Kucinich Asks 'Is it Time for Impeachment?'

[Flabbergasted]

http://www.commondreams.org/news2007/0319-03.htm


Kucinich Asks 'Is it Time for Impeachment?'

CLEVELAND - March 19 - On the fourth anniversary of the start of the Iraq War, Congressman and Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich has asked his fellow Americans if it is time to consider impeachment of members of the Bush administration.

In a three-and-a-half minute video posted Monday on his campaign website and on YouTube.com, the Ohio Congressman said, "We are in an interesting condition in this country, where we are told to take impeachment off the table, and keep on the table a U.S. military attack against Iran."

Kucinich was referring to the long-standing insistence of some House Democrats that impeachment was "off the table" in Congress, and to the removal last week of a clause in the pending Iraq War appropriations bill that would have insisted the President come to Congress for approval before launching any military action against Iran.

"This past week, in the Congress of the United States, I noted that the administration has threatened aggressive war against Iran. This is a violation of the UN charter. ... It's illegal to threaten aggressive war against another nation. Iran has no ability to attack us. And they do not have the intention to attack the United States."

Kucinich asked people to join him in taking a stand on behalf of peace.

"We cannot let this administration go any deeper into this journey, into destroying democratic governance, trashing our Constitution, forgetting the very purpose of this nation. America was never meant to be a nation forever on the warpath. It was meant to be a nation which also had the capacity to 'Promote the General Welfare.' We need to reevaluate the direction of this administration by looking at its conduct in office, by determining whether it has faithfully followed the laws of our nation."

Kucinich said he was prepared to start the impeachment process.

In an address on the House floor last week he warned the administration that its actions toward Iran "already constitute a case to ask the question about impeachment."

On Monday, he traveled to London to meet with members of the British Parliament concerned about the war, and to give the keynote address at a large anti-war rally (http://www.stopwar.org.uk) to be held at Westminster on Tuesday.

In his video, Kucinich asked if others also think it is time to go down the road to impeachment. Responses to his video can be posted on his campaign web site: http://www.kucinich.us.

Transcript of video follows:
Impeachment: I'm asking you. Do you think it's time?
Transcript of video by Dennis Kucinich
March 19, 2007

[southerncrone]

1. Go, Dennis!! The answer is YES!!!!!

[More Than A Feeling]

2. If it isn't, then the honest thing to do would be to amend the constitution

to eliminate impeachment, because if we aren't going to hold this president accountable via impeachment, then impeachment will never be appropriate, ever.

[Flabbergasted]

3. Shhh.. Don't tell George that or it will end up in the "Unpatriotic act."

[ninkasi]

4. Yes, it's time

I agree with Dennis, it's time, even past time, to impeach these corrupt war-mongers. They are ruining our country, and should be impeached, convicted, and serving prison time. We need to take our government back before it's too late.

[Greyhound]

5. Far past time, and yet he is still the only candidate with the guts to point it out.

There is still time, but make no mistake, the window of opportunity is rapidly closing.
:kick: & R

[Labors of Hercules]

6. Congress is going about this the right way...

investigating, bringing the truth to light and building case after case, stacking the deck and swaying public opinion until Repug legislators have no choice but to side with Democrats against the administration. It is a longer process, but it is the only way to work it. Nixon resigned under threat, but they know Dictatertot won't. It's all or nothing this time round.

That's just the way it is.

[More Than A Feeling]

8. Are you looking forward to the elitist media chanting "move on"

as much as I am? :sarcasm:

[Labors of Hercules]

9. hell yeah... I've got beer and popcorn ready to go!

and while they're chanting I'm gonna be kicking back by the jailhouse door waiting to welcome Dick-n-Bush home!

:beer:

[earthside]

7. Hmm ... Impeachment or Permanent Base in Iraq?

One candidate for the Democratic nomination for president says U.S. troops out of Iraq and impeachment is on the table.

Another says she favors a permanent U.S. military presence in Iraq because of oil and Israel.

Which to choose.

[AnOhioan]

10. I support Dennis asking the question...

I also support thorough investigations so that when the House acts to impeach the Senate will have enough evidence to convict. Impeaching the chimp is not enough, I want a damn conviction and removal from office.

[NoPasaran]

11. NoPasaran answers "No!"

It's all hot air until 'til you've got 67 senators.

[DemBones DemBones]

19. DemBones says "You can't get anywhere unless you start somewhere."

Sixty-seven senators are needed to find a president guilty on impeachment charges.

The House of Representatives, however, must issue impeachment charges so it's entirely appropriate for a House member to bring it up and Dennis Kucinich is a man who'll say things others won't.

