Kucinich Introduces Articles of Impeachment. Now?! He Also Denounces Japan Attacking Us at Pearl Harbor.

Dennis Kucinich in a last-ditch attempt at A-HA! or TAKE THAT! or some titular, symbolic, pro forma gesture for the record introduced in the House 35 articles of impeachment against Dubya. Cute. Thanks, Denny. In seven months Dubya's gone and Darth Vader's through too. Get this, 220 days and change until 43 hops on Marine One and adios, and Denny wants impeachment. Or the record to reflect that he wanted impeachment after four-and-a-half hours of reading into the record his averments. Can you imagine the hell it must have been to be there and listen to him reading ANYTHING for almost five hours?

OK, OK. Let's all pound our chests, gnash our teeth, self-flagellate, whatever: it's symbolic at best and, worse, hurts Obama. Why? Because it makes people wonder and even think that this is a Dem move, a dumb Dem move, and that Obama, the Dem-in-Chief, signs off on it. It's stupid and only a political tyro or, worse, cretin would think this made any sense. Maybe a few YEARS ago, but now?!

Listen, Cosmo. Here's why. (1) Did I mention 220 plus days until sayonara? And (2) two words: Dick (and I mean that) Cheney.

On today's show (Thursday, June 12, 2008), it must have been phone privilege day at Bellevue. One high-and-mighty dingbat thought that impeachment means removal, viz. conviction in the Senate. Another winner wanted Dubya impeached after his term. I kid you not. Another thought that 43's being impeached in supersonic speed would prevent his granting pardons to others. Clinton issued over 400 pardons and commutations on his very last day in office and that would have been after he was impeached. Impeached, i.e. "charged." Charged versus convicted. Charged versus removed. Hello!

But no, the purveyors of criminal naiveté want some mark of Cain, a demerit, some asterisk or blemish to somehow affix to Bush 43 in record time. Now. Drop what we're doing and notate the history books. The rule of law, they repeat. The rule of you've got to be kidding me. It ain't gonna happen, can't happen and it will only serve to hurt Obama.

But these political science, psephological geniuses don't care. They circle the fire, hands and keyboards clasped, and pound the tribal drumbeat for impeachment. They also think that a President can be charged criminally for admittedly dubious acts committed within the ambit and province of the Office of the President. I'm not going to waste a second on clarifying that canard.

But they prattle on. Demanding impeachment.

With nary a clue as to why.

Oh, yes, I'm sorry. The rule of law. Or something.

Comments

[DebbieKat]

When will people learn? The Democrats and Republicans are BOTH complicit in these crimes. That's why Pelosi won't bring it up. Too many of her own party knew about the torture, the extraordinary renditions, etc. They don't want to be called out on the carpet for the same crimes as the Bush administration.

This is what we need to do:
1) VOTE THIRD PARTY. I don't care if it's Nader, Greens, Libertarians, Constitution, etc.
2) VOTE for the National Initiative. Give power to the people to become lawmakers. ni4d.us.
3) DON'T DONATE to Republican and Democratic National Committees anymore. If there's a particular candidate that you like (like Kucinich) donate to their campaigns directly ONLY.
4) Get involved yourself. Not all of us are able to run for local offices, but get involved as much as you can at the local level.
5) WATCH your representatives voting. Write to them often. If they aren't voting the way they should be, start looking for a new representative to send in their place.
6) Pay attention to non-mainstream/non-corporate media sites. Even sites like HuffPo appear to be Democratic party backed and not independent. They are wholly on the Obama bandwagon.
7) Tell others. Spread the message of true progressive policies. The Democrats are NOT that.

[zizyphus]

Lionel suggests that we give GWBush a pass because he is a short-timer now.

It is like, if you knew the guy next door was a serial killer, but you don't report him because he is going to be moving soon.

Kucinich speaks for millions of us on both sides of the political spectrum who wish to see that justice is served. Better late than never.

