McClellan Testimony Highlights Bush's Crimes -- It's Time for Genuine Accountability

This author of this post is Democratic Congressman Robert Wexler from South Florida. Wexler has been ubiquitous these last months as a top surrogate for Senator Obama -- even representing him at the nationally televised DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee. Wexler recently called for testimony of Scott McClellan before the Judiciary Committee and delivered it. He has been front and center demanding impeachment hearings for Cheney and now Bush. Now Wexler has published a frank book about his political experiences and his thoughts on why Democrats should be more aggressive. The book is entitled Fire-Breathing Liberal - How I learned to Survive (and Thrive) in the Contact Sport of Congress. If you are interested the book is stores now or you can order your copy online now on Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com.

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The testimony of Scott McClellan this past Friday in the House Judiciary Committee marked an important step forward for Congress in the battle to fully expose the crimes of the Bush/Cheney administration and finally hold this White House accountable for its appalling actions that have weakened our constitution and our government. I am only sorry that we are taking this step so late in President Bush's term in office. However, I am pleased that history will at the very least document the shocking revelations that Mr. McClellan testified to on Friday. Scott McClellan under oath last week agreed with me that it is a likely possibility that Vice President Dick Cheney was the individual who authorized the leak of Valerie Plame Wilson's covert status. Mr. McClellan also said that he believes more White House officials should come before Congress and reveal the truth about this administration's actions. McClellan's testimony underscores a simple reality: We must dig deeper.

The fact that much of what McClellan testified to on Friday is already known and reported on in the press should not diminish its import. We have a formerly loyal top official in the Bush White House stating under oath that the Bush administration carried out a campaign of lying and misstatements to trick Congress and the American people into war in Iraq. This former White House Press Secretary states that Dick Cheney, Scooter Libby and Karl Rove likely engaged in behavior that amounts to obstruction of justice regarding the leaking of the identity of covert agent Valerie Plame Wilson.

McClellan's testimony only touched the tip of the iceberg regarding the corrupt actions of the Bush administration. As I have written about in my new book Fire-Breathing Liberal - How I learned to Survive (and Thrive) in the Contact Sport of Congress, this administration has done more to weaken the balance of powers established by the Founding Fathers than any previous White House. In both domestic and foreign policy this cabal of right-wing true believers have violated our laws and our Constitution. Just this year it was revealed that the highest levels of the administration including President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Colon Powell, Condoleezza Rice, and Donald Rumsfeld approved and ordered the torture of prisoners and thereby violated US law, our commitments to international treaties, and vanquished whatever remaining moral authority our nation held in the eyes of the global community. The list goes on and on and includes hiding and censoring scientific findings on global warming and the blatantly political firing of US attorneys.

Earlier this year I began a nationwide campaign to hold impeachment hearings for Vice President Dick Cheney (and I have recently expanded my efforts to push for hearings for Bush as well.) Although the national media completely ignored these efforts, over a quarter of a million Americans did not and signed a petition of support on my site Wexlerwantshearings.com in order to advocate for accountability for this rogue administration.

Just imagine, ten short years ago our media was obsessed with details of Monica Lewinsky and Linda Tripp and Republicans in Congress actually impeached a popular President of the United States because he had an affair and lied about it. Today we have a President and a Vice President that went to war on false pretenses, illegally ordered the torture of prisoners, obstructed justice by lying about the outing of a covert CIA agent, fired US Attorneys for political reasons, and authorized warrantless spying on American citizens. This president and vice-president took countless despicable actions that surely amount to high crimes and yet the media yawns and even the vast majority of Democrats in Congress are simply uninterested. This arrogant administration simply does not respect the constitutional powers of Congress and by their actions -- and by our reluctance to respond -- we threaten to forever weaken the power of Congress. As you know, current and former Bush administration officials have simply refused to testify before Congress even when subpoenaed.

This has never happened before in the history of our nation. Never before have high level executive officials refused to even appear before Congress when properly summoned by the Legislative Branch. The House of Representatives has held former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten in contempt of Congress for their failure to appear and a lawsuit is ongoing in order to force their appearance. I think we must do more. I have called for Karl Rove -- who has also refused to testify -- to be held in inherent contempt and for the other renegade officials such as Miers and Bolten to appear as required by their subpoenas or be forced to do so by the House Sergeant of Arms. The power of inherent contempt is lawful whereas the refusal of Miers and Bolten is not. Congress must stand up for itself against this executive abuse of power.

