In a sign that even Republicans will break ranks with Mr. Bush and his administration over the wiretapping issue, Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) has called for a full investigation into the matter in the US House of Representatives. Currently, the matter is being handled in the US Senate, but many feel the hearings are insufficient, especially because the Bush administration is stonewalling on information and access to documents.
"The President has his duty to do, but I have mine too, and I feel strongly about that," Rep. Wilson, who heads the House subcommittee overseeing the NSA, told the New York Times, yesterday.
Meanwhile, four out of ten Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee raised questions about illegal wiretapping during hearings this week.
Meanwhile, US Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), a moderate Republican chairing the wiretapping hearings in the Senate, told George Stephanopoulos during a television program, impeachment would be the standard remedy, at least in theory, if Bush has broken the law.
"Well, the remedy could be a variety of things. A president -- and I'm not suggesting remotely that there's any basis, but you're asking, really, theory, what's the remedy? Impeachment is a remedy. After impeachment, you could have a criminal prosecution, but the principal remedy, George, under our society is to pay a political price," Senator Specter said on January 15, 2006.
Meanwhile, the first professional poll commissioned by a progressive news agency found that 54% of all 850 Pennsylvanian respondents supported impeachment of President Bush if his authorization of domestic wiretapping is concluded to be illegal. The poll was conducted by Zobgy International and was commissioned by Rob Kall, Editor of OpEdNews.
US Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) asked four legal scholars to analyze the grounds for Bush's impeachment in December 2005. Perhaps these scholars' opinions, in conjunction with US Senate hearings in progress this week, will allow for the spying's legality or illegality to be concluded with more certainty.
H. Res 635 reads as its official title: "Creating a select committee to investigate the Administration's intent to go to war before congressional authorization, manipulation of pre-war intelligence, encouraging and countenancing torture, retaliating against critics, and to make recommendations regarding grounds for possible impeachment."
"In brief, we have found that there is substantial evidence the President, the Vice-President and other high ranking members of the Bush Administration misled Congress and the American people regarding the decision to go to war in Iraq; misstated and manipulated intelligence information regarding the justification for such war; countenanced torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in Iraq; and permitted inappropriate retaliation against critics of their Administration. There is at least a prima facie case that these actions that federal laws have been violated - from false statements to Congress to retaliating against Administration critics," Rep. Conyers said in a press release on December 20, 2005.
Atlanta Progressive News has provided near-exclusive-and during most times, exclusive-coverage of the progress of H. Res 635. We will continue to follow this story and any related developments.
Matthew Cardinale is the Editor of Atlanta Progressive News. He may be reached at matthew@atlantaprogressivenews.com
The present article is available on the Internet at: http://www.atlantaprogressivenews.com/pages/32/index.htm
See also:
US Rep. Lewis Calls for Bush Impeachment (December 26, 2005)
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