Kucinich stood against the Iraq war before it started. He saw the writing on the wall and spoke out publicly at least as early as February 2002. The administration didn't "roll out" their new product, invading Iraq, until the following fall.

Almost everyone in the House and Senate approved the authorization to invade Iraq if Saddam was shown to have WMD, refused to allow inspectors, etc. Kucinich didn't vote for it.

Kucinich refused to vote for the Patriot Act. He said it was too lengthy to read in the time frame Congress was allowed to consider it and he wouldn't vote for anything he hadn't read. Too bad others didn't have that point of view.

Now Kucinich has said the "I" word. If others in Congress have said the word, I haven't heard it. Pelosi said impeachment was "off the table" before she took office as Speaker, which greatly disappointed me. It would have been a mistake to go in yelling "Impeach! Impeach!" as the Republicans did to Clinton, but saying anything is off the table is something a politician should avoid. She could have said "At this time, we have no plans to impeach. We have a lot of work to do and I won't be focusing on impeachment." That would have left the opportunity open for other House members to focus on investigating and seeking articles of impeachment if warranted by investigations.

[Tom Joad]

12. When Pelosi et.al. describe the table, with war on it and impeachment of the most

criminal administration in US history... me thinks it is time to overturn the tables and drive the money makers out of politics.

[ncteechur]

13. Hell, Yeah!!

[SaveElmer]

14. And has "DK" explained how he intends to accomplish this?

Or is this just another piece of flank steak for his "progressive" supporters. Another DK proposal that he cannot or will not actually attempt to accomplish...given his record so far, I would say that is quite likely!

[AnOhioan]

15. Ah yes....and SaveElmer shows up again...

to take a crap on a DK thread...surprised you ever have time to post anything else.

[SaveElmer]

16. Sorry to interrupt the genuflecting...

As we know there no one EVER jumps on pro-Hillary threads...

[AnOhioan]

17. Never said no-one jumped on Hillary threads...

Just noticing you almost ALWAYS jump on Dennis threads. No problem really...it does help keep the threads kicked. :)

[SaveElmer]

18. Now if I ALWYS jumped on them...

I truly would not have enough time for anything else...only a few selected ones. I don't disagree with him on everything....

[DemBones DemBones]

25. You made 19 posts in one Kucinich thread on March 16, 7 today,

At least 1 or 2 on every recent Kucinich thread I found. Maybe you don't realize how often you're posting in these threads. :shrug:

If Hillary Clinton gets the nomination, don't you want Kucinich supporters to vote for her?

Dennis Kucinich will support the nominee, out of party loyalty.

But his supporters don't have to and, speaking for myself only, after forty years of voting Democratic, I'm very tired of voting for Democrats who act like moderate Republicans. I want to vote for a progressive candidate, not one who'll continue the wars and sign more agreements like NAFTA and CAFTA.

Attacks on progressive candidates are not helpful to centrists like Hillary Clinton.

[SaveElmer]

29. Jeez...talk about spending all your time on something...

Of the many threads on DK today...and I count several on page one...I have posted in two of them...

I much more often post in Hillary bashing threads...of which there are exponentially more than on DK...

And the fact is, you will rarely if ever see a Hillary supporter, or moderate (centrist) Democrat on this board threaten to not vote for the nominee of the Party, which is a common threat from my "progressive" friends here...

And oh btw: Hillary voted against CAFTA

[Flabbergasted]

33. We know you post specifically against Dennis. Thats the point. Pretty obvious.

[SaveElmer]

37. Well then you are not paying attention....

I post many times of order more often in Hillary threads...

However, of the Democratic candidates the only one I feel is truly unqualified is Kucinich, so I disagree with the general chorus of hallelujahs...

If it really disturbs you, ignore is your friend!!!!

[Flabbergasted]

38. Kucinich is more than qualified. He's what the country needs...

You missed my point. I was saying that you work to specifically Bash Kucinich. I've seen you repeatedly use the same arguments against other people as you did me at first.

[SaveElmer]

39. As so many "progressives" here like to say...

It isn't bashing if it's the truth...and it is...Kucinich simply does not have a record of accomplishment that would indicate he would be even competent as President let alone a good one...

[mvd]

40. Oh, I disagree - it's no fact

He has sponsored or co-sponsored something on most everything that is important to me. From the war, to heath care, to tax fairness.

[DemBones DemBones]

20. Perhaps you should check his website, kucinich.us -- he does explain

his proposals there. He is calling for a discussion about impeachment, which is a necessary first step.