It is now the time for Democrats to be breathing more fire. We need to show the American people that they chose correctly when they returned our party to majority status in Congress. As I argue in my book, when we give Americans a stark choice -- progressive values and policies will carry the day against the defeated ideas and old politics of the Bush administration and the vanquished GOP Congressional majority.

I hope that the McClellan hearing will only be the beginning of an effort for genuine accountability rather than a culmination of the effort. We owe it to the American people and history to pursue the wrongdoing of this administration whether or not it helps us politically or in the next election. Our actions will properly define the Bush administration in the eyes of history and that is the true test.

Comments

[returnofthejedi]

You point out a major concern of mine Mr Wexler. How is it that our media is can blatantly show such bias towards one political party and not be investigated themselves. I don't know if there is anything Congress can do about this problem. If they can they need to investigate this whole orgy going on between the MSM, Telecom companies,and the GOP. It's obvious to me that they are operating in ways that would make any communist, nazi, or fascist smile. This free press has been compromised is there anything that congress can do to break up this unholy marriage and give the American People what they deserve, media outlets that are free of propoganda. I would suggest that they be forced identify themselves as propaganda peddlers sort of like the Movie Ratings System does before each
movie. They should be forced to inform the viewer of the content and aims of their news casts.

[leftLibertarian]

Rep. Wexler:

Please wake up your fellow Democrats and tell them about the crimes committed by Bush and Cheney for it seems that they are oblivious.

[cafemocha]

Accountability to Bush/Cheney cabal of criminals who've infested the Whitehouse may come after Bush leaves office, with or without impeachment.
The key to making this happen is to prevent wholesale broad pardons of subordinates involved in the crimes. I believe some restrictions put on the president's powers to pardon are in order and would be upheld by SCOTUS, as it is reasonable to expect the highest standard of conduct of people who are employed in the Whitehouse and bestowed the public's trust unto them. The minimum standard for Whitehouse employees is to do no crime. Soooo...fo­llow this plan, it will lead to prison for Whitehouse criminals:

1. Submit a bill in congress that prohibits a president from granting pardons, commutations, and reprieves to members of the president’s administration. This bill merely adds a caveat to the constitutional “pardon provision” in the same way that other acts of congress expand or narrow constitutional provisions and powers (simplest example- see how the 1st amendment has been limited and shaped by legislation and judicial activism, “No yelling fire in theaters”, corporations can fire people for speaking out, etc.). Many laws exist limiting free speech.

2. Get it through Congress.

3. Bush must sign and abide by it, or upon vetoing it, triggers the imperative to Impeach to prevent a deluge of pardons: The House holds hearings on the articles of impeachment against Bush/Cheney. Impeachment moves out of committee.
Pardons will not be legal. Whitehouse criminals will get their due.

[MissA]

Congressman Wexler,

Amen and Hallelujah! What a relief to hear someone in the House say this!

It's a little terrifying to consider that the political landscape in our nation has devolved so much that hearing an elected representative stand firmly for rule by law, accountability, and upholding the Constitution of this country is a cause for celebration -- shouldn't ALL of our elected officials in Congress be concerned about the insane excesses of this Administration over the last eight years, and acting to ensure justice and accountability?

I mean, shouldn't what you're writing here be the norm among our senators and representatives, rather than a seeming lone voice in some kind of bizarre post-Patriot-Act wilderness?

That impeachment or other appropriate enforcement of our Constitution resulting in a demand for accountability for these dangerous (and even treasonous) crimes would be "too painful/divisive for our long-suffering nation" (I've heard this from one of my Senators; to a lesser extent from my Representative) is laughable.

Americans are a lot stronger than our leaders believe -- we know right from wrong, mostly. We also know courage when we see it, and cowardice.

The country is already 'divided' -- 80% of Americans are quite clear that we're on the wrong course and a substantial number, too, are clear that the Iraq War is a travesty.

What is the real reason for this lack of leadership, and how can we, Average Americans, convince our leaders that they need to breathe a LOT more fire?

[CitizenInformed]

Thank you Congressman Wexler.

Last night, I watched the documentary "No End in Sight". The sheer incompetence of top administration officials in the Iraq reconstruction is inconceivable.

It seems to me that "the system" is broken...t­hat all 3 branches of gov't are ineffective. Clearly the executive branch is corrupt. Congress has no backbone and has not been able to get anything done....pe­riod....no­t to mention standing up to the executive branch and holding them accountable for flat-out crimes. The legislative branch has also been an accomplice to the Bush administration from putting him into to office to giving faulty legal advice that essentially approved war crimes.

