[NYTr] Calling the Question -- In the House-- on Impeaching Cheney

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

The Nation Blogs - Nov 2, 2007
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat?bid=1&pid=248000

Calling the Question -- In the House -- on Impeaching Cheney

Kucinich to Introduce "Privileged Resolution" Tuesday

Broadcast media's gate-keeping "stars" have done just about everything
in their power to keep the matter of presidential accountability off
the radar of the American people. That was evident during the most
recent Democratic presidential debate, when NBC anchors Brian Williams
and Tim Russert meticulously avoided following up on Congressman Dennis
Kucinich's three references to impeachment but somehow found time to
grill the contenders on UFOs and what costume Barack Obama would be
wearing on Halloween.

Pollsters are almost as bad. Rarely are questions about impeachment
included in statewide or national surveys.

Despite the lack of media coverage, however, when citizens are asked
what they think about holding members of the Bush administration to
account, they respond with an enthusiasm far greater than that
displayed for impeaching Richard Nixon at the height of the Watergate
scandal. It is this reality -- as opposed to the state of denial
fostered by so much of the media and the political class -- that
Congressman Dennis Kucinich will act upon next week, when he offers a
privileged resolution on the House floor to bring articles of
impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney.

Kucinich will face an uphill fight in a chamber led by House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat who continues to say that
impeachment is "off the table."

The Ohio congressman and long-shot presidential contender may not be
following the rules of engagement as dictated by major media and his
party leaders. But when Kucinich raises the issue of impeachment, he
will be speaking for a great mass of Americans who agree with his
argument that, "Congress must hold the Vice President accountable."

How great?

A fresh poll conducted for Vermont's WCAX television station finds that
citizens of that state enthusiastically believe that Congress beginning
impeachment proceedings against President Bush.

Sixty-one percent of the Vermonters surveyed favor taking steps to
impeach the president, while just 33% oppose doing so.

The numbers are even higher for impeaching Cheney. Sixty-four percent
of Vermonters favor beginning the process of holding the vice president
to account, where only 31 percent are opposed.

The greater level of support for impeaching Cheney parallels the few
nationwide figures that have been ascertained. When the American
Research Group conducted a national survey in early July of this year,
it found that 54 percent of American adults wanted the House to begin
impeachment proceedings against Cheney -- with 76 percent of Democrats,
51 percent of independents and a striking 17 percent of Republicans
favoring the step.

Forty-six percent of Americans surveyed backed impeachment proceedings
against Bush -- with support for impeachment at 69 percent among
Democrats, 50 percent among independents and 13 percent among
Republicans.

What is notable is that, when Time magazine surveyed Americans in the
late spring of 1974, after the Watergate scandal had evolved into a
full-scale crisis of confidence in Nixon's presidency, only 43 percent
favored impeachment.

A media that actually had a sense of history, not to mention reality,
would focus on the fact that Americans are more supportive of a
congressional intervention to thwart Bush and Cheney's wrongdoing than
they were of moves to hold Nixon to account just months before the
former president resigned in disgrace.

Now, it falls to Kucinich to speak the reality that, "The momentum is
building for impeachment. Millions of citizens across the nation are
demanding Congress rein in the Vice President's abuse of power."

Says the congressman, "Despite this groundswell of opposition to the
unconstitutional conduct of office, Vice President Cheney continues to
violate the U.S. Constitution by insisting the power of the executive
branch is supreme... The Vice President continues to use his office to
advocate for a continued occupation of Iraq and prod our nation into a
belligerent stance against Iran. If the Vice President is successful,
his actions will ensure decades of disastrous consequences."

Kucinich introduced articles of impeachment against Cheney several
months ago, and his H. Res. 333 has attracted almost two dozen
co-sponsors. All Democrats, they are Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Robert Brady
(D-PA), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-MO), Rep. Steve
Cohen (D-TN), Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA), Rep. Bob
Filner (D-CA), Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), Rep. Henry Johnson
(D-GA), Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Rep.
Jim McDermott (D-WA), Rep. James Moran (D-VA), Rep. Donald Payne
(D-NJ), Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY), Rep.
Maxine Waters (D-CA), Rep. Diane Watson (D-CA), Rep. Lynn Woolsey
(D-CA) and Rep. Albert Wynn (D-MD).

Frustrated by the refusal of Democratic leaders to set up a process for
holding hearings on his proposal, Kucinich will use an arcane House
rule allowing for the prodding of the process with privileged
resolutions to try and force consideration. Once introduced, a
privileged resolution must be addressed within two legislative days.

Kucinich is expected to offer his privileged resolution on Tuesday. He
expects to continue pushing it until the House acts. That action is
likely to be a successful move by Democratic leaders to table the
measure. Such a vote could be instructive, however, in that it would
provide a rare measure of the willingness of at least some House
members to respond to the popular will -- which is that Dick Cheney be
held to account.