Time to use the summer election season to put heat on Dems? Yes! Time for the dems in the house to use impeachment hearings to put the heat on the right wing Bush admin rubber stamp enablers? Absolutely!
The Democratic members of congress, including Obama, say, as a unified talking point, that impeachment is off the table, that it would be a distraction, that it would hurt elections. That's pure BS. I have to wonder what crime, if there is any crime, that would drive them to change that policy. We now know that Bush policy has led to imprisonment and torture of children. How many war crimes do Cheney and Bush have to perpetrate or order to happen under their watch? Does Bush have to rape or kill a child himself, on live TV for the Dem invertebrates to start impeachment hearings? Would even such a monstrous act move them to impeach? I wonder.
But now-- between now and the end of July-- is the perfect time to start impeachment hearings.
I know that the Dems don't want to start impeachment hearings because I had a very telling conversation with John Conyers. ( transcript of the conversation here)
"...the members of congress are really not thinking through the concept of impeachment. They keep mistakenly focusing on the vote in the house to send Cheney, then Bush to the senate, and then, of the senate trial.
You know that that is not what happened with Agnew. It is not what happened with Nixon. It was not what happened with Alberto Gonzales. Now, ordinary hearings were enough to force Gonzales to resign. But as you know, since Bush is instructing his appointees to disobey subpoenas, and Mukasey is refusing to support the subpoenas, that the only recourse you have to get testimony is through impeachment hearings, because there is NO EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE in response to impeachment hearing subpoenas."
That's right, there is NO, Zero, Zilch, Nada executive privilege in response to impeachment hearings.
Harriet Miers? She has to testify.
Karl Rove? No excuses.
Gonzales? He's toast.
People will argue, "But there aren't enough votes to convict in the senate."
And I reply, "So what?" With the Dems controlling the house, a vote to move the impeachment to the senate never has to happen. Hearings can continue in the house until enough dirt is brought to the surface.
You think Scotty McClennan is dishing dirt? Wait until Bush administration officials start singing, under oath, when they don't have executive privilege.
What about witnesses claiming their fifth amendment rights?
Rob Kall is executive editor and publisher of OpEdNews.com, President of Futurehealth, Inc, inventor . He is also published regularly on the Huffingtonpost.com. He is a frequent Speaker on Politics, Impeachment, The art, science and power of story, heroes and the hero's journey, Positive Psychology, Stress, Biofeedback and a wide range of subjects. He is a campaign consultant specializing in tapping the power of stories for issue positioning, stump speeches and debates. He recently retired as organizer of several conferences, including StoryCon, the Summit Meeting on the Art, Science and Application of Story and The Winter Brain Meeting on neurofeedback, biofeedback, Optimal Functioning and Positive Psychology. See more of his articles here and, older ones, here.
To learn more about me and OpEdNews.com, check out this article.
and there are Rob's quotes, here.
To Watch me on youtube, having a lively conversation with John Conyers, Chair of the House Judiciary committee, click here Now, wouldn't you like to see me on the political news shows, representing progressives. If so, tell your favorite shows to bring me on and refer them to this youtube video
My radio show, The Rob Kall Show, runs 9-10 PM EST Wednesday evenings, on AM 1360, WNJC and is archived on www.whiterosesociety.org Or listen to it streaming, live at either www.wnjc1360.com or here.
A few declarations.
-While I'm registered as a Democrat, I consider myself to be a dynamic critic of the Democratic party, just as, well, not quite as much, but almost as much as I am a critic of republicans.
-My articles express my personal opinion, not the opinion of this website.
No Impeachment. In fact the Democratic party leadership have fought Impeachment all over the country, including Barack Obama.
And you know that, as any of us who have been in the trenches on Impeachment know that reality.
Here is the real question for you all. Do you have the courage and integrity to ask yourselves as to WHY the Democrats have fought Impeachment? Why have they fought to protect the Bush Administration and their crimes?
What are they hiding?
by
Michael Cavlan (5 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 198 comments)
on Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 12:52:17 PM
Yes, we do know. It's because the Republicans are destroying the Republican party without any need of help from the Democrats. They are politicians, and they know when to shut up and watch the Republicans self-immolation.
Why stick your neck out when the other party is doing your job for you? It's not the right thing, it's not the honest thing, it's not the constitutional thing to do.
It's the political thing to do (I mean not do).