Both political parties are ineffective. The Republicans are too greedy to care about justice, and the Democrats (as a whole) are too lame to step up.

I'm encouraged by the continued reports over the past couple months of accumulating evidence against the Bush Administration. And with the various books and documentaries, there appears to be enough Washington insiders speaking out to warrant impeachment or indictments. Maybe justice will eventually being served. But as they say, the jury is still out.

[WindmillSlayer]

Congress has wimped out on the nation. The few congressfolk (Wexler, Kucinich) brave enough to speak out are being ignored. No, this isn't receiving as much attention as it deserves -- not by any definition of either the word "attention" or "deserves.­"

We come to these blogs and read and write the same words over and over again: impeach! war crimes! crimes against humanity! We cry and moan over the lack of msm coverage of these things. We write letters, sign petitions, and still nothing changes, nothing has done.

We are powerless. Our votes are meaningless, because nothing changes.

This is OUR nation. WE are the people. The moment is not Obama's -- it is OURS.

My question is: How? What can we do to remove these people from office and reclaim our country? Because I, for one, am sick and tired of whining about it. I want more than words -- I want action. Somebody tell us what we can do to bring about the change our country so desperately needs.

[knighthowl]

Obama, of course, says that this IS OUR MOMENT. And I hope he is correct. At the same time, I am sickened at the behavior that has gone unpunished. Clearly, what Bush and his cohorts have done is far beyond any sane person's idea of high crimes and misdemeanors. What they have done is far beyond the prohibitions in the Bible. These are sinners and criminals of the highest order and yet they continue their daily lives as if they are blameless. Instead, they are shameless.

The answer to change is simple: vote for democrats and sweep the Congress and the White House clean. The answer for justice is tougher since the Repugs can still block impeachement. Bush may well pardon himself and his entire cabinet. If he is dumb enough not to do so, he must be prosecuted. If he does pardon himself, we are left to hope for international sanctions. I would say let's rendition him to a country that will prosecute his dumb ass if we do not have the courage to do it ourselves.

[WhitemoonG]

Wexler, Start proceedings. Though every intelligence agency in the world Kerry, Hillary , Bill, Allbright, all stated Saddam had WMD in 2002-2003, include that testimony. Doesn't fit revisionist conclusion Bush "knowingly misled?" Should've paid more attention to other nations before invading, as they all agreed there WERE wmd?

Replay tapes of Joe Wilson on "Nightline," days before March 03 Iraq invasion, warning he knew Saddam had WMD , warning not to invade BECAUSE Saddam HAS wmd! I'm sure Wexler can explain Wilson's warning that Saddam HAS wmd?

Or, Wexler can read out of Wilson's "The Politics of Truth" (!), how, in 2004, he explains further his contention that Saddam HAS wmd, on national TV days before Bush invaded.

Even though Bush "knowingly misled" into war, Wilson, in March 2003, days PRE invasion, is on TV, AUTHORITATIVELY warning Saddam HAS wmd. Wilson wouldn't lie, would he? Course not.

Perhaps that's why Valerie, in "Fair game," relates concern for the troops on Iraq invasion day, hoping they wouldn't get blitzed with WMD inspectors never found. Exactly the concern one would have, while later claiming her CIA "knew all along" there was nothing there, right?

Maybe Wexler will review the 150 tons of yellowcake FOUND in Tuwaitha, Iraq, April 2003 by our troops, confirmed by Tina Sussman in "Newsday" June 5, 2003, and the New York Times (!) in June 2004. Interesting, since Wilson "proved" he wasn't seeking any!

Let's have impeachment hearings! Wexler and Wilson can explain tons yellowcake FOUND!

[knighthowl]

You have clearly passed through the looking glass. Not one ounce of yellowcake was found in Iraq, let alone 150 tons. Are you foolish enough to think that if this discovery ever happened it would not have been trumpeted around the world?! There may have been a report (which I doubt), but if there was, it was also refuted. Unless, of course, you are the only person on earth who has knowledge of this event.

[Vinca]

To knighthowl: The reason Valerie Plame was outed , in my opinion, also MANY OTHERS, was because Joe Wilson discredited that yellow cake story, Ex CIA agent ,Ray McGovern said it was a fradulent dociment, b

[WhitemoonG]

Foolish? Looking glass? Sorry, FACTS are the facts, even if revisionist groupthink makes sure few remember otherwise, and Bush co did a lousy job of pointing out the facts, or gave up trying.