A couple of paragraphs from his site:

"This past week in the Congress of the United States, I noted that the administration has threatened aggressive war against Iran. This is a violation of the UN charter. Charters are treaties. Article 6 of the Constitution of the United States says that treaties are the law of our land, the supreme law of our land. It's illegal to threaten aggressive war against another nation."

"America was never meant to be a nation forever on the warpath. It was meant to be a nation which also had the capacity to “Promote the General Welfare.” We need to reevaluate the direction of this administration by looking at its conduct in office, by determining whether it has faithfully followed the laws of our nation. I'm prepared to start that process. I began this week with a speech on the floor of the House, which warned the administration that its actions toward Iran already constitute a case to ask the question about impeachment."

"So I'm asking you, what do you think? Do you think it's time?"



Dennis Kucinich is trying to help save this country. What are YOU, SaveElmer, doing to help save this country?

[SaveElmer]

21. Not wasting time on a pointless effort at impeachment...

Which will fail...

Investigation, oversight...go all out...make it about impeachment and it will harm the Democratic Party...

Personally I am very active in my local party, sit on the county Democratic committee, volunteer every year on numerous campaigns, and am my local precinct captain..

[DemBones DemBones]

23. Look in your crystal ball and tell me

more about the future, please.

Why would someone so active in the local Democratic Party want to denigrate any Democratic candidate? Why not start a thread extolling whomever you support?

[SaveElmer]

24. A quick search will show you...

That I have on countless occasions...

Unfortunately the culture at DU includes constant, inaccurate and often vicious attacks on my candidate...in comparison my criticisms of Kucinich could hardly be called "denigrating," and I have not had anyone yet convince me they are inaccurate.

[DemBones DemBones]

26. I just did a quick search, actually. Check it out. nt

[SaveElmer]

27. Guess you didn't search enough....

I post on Hillary quite often...sometimes my own threads, sometimes in response to others...

[DemBones DemBones]

22. Let's review some of what Kucinich has done in the past and is doing now.

Kucinich stood against the Iraq war before it started. He saw the writing on the wall and spoke out publicly at least as early as February 2002. The administration didn't "roll out" their new product, invading Iraq, until the following fall.

Almost everyone in the House and Senate approved the authorization to invade Iraq if Saddam was shown to have WMD, refused to allow inspectors, etc. Kucinich didn't vote for it.

Kucinich refused to vote for the Patriot Act. He said it was too lengthy to read in the time frame Congress was allowed to consider it and he wouldn't vote for anything he hadn't read. Too bad others didn't have that point of view.

Now Kucinich has said the "I" word. If others in Congress have said the word, I haven't heard it.

Pelosi said impeachment was "off the table" before she took office as Speaker, which greatly disappointed me. It would have been a mistake to go in yelling "Impeach! Impeach!" as the Republicans did to Clinton, but saying anything is off the table is something a politician should avoid. She could have said "At this time, we have no plans to impeach. We have a lot of work to do and I won't be focusing on impeachment." That would have left the opportunity open for other House members to focus on investigating and seeking articles of impeachment if warranted by investigations.

I don't believe anyone else running for president has done all of the following:

1) voted against the Iraq war "authorization"

2) voted against the Patriot Act

3) spoke out against invading Iraq at least six months before the administration started selling the war

4) has been speaking out against compounding the error by attacking or invading Iran

5) continues to support a national health care system made possible by expanding the existing Medicare system to include everyone

6) promises to save Social Security


If someone else has done all of that, I certainly want to know it and give him or her credit for it.

Meanwhile, I salute Dennis Kucinich for not being afraid to stand up for what he believes in, regardless of personal cost to himself. As mayor, he stood up against the bankers in Cleveland, refusing to sell the city-owned electric company. The local press pilloried him and he lost his re-election bid. He lost his house, he couldn't get a job, his marriage broke up. He moved out west. Fifteen years later, Ohioans asked him to come home and run for the state legislature. After serving there, he was elected to the House.

[mvd]

28. A lot of the criticisms I see are unwarranted IMO

I don't treat him like a flawless God. He's still a politician, but as honest as one that I've seen. I like what he has done his entire career, and am standing by him. I say when I disagree, like with the FAUX News thing.

[Flabbergasted]

34. Great Post. nt

[thekuch]

30. Dennis Kucinich: Is It Time For Impeachment? (video)

Dennis Kucinich: Is It Time For Impeachment? (video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_ckfdlrja8



The Kuch

[mvd]

31. Welcome to DU!

:toast:

[Flabbergasted]

32. Ditto

[Kurovski]

35. K&R.(nt)

[barbtries]

36. i couldnt regiister my resounding YES

without registering for his site.

tell him the answer is like 3 years ago or so

[MsMagnificent]

41. Just as long they get Cheney first

Dennis!