That’s why we need to put pressure on them. Republicans complain more to the media and politicians, so they get their way more. We need to complain more.
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John R Moffett (79 articles, 14 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 596 comments)
on Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 2:09:06 PM
I think we should start an organized campaign to identify the members of the House judiciary and oversight committees who are undecided, and try a targeted email and phone call campaign. It is up to them to start hearings.
We should also try an email/phone campaign targeting John Conyers, very very politely urging him to start hearings. They don’t need to do anything to Bush and Cheney accept investigate, and that’s their job anyway. We just need to give them the right amount of pressure.
They will get total crap from the corporate media and Fox, so it will be a bit of a self-inflicted wound that they would prefer to not inflict. But if the pressure from constituents is great enough (and respectful enough), they just might do their jobs, and have some hearings on the things they know are in need of orversight.
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John R Moffett (79 articles, 14 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 596 comments)
on Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 1:11:42 PM
John, you and Rob are both right. Even though there's not enough consensus for impeachment, for various reasons, once hearings start producing more and more evidence, the hearings become a self fulfilling prophecy.
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Ed Martin (113 articles, 0 quicklinks, 30 diaries, 127 comments)
on Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 1:37:24 PM
hi job, hi rohn, hi mean-faced futhermuckerz..............
you guys are soooo out of it, it hurts to watch you play. "phone call campaign"...........do you seriously (still) believe this will work? Oh dear, oh dear. Such ugly, agressive, mean faces, and yet zero power.
Come to fuggin grips with realty for a change, you academic shitbrainz!
It aint gonna happen!
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Tony Forest (4 articles, 14 quicklinks, 129 diaries, 1211 comments)
on Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 3:29:52 PM
ALL the democrats and republicans who refuse to uphold the law by pursuing impeachment investigations of the Bush regime are doing so because it is in their own interests to continue the Bush agenda unchallenged. They are the ruling class and to begin impeachment hearings will publicly display the "sins" of this administration, and all those who have supported it, for all to see. They can't allow that to happen for it will be disruptive. They have been willing, (complicit), to allow illegal war, (and to continue to fund it), torture, spying and the whole list of fascistic and corporatist actions to continue virtually unchallenged because they stand, as individuals, to benefit by allowing it to continue, and their moral compass, if ever they had one, broke a long time ago. It is rare for any of these 'representatives' to truly have the interests of their constituents their priority - it is the interests of the 'party' that takes precedence over any other consideration, and what are the party interests? Pure power, and money - and he who holds the purse strings holds the power - and who is that? The giant corporations who care NOTHING about we the people except to see that we the people should have what little power we have taken away in as many ways as possible so as to never have the clout or courage to challenge the all mighty corporation. It is these corporations who enrich themselves on the backs of the American people, and the congress, the senate - the whole system in fact is set up to do obeisance to the mighty corporations.
This set up can't last forever though - it exists in a vacuum.
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Cheryl Abraham (13 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 139 comments)
on Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 2:03:50 PM
is a breath of truthful eloquence in the midst of a foul wind from the four corners of the earth. Listen to her, gentlemen, for she has neither ulterior motives nor judgmental eyes, but like lady liberty, holds up her torch for truth.
[I'm either channeling a dead British poet or I stayed in grad school too long for my own good]
What I really meant to say is, spread the word. What she says nails it.
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Jay Farrington (13 articles, 2 quicklinks, 8 diaries, 136 comments)
on Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 3:46:48 PM
I agree with every word you wrote. I think millions would - at least 70 percent of the electorate. There is no downside. But given this deep and long thought, I am certain the USA has committed such War Crimes that even the Democrats do not want to open Pandora's Box. If "actions speak louder than words," Madam Speaker has proven to be a key player on the GOP team.
The reaction to all this is we are under an economic attack by OPEC and the Third World. Similar to the attack we've had on Cuba since 1962. If $4 gas, which is not tied to demand, is allowed to go to $6 or $8, we will reach "the breaking point." Not the "braking point," at least not under Bush.
If that breaking point comes, I expect the World Court, in some form, to indict America's leadership.
If ten years ago you would have shown me what I've written (above), and said, "you wrote that, Dusty." I would have paid for your first 10 visits to the shrink. It's all that shocking. It goes way beyond Vietnam.