What about Rita Sussman's report, the first week of June, 2003, in Long Island "Newsday," of innocent Iraqi villagers entering the briefly unguarded Saddam top secret weapons research facilitty at Tuwaitha, in the hours after Saddam's guard fled, and before our troops arrived, who found big drums of yellowcake, and in their uncontrollable curiosity, opened them and poured the yellow, oozey cakey stuff on the ground and on themselves. Her report confirms yellowcake, and was mainly written from the perspective of concern for who will look out for these Iraqi villagers exposed to radiation. And, this was a MONTH before Wilson's grandstanding, slanted editorial.

In June, 2004, the NY Times reported a quiet US/UN joint airlifting of over a hundred tons of yellowcake out of Iraq to a secure, undisclosed location. This was of course on the bottom of page 19, or something like that, and when later asked about it, even Sulzberger wasn't aware that his own paper reported this. You too, obviously.

Anyway, what about Wilson warning us about Saddam's WMD, days before the invasion? Read own book confirmimg this. Then tell me who's in a looking glass.

[WhitemoonG]

Sorry, that was Tina, not Rita. The report was as stated, however.

[acv]

Congress has the responsibility and authority to hold this Administration accountable and if they don’t do that, they forfeit their authority. That’s dangerous for this country. I've contacted my senators and congressman - what else can I do!? Congress must enforce subpoenas’ they have issued. What good is your authority if you don't enforce it? I really think Congressman Wexler must do whatever is required to enforce Congressional subpoenas. I’m totally confused about why there is not outrage over what is happening?

[mergina]

America, as we knew it, is dead. This is the United Corporations of America, no longer the United States of America and Congress and the senate are on the payroll.

[Vinca]

To mregina:Wouldn't it be great if there was a GENIUS who could find a better to elect a president than the way we now have, most elected people are concerned ONLY KEEPING THEIR JOBS, MONEY MONEY GREASES THE WHEELS

[jcorrington]

Exactly Mergina! and they will never give up that power. Alas, the gov is broken..an­d i doubt it can ever be fixed.

[leftLibertarian]

Congressman Wexler:

Thank you for being a man of principle and integrity. Something that is rare in politics. I wish that you were the speaker of the House instead of the corrupt and spineless Pelosi, who should also be impeached along with the criminals Bush and Cheney. It is unfortunate that your Democratic colleagues are without principle

History will wonder what happened to Congress. How that body could have ignored the high crimes that Bush and Cheney committed. But history will also show that you were a good and decent man.

[Vinca]

To LeftLibertarian: I do agree wholeheartly that ROBERT WEXLER would be much better as house speaker, we might have gotten impeachment of BUSH OR CHENEY , I SAY,

[Bflobaz]

WHAT IF THEY SKIPPED THE BOSTON TEA PARTY?

The most often voiced argument against impeachment is: “The clock will run-out on the Administration” But do we wish to be known for what we’ve experienced these past seven years?
The focus of Impeachment isn’t simply one of buyer’s remorse. The Congress needs to assert its authority as a co-equal branch of government and make manifest our Constitutional form of government; being one of meaningful checks and balances. The process of conducting hearings in the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives; and voting to issue Articles of Impeachment against Bush-Cheney, is of critical importance as our nation moves away from the over-reaching of the Imperial Presidency advanced by this Administration.

We had a Revolution in 1776 for much less abuse by the British Crown of the social governing contract, than the violations of the oath of office by Bush-Cheney. A heart-felt assessment of just how bad things have become is the measure of why the Constitutional steps towards issuing Articles of Impeachment must be commenced.

Would we have had a United States of America if, at the on-set, the patriots at the Boston Tea Party were self-stopped from going to the harbor by an appeal to reason: “Why bother? The ship is about to sail?" They knew; should they fail to act decisively; there would soon be another ship in port bearing within its hold cases supporting their grievances against the Crown.

[pilotinfla]

Impeaching a president just because his approval rating is low and some disagree with his decisions is nothing like the Boston Tea Party. Political disagreements in this country are settled by elections not by the winners accusing the losers of made-up "crimes". Opportunists like Wexler and Dennis Kuchinich love the headlines that they can get by demanding the impeachment of the president and/or vice president but they know that the adults in charge are not going to let it get too far out of hand.

Stirring up the Bush-haters with phoney impeachment talk is a disservice to Barack Obama who is going to want a clean opporunity to exert his own style of leadership and who is not going to want to spend the better part of his initial term of office dealing with past history.

