Go to Original
Kucinich's Impeachment Proposal Takes Antiwar Stand to New Lengths
By Marie Horrigan
Congressional Quarterly
Tuesday 24 April 2007
Ohio Democratic Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich on Tuesday introduced articles of impeachment
against Vice President Dick Cheney for "high crimes and misdemeanors"
related to his participation in the buildup for the war in Iraq - and
what the longshot Democratic presidential contender said was belligerent rhetoric
toward Iran.
In an 18-page draft resolution, Kucinich outlined three charges against Cheney:
that he "manipulated the intelligence process ... by fabricating the
threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction" to justify the war in Iraq;
that he deceived citizens and Congress "about an alleged relationship between
Iraq and al Qaeda" to justify the war; and that he has "openly threatened
aggression against the Republic of Iran, absent any real threat to the United
States, and has done so with the United States' proven capability to carry out
such threats."
"In all this, Vice President Richard B. Cheney has acted in a manner contrary
to his trust as vice president, and subversive to constitutional government,
to the prejudice of the cause of law and justice and the manifest injury of
the people of the United States ... [and] by such conduct, warrants impeachment
and trial, and removal from office," the resolution concluded.
Kucinich introduced the articles at a news conference held at 5 p.m. Tuesday
on Capitol Hill, which was delayed for several hours. The event was originally
planned for noon, but Kucinich initially postponed it based on news reports
Cheney was undergoing emergency medical treatment for a chronic blood clot condition
in his leg. When subsequent news reports indicated the tests were more routine,
Kucinich rescheduled the event.
Kucinich - who opposed military intervention in Iraq from the start and
voiced strong criticism of the Bush administration's policy during a quixotic
run for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination - again has made his
antiwar stance a main issue of his bid for the White House.
Democratic leaders, who have stated repeatedly they have no intentions of pursuing
the impeachment of either President Bush or Cheney, do not support the impeachment
effort. Kucinich said Tuesday that he did not have any co-sponsors for the resolution.
But he proclaimed that he had the support of "millions of Americans."
Speaking at the news conference, Kucinich said he was pursuing impeachment
of Cheney, and not Bush, for practical reasons. "It's significant and responsible
to start in this way, because if the same charges would relate to the president
as relate to the vice president, you would then have to go through the constitutional
agony of impeaching two presidents consecutively," he said.
Kucinich posted his proposed articles of impeachment on his congressional Web
site.
-------
Jump to today's Truthout Features:
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. t r u t h o u t has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is t r u t h o u t endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)
"Go to Original" links are provided as a convenience to our readers and allow for verification of authenticity. However, as originating pages are often updated by their originating host sites, the versions posted on TO may not match the versions our readers view when clicking the "Go to Original" links.
Print This Story
E-mail This Story