The world watches us, to see if we will hold them accountable for their lawbreaking. The whole world is watching us.

We are sitting in comfort sipping morning coffee. Others, as a direct result of the criminal actions of this administration as outlined by Dennis Kucinich in his 35 articles of impeachment, are at this very moment, wondering where their arms and legs are, are looking for their missing mothers, are shackled to the floor in a cold cell- blindfolded, are crying to be put out of their misery, are contemplating suicide, are living on the streets, have no flesh on their faces, are buried under a ton of rubble, are electrocuted, are raped, sodomized, and humiliated, are forced into boxes 2'x2' for 18 hours, cannot hold a job, cannot find a job, cannot concentrate, cannot see anymore, have no ears, no hands, no feet, will never move another muscle, will never know another moment that doesn't involve pain.

But Lionel, if that really doesn't affect you, then just keep cruising, listening to your talk radio show.

[hapkidokid]

So the Nuremberg Trials would have been a waste of time?? I mean by that point, the Nazis couldn't do any more damage right?

[strifeknot]

A perfect analogy, surely lost on the Air America feeb.

[larry278]

Lionel has seen the script. Those of us who agree with Lionel can take comfort from Patrick Martin's blog today, 6/14/08, on the Marxist/Trotskyist site, WSWS. Trolls & others who disagee with Lionel will laugh at &/or be frightened by the content of WSWS. There are times when Rep Wexler's effort to impeach Cheney also seems like a cynical effort by the Democrats to co-opt radical progressives & get their votes. I'm now starting to go off thread & off on a tangent so I'll close this comment. Besides HP limits comments to 250 words. A liter of unsweetened iced tea will soothe me for the time being.
larry lynch

[strifeknot]

"But they prattle on. Demanding impeachment.

"With nary a clue as to why.

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry. The rule of law. Or something. "

The irony of that "nary a clue" comment. Tell us, Mr. Lionel, just when is a good time for you for holding mass murderers accountable for their crimes? Lying us into war, destroying a country that posed no danger to us, devastating our own economy in the process...these are small enough things in your eyes that they should go unaddressed, unpunished? Congress is delinquent in its duties for not pursuing impeachment. Thank goodness there's at least one person, Rep. Kucinich, demanding justice. And you have the nerve to scoff at him.

[HearsaWho]

HuffPost's Pick

Lionel is making a joke out of the impeachment bill, an easy thing to do as the media has conditioned us to laugh at Kucinich. But this is a 5-hour carefully prepared and validated - and thoroughly shocking, even for the jaded - indictment of the Bush Administration. It is a scary read. It is no joke.

Many Democrats seem to think that this debate would be a distraction from Obama's positive message and from the business of winning an election. But reading these articles brings home that this is not a trivial matter that can be left for the next administration, and this may not be a time when business as usual will work (if id ever did for the Democrats!)

Far from being a distraction from the election as many Democrats argue, the articles of impeachment, if reported favorably out of the judiciary committee for a vote, will force open a national debate on the Bush Administration and its many crimes and slimy deeds. Win or lose, this will turn the election iinto a referendum on Bush. Then, Obama wins.

This would also cripple Bush's ability to start another war, and to thereby change the subject to who would be the best war leader, an issue on which Obama could lose.

It is moreover the only right thing to do, the only way to prevent Bush's actions from setting a whole rash of awful precedents for the power and responsibilities of the President.

[benjaminblue]

When the Speaker of the House and the other Representatives have failed to uphold their sworn responbility, it may be that Dennis Kucinich, alone, is actually working for the American people.

In coming years, when new generations ask how it was that the American citizenry could sit back, accept Mr. Bush's immoral, illegal, illogical, treasonous acts and do nothing, it is Mr. Kucinich's words -- entered into the Congressional Record for all to see -- that will damn both Mr. Bush and Ms. Pelosi and provide an inkling of the truth.

