed any convincing).

[EFerrari]

50. I watched him on Bill Moyers' show. Rock solid, serene

and devastating. I hope he gives the collaborators nightmares.

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

74. That's the difference between a good lawyer and a

traitorous shit like John Yoo, who should be tried at the Hague, convicted and disemboweled IN PUBLIC. Fein truly doesn't care where the chips fall save on the side of justice.

[Individualist]

11. K&R

[MuseRider]

12. Signed

and added a note as well. I kept my cool but stated in no uncertain terms that they are hurting us, the citizens, every day they do not do something.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

13. I hope the ghost of Lincoln is relentless in causing shit-for-brains many sleepless nights as this

nightmare plods to its bitter end.

[The Wizard]

16. As long as Pelosi is Speaker

she controls the agenda. It will take a major movement to get her removed as Speaker, so the point is moot. It would be nice, however, to get impeachment on the record. That Pelosi and others are enabling war criminals does not reflect well on us.
Aside from war crimes, the Bush cartel has looted the treasury and bankrupted the economy for personal gain. When (if) they leave office they should all be horse whipped on the Capitol steps. And that's for starters.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

28. Mr Wizard,

I am in total agreement. Drawn and quartered, roped and tied, yoked and shackled -- a public humiliation would serve ALL of them well.

[MadrasT]

71. Tar & feathers

I'm kind of partial to good ol' fashioned tar & feathers...

:kick:

[davidwparker]

65. The remedy is to remove Pelosi from Speaker by removing her from office.

I' curious how the Bay-area voters will vote. Will they 1) be so outraged that they inflict the penalty of not returning her to Congress or 2) share in the blood that Nancy has on her hands by returning her to office. It is a shame that the first woman Speaker was a complete failure.

[man4allcats]

14. Signed and damned proud of it!

K&R!

[wildbilln864]

15. This will be a great day in American history!

Unless of course, we have a second falseflag attack under Busholini and the boys. :patriot:

[Mnemosyne]

17. Already signed. Will be calling Mon.Thanks Mr. Swanson. n/t

[mirrera]

18. Love your posts... ALMOST 1000!

I forward your posts to about 100 people. Thank you!!!!!

[davidswanson]

23. thanks

THANKS!

[wildbilln864]

19. nevermind...

let me smoke another :smoke:

[Voice for Peace]

20. thanks David. signed, K& R

[Diane R]

24. They only get TWO HOURS?!! Oh yeah; some democracy. That is crap.

[stark6935]

26. WE NEED TO CALL MORE

We should keep calling, and saying what we believe. They should be given the time to cover all the corruption done.

[lyonn]

46. Two hours won't cover bush's first 6 months in office.

Bush was trashing the Geneva Convention and what America stood for when it came to our rights from day one. But hey, something is better than what Pelosi wants to do.

[Greyhound]

27. Late night kick.

:kick: & R

[barbtries]

29. they're gonna give it two whole hours?

how long did they give roger clemens?

that reminds me of how they spent more money on bill clinton's pecadillo than 911.

many things are extremely rotten in the united states of america.

i'll put on the heat to the best of my ability. and i hope you're right david swanson!

[lyonn]

48. Investigating sports for days?

Bush's crimes 2 hours?

Priorities are f'ed up.

[mother earth]

30. Done....and thank you, David Swanson, I've passed the link on...

:kick: K & R

What don't they understand? We, the people, live by the Constitution. Is it too much to ask that those we elect (or those they tell us we elected) live by it also? RULE OF LAW must prevail! Accountability is long past due.

[MiniMe]

31. What if they threw an impeachment and nobody came?

[KoKo]

32. Thanks David....interesting how this is setting up.... n/t

[tomg]

33. I would love to see what Mo

Hinchey does on this. He is my rep, and he is fantastic. For a long time, the only thing I thought he was wrong on was impeachment ( originally supporting censure). Sholud be fun. He is a great speaker and will use his five minutes very well. Been out the country with little internet access. Nice news to come home to.

[davidswanson]

80. the problem

is that he may say "i'd like impeachment but censure is more realistic" and then push censure

[tomg]

81. You could be right. As I said,

the only real issue where I have disagreed with him is impeachment. I've written to him at least 10 times on this. A few more letters and couple of calls more can't hurt. Our district is becoming more and more progressive, so I imagine he will be getting quite a bit of mail and telephone calls this week. Incidentally, great posts.

[davidswanson]

34. ralph nader

says he's testifying too

[EFerrari]

45. If you speak to him or to Matt again, ask them who can help us

petition the ICC. They're lawyers, lol, they have to know other lawyers.

Another way to go is to buy an ad in the Washington Post or the NYTimes recruiting an attorney. Maybe that would be more effective.

[davidswanson]

51. you could hire

a team of lawyers for that money, which i would never participate in giving to those blood soaked companies

[EFerrari]

57. Okay, forget that. We can make the point some other way.

There are lots of reasons not to promote those companies. They generate new ones every day.

It would be good to get a credible package together before the hearing. Maybe Dennis could use the reserve of menace. Maybe Conyers could.

[txwhitedove]

35. K & R, and signed the petition.

[FourScore]

36. Done! I live in Hinchey's district!

LOVE THAT GUY!!!

[davidswanson]

52. please make sure

he'll be there and speak for impeachment

[RoccoR5955]

68. I saw Hinchey a few hours ago, and asked him if he was...

...going to speak for impeachment. He told me, "With all of my constituents like you, bugging me to call for impeachment, I sure will call for the impeachment of these criminals." (part of this was tongue-in-cheek, because he's a long time friend)
Before Hinchey was my Congressman, he was my State Assemblyman. We have a history, and are on a first name basis. You can count on him. This much is certain. As much as the cornservatives around here complain that Hinchey is "such a damn Liberal," they still vote for him, because he does right by them. He holds town meetings to explain his positions, and get feedback from his constituency whenever he is not doing his job in DC.