-dusty
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Dusty Nathan (16 articles, 0 quicklinks, 8 diaries, 51 comments)
on Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 4:35:41 PM
You are grasping at the thinnest of straws when you write that Conyers may be waiting for the "right time" to impeach. Conyers told us why he will not impeach: "If we started an impeachment hearing that didn't succeed, guess what would happen. They would say that he's being demonized..."
That is the whine of the worst kind of coward, a copout that drags down the entire Democratic Party with it and leaves the American people with no method to punish one of the greatest war criminals in history. Conyers is letting us down and, I am afraid your are too, Bob. Are you succumbing to the same temptations as the rest of the press has? Are you afraid of losing "access" to Conyers? Is that why you are defending this man?
What if Bush stays in office and bombs Iran and starts a third world war? How will your defense of Conyers look then?
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Deano (2 articles, 1 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 14 comments)
on Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 4:59:10 PM
Get Obama to take the position I said, and let justice (not hate, not revenge) take its course.
Obama has come close to the position already, he has said, if Dave Swanson is reporting correctly, and I've no reason to doubt it, that Obama is saying (I'm paraphrasing not quoting) that he will have his AG look at the Bush admins positions on Exec statements and other things and change/undo anything that is unconstitutional.
Thats fuzzy stuff. But Obama could get specific and promise not to use the Presidential pardon power for war criminals but rather to let justice take its course.
You got face to face with Conyers. I think you, or someone like you could, with help, get close to Obama in a similar way and put the question.
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Brett Paatsch (0 articles, 2 quicklinks, 21 diaries, 953 comments)
on Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 6:59:02 PM
WAR CRIMES charges will be filed against the adminstration and a number of players in this illegal war and occupation.
The military JAGS and everyone with one whit of international legal education knows what is going on in America. The last pieces of whistleblowing are in place .....
No, the DemocRATS, including Obama - who is hoisted on Zbig's ambition and corporation funding - is no SAVIOR. He "owes" The System and sold out a very long time ago. Sad, but true.
So the US changes targets to the Soviet Union at the behest of some stale Polish diplomat and the fighting goes elsewhere .. ? We still have the tiniestist problem with "You bought, you broke it, you pay for it" in the nexus of international law to contend with as to Afghanistan, Iraq .. I am consistently amazed how people buy into Obama's (a trained Harvard lawyer !) WAR CRIMES complicity. We have an obligation under GENEVA to rebuild, and reconstruct. Get off the campaign trail, OBAMA ..
The fascists are very very busy, hiding all the dead bodies (ala Nazi Germany) via exceution in this "show trials" being held and the resignations of JAGs and those overseeing the tribunals are internationally known. US prestige is so low in the international community, that Obama must be having trouble swallowing his corporate-paid Remy Martins every night. He would best be spending his precious moments in the Senate now denouncing the "kangaroo courts" and the MCA. We need habeas corpus now at some future date ..
His social conscience was bought off a looooooooooong time ago, or he would be in the Senate denouncing what is going on. RIGHT NOW before the earth changes catastrophes hit the fan. Tomorrow 2200 marines hit the streets of Indianapolis - first time a US force has come to an American city since Reconstruction. Where is OBAMA ?? Why leave this constant attack on Free Speech and transit up to We the People to handle ??
Hope springs eternal in the human breast - so collectively we breath on, some of us. We know the CRIMES, We know The Players and each night we go to bed in our anxiety praying there are no "false flags" or "justiified" attacks on other nations again. A truly insufficient state of affairs ..
I've written down my complaints about John Conyers, about Henry Waxman and about the CIA and the international court should be aware of them. I urge others to do the same.
Now that McClellan's book is out - the DoD emails are being "sorted", and We the People have had time to KNOW the LAW, we must mobilize. We must begin to think about NEW SOLUTIONS for the United States. I've posted one option here on OpEd News that is currently running on TPMMuckraker as this historical disgrace that is portrayed as "democracy" must be ended. I cannot see anything finer as a new US Constitution; the old one did not work. We are going to need it in the days ahead.
While I am aware I am "preaching to the converted" - I am taking the time to type this out so that my voice gets heard another time. As a ninth-generation American, who has many NATIVE relatives, I remain without a US passport due to William F. Clinton, his civil rights violations and his wife's COLLUSION - and not even a Congressman acting on my behalf after 15 loooooooong years up here, I am with HOPE for the first time for this nation. I have absolutely no intention of giving my spirit "to the wind" and "rolling over" nor do most.
