Posted on 07/26/2008 5:21:17 AM PDT by equaviator
WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Call it the un-impeachment hearing.
The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing Friday it insisted was not about removing President Bush from office. But critics of Bush's policies couldn't pass up the chance to charge the president with a long list of impeachable "high crimes and misdemeanors."
Leading the way was Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, the former Democratic presidential candidate who has brought repeated impeachment resolutions on the House floor against Bush and Vice President Cheney.
Kucinich got a rock star welcome of whistles, hoots and clapping as he walked into the hearing room, holding hands with his wife, from hundreds of anti-war, anti-Bush people crammed into the room and lining the hallways outside. T-shirts reading "Arrest Bush" and "Veterans for Impeachment" illustrated the sentiments of many.
The House Democratic leadership, not interested in a bloody impeachment battle in the last year of Bush's presidency, steered Kucinich's resolutions to the Judiciary Committee where they could quietly fade away, but Friday's hearing gave Kucinich and his allies an opportunity to air their views.
"To the regret of many, this is not an impeachment hearing," said committee chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., pointing out the less incendiary title of the event, "executive power and its constitutional limitations."
Still, Conyers, a vocal opponent of Bush, noted that his panel had pursued many issues that Kucinich and others regard as impeachable offenses: manipulating intelligence about Iraq; misusing authority with regard to torture, detention and rendition; politicizing the Justice Department and retaliating against critics, as in the outing of former CIA agent Valerie Plame.
Republicans, clearly in the minority at the hearing, expressed suspicion at Democratic motives. Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Calif., called it "impeachment lite," where people were given free rein to impugn Bush but not to impeach him.
"It seems that we are hosting an anger management class," said Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, the committee's senior Republican. "This hearing will not cause us to impeach the president; it will only serve to impeach Congress's credibility."
The committee also reminded lawmakers and those testifying that House rules prohibit "personal abuse, innuendo or ridicule of the president." The House Rules and Manual points out that suggestions of mendacity, or accusations of hypocrisy, demagoguery or deception were out of order.
"The rules of the House prevent me or any witness from utilizing familiar terms," Kucinich said. "But we can put two and two together in our minds."
Former Los Angeles County Prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi, known for his prosecution of Charles Manson in 1970, acknowledged that "I am forbidden from accusing him of a crime, or even any dishonorable conduct" under House rules. But he could still encourage people to read his book, "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder."
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., was less circumspect in asserting that Bush was "the worst president that our nation has ever suffered."
Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., concluded that "this is the most impeachable administration in the history of America because of the way that it has clearly violated the law."
"I am really astonished at the mood in this room," commented one witness, George Mason University School of Law professor Jeremy Rabkin.
"The tone of these deliberations is slightly demented," Rabkin said. "You should all remind yourselves that the rest of the country is not necessarily in this same bubble in which people think it is reasonable to describe the president as if he were Caligula."
Amazing how Congress has time to try to impeach Bush but has no time to expand energy supplies and deal with problems that actual Americans care about.
Poor bastards=the people who voted them into office
These POOR?? deluded BASTARDS still can’t come to grips with the fact that GW was right and are just pandering.
And they wonder why their poll ratings are in the pits.
I watched some of the hearings, and that fat guy from New York, Nadler(?) was over the top stupid. I didn’t see the segments with Kucinich but the republicans who were there (few and far between due to its complete waste of time) were pretty good.
Two of the panel members (names escape me) pretty much said those who want to impeach president Bush are demented. So true.
LOL
Why the Republicans members simply don't walk out in mass to protest such lunacy is beyond my understanding
Other than the daily airing of this crap via NYT, WP, NBC, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, etc. etc. etc. etc.
Still, Conyers, a vocal opponent of Bush, noted that his panel had pursued many issues that Kucinich and others regard as impeachable offenses: manipulating intelligence about Iraq; misusing authority with regard to torture, detention and rendition; politicizing the Justice Department and retaliating against critics, as in the outing of former CIA agent Valerie Plame.
Intelligence on Iraq was not manipulated by Bush--if it were, they would get that impeachment they're chirping about.
Torture = BS
politicizing the Justice Department = impeachable--if true. So I guess it's not, because again, they'd get their impeachment if so.
retaliating against critics, as in the outing of former CIA agent Valerie Plame
Good God, Conyers, you old coot, let that lie DIE.
Poor Bastards -My ass!
These clowns are wasting yours and my money putting on these ridiculous theatricals !
A better way to describe these sick obnoxious, Lying, Traitorous, Demented Mentally Deranged Bastards is to call them by their more accurate title: DEMORATS!!!
Aside from the editorial pages in the NY Times?
www.randi.org
You can actually debate them without the conversation devolving into name calling, as they are so prone to do. They are a more mature version of Bush bashers over there.
Re-elect nobody!
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Wading into the fight with head down, eyes closed and arms flailing, leading with the chin, preparing to roll ribs solidly into the opponent’s boot, and throw eye at the opponent’s fist. (Head down and leading with the chin, is that even POSSIBLE? It is if your head is on upside down.)
Yeah, they were ready for this fight. Jump on the big fellow’s back just as the bar is closing.
Where was Dennis on September 12, 2001, when the attempt to remove Bush would have been SO much more effective?
But as long as the House remains in session for this purpose, we could also squeeze in consideration on lifting the ban on oil exploration and extraction on a considerable number of tract or sites now off-limits, for no reasonable purpose.
I agree. And C-SPAN is equally to blame for broadcasting this crap to the American public.
Sort of like why a person will keep fiddling with a sore that he knows is gonna hurt when he touchs it.
Isn’t Conyers’ wife in deep doo do in Michigan?
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
If Gore or Kerry were President and actually did these things, they would be cheering!
Look at how the same rat-bastards defended Clinton - and still do.
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