Dennis Kucinich Calls For The Impeachment Of Cheney - Video Inside [Archive]

simuvac

11-07-2007, 01:06 AM

And.... that's that.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/11/06/third-times-not-the-charm-for-kucinich/

WASHINGTON (CNN) — The House voted Tuesday to stop Rep. Dennis Kucinich's, D-Ohio, effort to bring up a debate on impeaching Vice President Dick Cheney.

Kucinich, who is vying for the Democratic presidential nomination, has tried to bring up the issue on three separate occasions. The House voted 218-194 to send it to committee, effectively killing it.

On the House floor, Kucinich said Cheney "acted in a manner contrary to his trust as vice president." Kucinich also said Cheney harmed national security by openly threatening Iran.

"Vice President Richard B. Cheney by such conduct is guilty of an impeachable offense warranting removal from office," Kucinich said.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino criticized Democrats in Congress for spending time on this debate rather than focusing on health care for children and veterans.

"This Congress has not sent a single appropriations bill to the president’s desk this year – a new record of failure," Perino said.

"Yet, they find time to spend an entire work period on futile votes to impeach the vice president or to pass contempt citations against the president’s chief of staff and former counsel. It is this behavior that leaves the American people shaking their head in wonder at this Congress,” Perino added.

simuvac

11-07-2007, 01:08 AM

Or is it? I'm confused.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2007/11/cheney_impeachment_resolution.html

Cheney Impeachment Resolution Sent to House Committee

The House voted today to send a resolution considering the impeachment of Vice President Cheney to the Judiciary Committee, a move that embarrassed Democratic leaders who were forced into the parliamentary tactic to avoid a floor debate on impeachment.

Led by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, the long-shot anti-war candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, scores of Democrats were joined by scores of Republicans in initially supporting a Kucinich resolution that would have prompted a full debate on impeaching Cheney.

Democratic leaders long ago rejected any consideration of impeaching (http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2007/04/hoyer_on_impeachment_no_though.html) Cheney and President Bush as an irresponsible move supported only by the far left, so they tried today to table Kucinich's impeachment resolution. After initially having more than enough votes to kill the resolution - the "yea" tally to table impeachment topped out at 291 - Republicans decided they had a chance to politically shame Democrats into a full debate on the sensitive issue. Republicans gleefully said they wanted the debate to show the public how many Democrats would actually support impeaching Cheney, which they consider a move supported only by a fringe element of anti-war activists.

More than 120 members, predominantly Republicans, then switched their votes in favor of holding a one-hour debate on the issue, with a final vote of 251-162 supporting a debate on impeachment. Rather than allow a debate fraught with political risk, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) moved to send the Kucinich resolution to the Judiciary Committee, whose chairman, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), has publicly speculated about impeaching the president or vice president but has declined taking any action since taking the gavel in January.

Defusing any chance of an actual impeachment debate today, the House then voted 218-194 to send the motion to Conyers's committee, with Democrats overwhelmingly supporting the move.

Today's resolution (http://kucinich.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=78044)from Kucinich (D-Ohio) was essentially the same as the legislation he introduced earlier this year, which included three articles of impeachment against Cheney based largely on allegations that he manipulated intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war. The last article accuses Cheney of threatening "aggression" against Iran "absent any real threat."

"In all of this, Vice President Richard B. Cheney has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as Vice President, and subversive of constitutional government, to the prejudice of the cause of law and justice and the manifest injury of the people of the United States," Kucinich said on the floor today, reading his resolution. "Wherefore Richard B. Cheney, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office."

Kucinich, who had 22 co-sponsors for his articles of impeachment measure, predominantly members of the left leaning Out of Iraq Caucus, has been angry that Democratic leaders would not allow impeachment to be considered. He took to the floor today to offer his impeachment articles as a privileged resolution, which under the chamber rules can be offered by any member and must be considered within two days of its offering.