Kucnich Launches Battle To Impeach Cheney

By James Donahue

Democratic Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucnich attempted Tuesday to force Congressional action on a bill that calls for the impeachment of Vice-President Dick Cheney. Fellow congressmen kicked the issue around for a while before referring it back to committee where it has been already buried for months.

Congressman Kucinich of Ohio put forth a "privileged resolution" that required House members to vote on either accepting or rejecting the measure within two days. He says he had 22 committed supporting votes in Congress but it wasn't enough to get the measure out of committee and up in the limelight for a decision.

To help promote the measure, Kucinich held a nationwide conference call on Monday night, prior to his action on the House floor. He appeared on CNBC Tuesday night to say that he is not giving up, that a movement is growing all across the nation to stop Cheney and Bush from going into another war, and that he expects hearings on the issue to be held within committee.

The Kucinich resolution, numbered 333, maintains that Cheney should be impeached for "high crimes and misdemeanors" because he "purposely manipulated the intelligence process to deceive the citizens and Congress" by "fabricating a threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction to justify the use of the United States Armed Forces against the nation of Iraq."

In his news statements, Kucinich claims that Mr. Cheney continues to violate the U.S. Constitution by maintaining the supremacy of the Executive Branch.

"Millions of citizens across the nation are demanding Congress rein in the Vice President's abuse of power," Kucinich said. "Congress must hold the Vice President accountable."

So how would President Bush and other members of his staff fit into the impeachment movement?

Outspoken Cindy Sheehan, who lost her son in the Iraq conflict, is challenging Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her California Congressional seat in 2008. She appeared in an anti-war rally recently wearing a T-shirt reading "Arrest Cheney First."

Indeed, movements are afoot to impeach both President George W. Bush and Vice-President Cheney. And there are organizations both within the United States and in international circles that are advocating the arrests and trials of both Bush and Cheney, and all of the other characters involved in staging the attacks not only on Iraq, but on Afghanistan, in an international court for crimes against humanity.

We believe that the impeachment of Cheney, Bush, and even some of the members of the U.S. Supreme Court who helped Bush steal the 2000 election, would show the world that America is a just nation after all, and not the evil bully it has learned to perceive us to be since Mr. Bush came to power.

What happens to them after they are booted from power is up to the world courts.

Impeachment would be an important first step toward healing our nation, rebuilding our prestige in world affairs, and most importantly, heading off the new threat of a Bush attack on Iran and triggering a devastating world war.