[Roafer]

Never has a group of tyrants just thumbed their noses at this country for years and just continue their tyranny without any fear of prosecution. If absolutely nothing happens to these pathetic chumps it confirms what most already know. The USA was a country we once knew and cherished, it is now just another banana republic. Chances are that very serious crimes will not be prosecuted, why? What went wrong? Why are there so many cowards in Congress? These and many more questions like them will go unanswered because people that took an oath to follow and abide by the Constitution have let their once great country down. Cowards, plutocratic cowards all of them!

[knighthowl]

Just a clarification. The President took an oath, not to follow and abide by the Constitution, but to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Our servicemembers (which at one point presumably included W) take a somewhat more expansive oath: "that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same."

Bush, of course, famously said of the Constitution that it is "just a God damn piece of paper." That alone should be grounds for impeachment, since by his own words, he is a domestic enemy of our Constitution. If God should damn anyone, it should be George W. Bush - traitor to his nation and to humanity.

[Sundialsvc4]

Rep. Wexler... the Constitution does not contain the word "Republican" or "Democrat.­" It does, however, levy an unconditional law-enforcement duty upon the Congress that is binding against "any civil officer." That duty is Impeachment. It also lays a less-well-defined enforcement duty upon itself: Expulsion of Members of Congress.

I respectfully submit to the consideration of you and your colleagues that your legal position is like that of a Grand Jury; the Senate is the subsequent Tribunal.

What do we have if the members of a Grand Jury, having knowledge or having probable cause to believe that a crime may have been committed, choose to do nothing? We have "more criminals.­" The members of that Grand Jury are obstructing Justice: they are aiding-and-abetting the crimes by shielding them from any fear of criminal prosecution.

"The Supreme Law of this Land" does not define Impeachment as a political action. It is a sober law enforcement duty. It is not a thing that, by law, CAN be "off the table." It is not a thing that is limited to any particular "civil officer."

There is more-than-abundant evidence that the halls of our Government are thick with a conspiracy of, well, sociopathic(!) lawbreakers. They represent the most-dangerous enemy our Republic could face: "the enemy within." "One if by land."

Rep. Wexler, along with your esteemed colleagues: "Do Thou Thy Duty."

[knowBuddhaU]

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/6/13/despite_opposition_from_his_own_party

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH: President George W. Bush has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as president and subversive of constitutional government to the prejudice of the cause of law and justice and to the manifest injury of the people of the United States. Wherefore, President George W. Bush, by such conduct, is guilty of an impeachable offense warranting removal from office....

And for the leadership of the Democratic Party to say that impeachment is off the table is to essentially put on hold the United States code, international law and the Constitution of the United States. There is no rational, logical reason why the Judiciary Committee should not hear—have hearings on these articles."

[OtayPanky]

Let's be practical here.

The dems have four months to do one big thing: win a historic election that gives them back not just the White House, but both houses of Congress. That's what is needed in order for the progressive agenda - in any form - to become reality.

And - face facts - mostly Dem politicians can't walk and chew gum at the same time. You know the old Will Rogers joke about not being a member of any organized party, because he's a democrat.

Next, mostly dem politicians in power have shown themselves to be craven and cowardly - with precious few exceptions. As far as I'm concerned it's asking way too much of them to change their stripes now.

Next, Scott McClellan's testimony revealed nothing new substantially. There are no more grounds for impeachment today than there were 2 weeks ago.

FInally, in case you didn't notice, Americans aren't big fans of impeachment or impeachers. It did wonders for Bill Clinton's short term popularity, and killed the careers of a number of the hound dogs who hunted him down.

So even though it's an emotional pimpole many of us would dearly love to pop, let's just move on.

[syllepsis]

War crimes, theft of billions, flouting of every law, barrage of lies sold to the American public- that's an "emotional pimpole?"
You are everything that is wrong with this country.

[jqcitizen]

Rep. Wexler-
Impeachment was not necessary to rid the White House of the Nixon-Agnew graft and corruption. Those losers ran before they got locked up. -Of course the country ended up with an unelected president, Gerald Ford and his two favorites, Don Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney. As well as an unelected vice-president, Nelson Rockefeller.

The presidents brother is no longer the governor of Florida, so won't be handing out ice-water to hurricane victims there. And since Sen. Lott resigned, I doubt the president will ever go to Pascagula, Mississippi again.

McClellans admission of failure is late, as was former secretary of defense McFarlands after he was head of the World Bank.

Keep telling the truth to the citizens of Florida. - The Constitution remains intact and that includes the word 'Impeachment' but not necessary right now.