[davidswanson]

79. thanks

good to know

his constituents should still flood him with calls this next week

[1monster]

37. How will John Dean stand on this issue. From everything I've heard him say, he seems

to believe that impeachment would be a very appropriate course of action.

Bob Barr, much as I dislike the man and his politics, also has spoken out against the Constitutional violatons of the Bush Admin. from the early days.

[davidswanson]

53. nope

dean is a pelosi-follower, can't be talked into impeachment

[bleever]

62. Are you thinking Howard

instead of John?

I'm sure I've heard John Dean make the case for impeachment on several occasions on Countdown.

[davidswanson]

78. want to put a case of beer

behind that claim?

[bleever]

82. Dude,

I'd buy you a case of beer out of sheer gratitude for all your work.

And I'll take your word for it.


ed: I was basing my question on articles and statements by him that are a few years old.


The Case for Impeachment, By John Dean, FindLaw.com. Posted June 11, 2003.

http://www.alternet.org/story/16142/?page=entire&ses=378e59fa048f2ba204077bf8be94bbd9

Ex-Nixon Aide John Dean Tells Bill Moyers that Bush Should Be Impeached

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0402-16.htm

[davidswanson]

84. ok maybe

i owe you half a case

but remember even Conyers was for impeachment when the Dems were in the minority

[Maineman]

69. John Dean wrote Worse than Watergate (referring to Bush)

and, I think, Broken Government. He is the one who helped reveal Nixon's crimes. He is an honest defender of the Constitution.

[1monster]

72. Yes, that is one reason I think it is good that he is on the panel. I don't think

Pelosi is going to be able to completely water down this impeachemnt hearing.

[davidswanson]

77. says you

but he refuses to back impeachment

want to listen to me trying to get him to for 60 minutes?
http://www.thepeoplespeakradio.net/audio/2008/#july

[peacetalksforall]

38. Did she betray us again? If she tries to say they paid attention to it - which words

will she use to try to convince us?

How high do we raise hopes if the DLC - STILL - says NO!

[LWolf]

39. K & R nt

[Herman74]

40. So, "Kucinich's presentation of the impeachable offenses of 7.5 years..."

"WILL BE LIMITED TO FIVE MINUTES"

DAMN!!!

That is incredible. I mean, seriously, in five minutes time, he'll be but a mere fraction of the way through. I'm worried that some of the impeachable offenses will simply get omitted.

[davidswanson]

55. UPDATE

Conyers has canceled his noon meeting with Veterans for Peace

[Senator]

41. K&R&Impeach Or Lose To McCain (4moreyears of bushcheneyism)

[lyonn]

42. We have been f***ked for nearly 8 years, anything is better than Nothing!

If ever impeachable offenses have been committed by a president, along with members of his cabinet, it is the Bush Administration. So few congresspeople are willing, it appears, to take a chance on losing votes if they claim bush has committed crimes while in office - Ugh.....

Edit: here's my personal resonse:

"We have been lied to, hence, involved in a war that should not have been. Civil rights have been trashed. According to authors, legal authorities, journalist of true consequence, Cheney has ignored our Constitution, Genevea Convention, and flat out lied to us about the intel that got us into the Iraq war. Do we the people count anymore? Listen up Nancy Polosi."

This is dumb, earthy talk, but hell, Ya gotta make it sweet and short. Slightly tipsy, so have this feeling of freedom to speak my mind and anger.....

[azul]

47. Just amazing, that millions of Americans are calling for impeachment

and this is what the house comes up with a an appeasement.

Too many congressmen and senators have sold out to special interests and just don't get the critical importance of following the rule of law and their responsibility under the constitution to protect it. Or else they get it and have made the calculation.

Either way, there needs to be a thorough house cleaning to replace these dolts and conniving rats. They will try to swing around when they see the torches and pitchforks, but by then it will be too late.

They all can't be that ignorant and corrupt to not stand behind Kucinich who is obviously speaking out for justice and has millions behind him.

[AntiFascist]

56. K&R, I was just contacted by Pelosi....

to give money to the DCCC. :rofl:

I'll make a deal, if they move forward with impeachment proceedings after the hearings then I'll consider giving money.

[EFerrari]

59. Kick

[northernlights]

60. petition signed

and note added. Something to the effect that this administration needs to be held accountable lest precedent be set that Presidents and Vice Presidents are above, and are, the law. Some of the crimes committed rise to the level of treason and merit criminal prosecution. Please do your jobs and uphold our constitution.

And I've made note of Pelosi and the staff phones. Will call on Monday.

[Blue State Bandit]

61. Hey David...

I guess the guy who laughed when I mentioned Impeachment during the call in segment of your interview on C-SPAN's "Washington Today" back in the spring of 2005 ain't laughing anymore!!!


July 2005 Rally marking the outing of Mrs. Plame.

Can't wait for the big show!

[slipslidingaway]

63. Appreciate the updates, only 2 hours though :( n/t

[davidswanson]

76. not true

noon meeting canceled

[slipslidingaway]

83. Thanks for all your work, I started to contact the media and

Judiciary members on Friday when the hearing date was established.

[L0oniX]

64. K & R

[rhett o rick]

66. So that's 7:00 - 9:00 am here on the left coast? Will it be on Cspan? nm

[davidswanson]

75. have you

called C-Span?

Have you called your friends and asked them to call C-Span?

[johnaries]

70. I love Guess Who! Great band!

Oh, sorry. Carry on.