"Do not gently into that good night; rage! rage! against the dieing of the light"
Applause! Applause! To those who worked so hard at keeping democracy from dieing ..
I found during my refugee hearing, that despite what was done TO me; I still loved my country. I want to go HOME. So do many others who have sat out this "adminstration" .. some are returning and working hard for real candidates. We really must help them and celebrate when these INDICTMENTS come down. Who's in charge of making the plans ????
July 4th sounds like a very good date; if not before .....
Read up on WAR CRIMES, scream loudly about the treatment of DETAINEES; this is the political area where we are going to see REAL CHANGE. Permanent and healthy change. Not from hopeless rhetoric wafting across a huge Convention hall, no matter how "magic" it may sound. I think it is a moral imperative that the detainees themselves do not provide the "magic bullet" .. Man! Do We, as a nation, owe them big time that they have endured and built their case against the tyranny. We need to take time to grieve those who have died due to utter futility.
To think that John Conyers is going to turn over Billary to the ICC is just a farce. He know his precious little "party" has sacked our nation.
IMHO, we are about to become UNYOKED from tyranny. We will all recover from our shock and indignations, rid ourselves of systemic injustice and shine once again on the world stage, if America meets her international legal obligations.
Instead of sewing a flag like Betsy Ross, I volunteer my services to make an orange jumpsuit for Condi Rice instead of staring at a computer monitor day after day !!!
The elite criminal class that owns and operates the federal government has ensured that impeachment will never happen. Early on they had the CIA start and infiltrate impeachment initiatives that commandered the 'movement' in such a manner that would guarantee its failure. Initiatives such as After Downing Street, Democrats.com, Impeach for Peace and others were run in a manner that assured fragmentation and disorganization. It was all so very familiar too as yet another one of those leftie train wrecks. The CIA was never suspected. Brilliant.
My advice? Don't waste your time. Prepare for the inevitable dirty bomb, martial law and local survival.
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christian stalberg (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 2 comments)
on Wednesday, June 4, 2008 at 5:36:24 AM
With no impeachment the politicians are showing us one of two things, or both: there really is only one party governing our nation with titles so as to perpetrate the facade of Democrat vs Republican, thus giving the people the feeling they have a say while giving themselves the scapegoat by merely pointing their finger at those on the other side of the aisle; or the second possibility is the Democrats really have no spine and are weak.
In either case an impeachment hearing could bring about the greatest change our nation needs at this time – it would tear down that facade and eliminate many that have corrupted our government, plus the Democrats could show they in fact do possess a backbone and can stand up to enemies and wrongdoers.
To not hold impeachment hearings shows the world the United States of America supports terrorism and murder. Terrorism? Yes, our nation's leaders have been spreading fear throughout the world through threats, coercion, or actual invasion. Murder? Yes, over 100,000 innocent men, women, and children have been killed in Iraq. Those killings were for no legitimate reason and were accomplished by lies and propaganda. Further, there still remains the thought that the 9/11 mass murders had inside complicity. After all, if this administration has perpetrated all they have based on lies and propaganda, why should we accept their word in regard to the happenings of 9/11?
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Dennis Kaiser (12 articles, 0 quicklinks, 6 diaries, 209 comments)
on Wednesday, June 4, 2008 at 6:05:20 AM
A prominent lawyer lays out a compelling case in THE PROSECUTION OF GEORGE W. BUSH FOR MURDER. Staggering evidence is collected against the president in a startling new book.
No, many so called progressives will not have the courage and integrity to ask themselves on WHY the Democratic party leadership fought AGAINST Impeachment.
The label progressive has become meaningless. Here anyway.
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Michael Cavlan (5 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 198 comments)
on Wednesday, June 4, 2008 at 1:25:39 PM
click here is Conyers' OWN compilation of the impeachable offenses of Bush, at least 26 pages worth - Conyers Report on Potential Bush Crimes.
Potential Crimes? ha! Conyers' report proves it, but he won't act now to push for impeachment for fear that it will hurt a democratic win in the fall! What crap - how many people will die between now and then - and if you think that if Obama wins in November that anyone is going to impeach anybody? Hell no! They'll say they don't have time.
They won't impeach because they are ON BOARD with the whole agenda.
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Cheryl Abraham (13 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 139 comments)
on Wednesday, June 4, 2008 at 1:45:00 PM