The American people of this generation truly did care. The elected "representatives" in both the White House and Congress, are, in fact, the ones who failed us, who failed the concepts of freedom and democracy and who failed all future generations (should the world survive that long, despite the foolish, bellicose Mr. Bush).

[Zentomato]

Ask yourself why did Speaker Pelosi take impeachment off the table when it was and is widely known that much of the electorate favors it? Could it be she did so because to actually go ahead with impeachment proceedings might reveal complicity by her and other Democrats in the foul deed of the Bush administration? Hmmmm? Think about it.

[Marlyn]

I agree. Nothing else seems to explain her actions.

[BearCountry]

Under the "leadership" of pelosi impeachment has not been "on the table." Sometimes an action should be taken not be cause it is going to succeed, but because it is the correct thing to do. Kucinich has been trying for some time to get impeachment talked about. The Democratic leadership doesn't want to do this because their spinelessness will be out for all to see. As it is they can hide behind the same kind of facade as this post provides. The Democratic "leadership" hid when Clinton was impeached over nothing, and now they are hiding when there are real grounds for impeachment.

[power2change]

It is a concern to see that thinking people have given up on the need to address lawlessness that exists with application of the laws we have. As well disturbing, that some of the people( including the writer of the piece), has not been so very attentive to the work that Kucinich is doingand has been doing for some time, and i am thankful to the people of Ohio who ARE attentive and return him to service- because he IS working for you and I.
When the wrongs committed are as simple as a denied blow job , then impeachment is a simple task (given a charged opposition), but when the wrongs are as serious, as egregious and pervasive not to mention perverse, such as the ones this administration has occasioned, then the response needs to be deeper, longer, more complex.
Furthermore in a setting where members from both sides of the aisle are generally complicit in matters of extending corporate rule, Kucinich IS a beacon. Why aren't you ?

[Senzasord]

Posterity is an important concept. It is necessary to have an accounting of the Bush crimes and misdemeanors introduced officially into the Congressional Record so that they can never be completely ignored, and so every member of the house can be held accountable for being for them or against them. I think this is less about Bush and more about deliniating our place for future generations to ponder, so that hopefully they will never allow the same mistakes to be made.

[DavidJames]

Not only can you impeach the President but Senators can be impeached as well! I can think of at least on Senate Bush enabler that should be impeached.

Go Connecticut!

[jmpurser]

I'd refer to it as a last minute attempt to do his duty. I'd ask you to turn your razor wit to asking why he alone is doing it.

[drkazmd65]

It's not a last minute attempt for Kucinich,... he introduced Articles of Impeachment against Cheney last year. The logic being we needed to get rid of Cheney first, because Cheney as President would be perhaps (if possible) worse than Bush as President. That - and Cheney was more obviously overstepping the bounds of the Constitution.

Dennis has been on this for more than a year. So has Congressman Wexler. It is the alleged leadership in the House that has killed a real debate on Impeachment.

Dennis Kucinich is doing it because it is the right thing to do. Period. The others are complicit.

[leftcoastindy]

Actually Japan didn't really attack us (the USA). They attacked our offensive war machines/naval base to prevent our attacking them later.

If we start the impeachment process, and the many wrong/evil actions of Bushco have the light of day shined on them, how will that hurt Obama? Are you suggesting we can't start testimony by the end of July and get a lot of information into the public pervue by the end of September? I can see one week for each member of the WHIG and a week for Powell. A couple weeks for rebutels to them and bingo, Bush/Cheney are exposed to the Cons, apologists, and enablers for all the world to see. Not to mention the rest of the world noticing that we care about what has happened and that there is a penalty for trying to get away with ... screwing everyone who's not part of "my base"

[Marlyn]

"Actually Japan didn't really attack us (the USA). They attacked our offensive war machines/naval base to prevent our attacking them later." ???

How silly. Yes they did.

[Henry]

I think that Nancy knows well how the big sorority house is run.