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.
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Is your Congressman on board for accountability, investigation or impeachment hearings? We can all play a more important part in fixing our nation's problems if we get involved in our local Congressional race. We have magnified power as voters in local politics, especially if we also blog, donate or volunteer.
I was amazed when I researched my Member of Congress, Eliot "elite" Engel of NY, assuming he was on the right track because he is a Democrat. But I learned that not only had he voted for the Iraq war and all the subsequent appropriations, he opposed Democratic leaders in fighting for Bush's right to invade Iran without Congressional approval - yes, hhe was giving away his OWN power and oversight to George Bush! Besides this, he is scheduled to make a speech at Rev. John Hagee's doomsday conference! Get involved people, the Congressional races are crucial in restoring Constitutionality to the United States.
We need to speak against these crimes.
With all due respect, Representative Wexler - just what are you and the rest of the Democrats going to do about it? You're obviously preaching to the choir here, and those of us who have watched in horror as the Bush cabal have systematically destroyed our country while our elected officials sit back and allow it to happen just have to shake our heads and ask, "So what else is new"?
Scream it to the rooftops, go to every major "liberal" media outlet you can think of, DEMAND your fellow representatives take a stand and end this madness!!!!!
In the meantime, I'm not going to hold my breath.
FYI - Wexler has been "screaming to the roof tops". The Miami Herald (like the rest of the MSM) wouldn't even publish his editorials. The MSM colludes with this administration to disempower Congress.
As for impeachment being "off the table", I truly believe that this admin. holds some threat over their heads and blackmails them into caving into its agendas. Sound far fetched - conspiracy theory stuff - maybe - until you think of all the underhanded corrupt and flat out criminal actions taken by this admin in the last 7 1/2 years. Then it doesn't sound so far fetched at all - just business as usual for Repugs.
Not all the Dems in Congress have gone belly up to the Bushites - Wexler, Kuchinich, Feingold to name a few have all spoken out loud and clear (and put their votes where their mouths are), but there just aren't enough of them to turn the tide of the other cowardly Dems.
Please contact your Congressmen/women and tell them to impeach. Tell them you will not vote for them next term if they don't. Then remember come election time what they did/didn't do and vote accordingly.
Like a lot of people I figure the dems are as guilty as the repubs in a lot that they're fighting to keep hidden from the public.
I'm at the point where you can talk all you want, but I don't believe you have any intention of taking action.
And that is one of the sorriest parts of this whole debacle. All of you have lost the trust and admiration, not only of the voters in this country, but people across the world by your refusal to do your jobs.
Maybe we need to reframe the argument, pointing out to Ms. Pelosi and the rest that they, themselves, can be jailed for aiding and abetting known criminals if they refuse to honor their oaths to uphold the Constitution and impeach Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney.
If Ms. Pelosi and the rest suddenly understand that we are serious about sending them to jail for their inattentiveness and complicity, perhaps they will have some sense scared into them.
I'm with that but ..uh HOW do we "send them to jail"? By what mechanism? I have signed petitions and made phone calls, written local letters to the editor, etc. These folks KNOW where we stand - and do nothing. Vote Pelosi and Reid out of office if you are from their states. better yet, start a movement in your state to recall them.
Ok Bob. Make it happen.
It has become abundantly clear that Bush, Cheney et al are responsible for violating all manner of our laws and have repeatedly trampled all over the constitution and particularly the fourth amendment.
Bush and Cheney have lied us into a war that has cost us dearly and won't be easy to resolve.
Their entire management of domestic policy has reflected a complete disdain for the people of this country.
The voters of this country not only expect, but rightfully demand, that The United States House of Representatives bring articles of impeachment against Bush and Cheney.
Your oath and the law require that this be done. What would you say if all the other persons in this country that are charged with enforcing the law refused to do so? Think that's crazy? Maybe. But that is exactly what the United States Congress has done.
The United States congress is obliged and has the constitutional authority to enforce the law under one circumstance. That is in those instances which require applying the law to the executive as is appropriate. If this is not an appropriate time then you and the rest of the members of the United States House of Representatives have no business being where you are. None of this can possibly be in doubt. Do your job!!!!!
When McClellan is done, what do you say the fired US attorneys get their day in the spotlight? Let them explain to Americans just what they were investigat
I am a Democrat and I know that the lawmakers respresenting me don't have enough cojones to breathe fire into anyhting. . . . . I have never seen such cowardly whimps as this bunch of scum in Congress and the Senate. Let's vote them all out and . . . . start fresh.
I am so disheartened by the apathy and ignorance of the majority of the US population. What is the crime this administration would have to commit to get this populace to demand accountability? When will this administration get its comeuppance? Surely no greater evil has been perpetrated against the US than by this group. Somehow they must pay.
Would I get in trouble if I had Amazon send a copy of The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave?
"It is now the time for Democrats to be breathing more fire"
considering that they've refused to breathe any so far, this bar is still set too low. The house just finished rolling over on FISA (and the Senate is about to do the same), so why do we expect these weasels to suddenly develop a backbone? Sorry, but talk is cheap- all the angry posturing and blustering statements don't get it done, when at the end of the day it's case after case of capitulati
And apparently, Barack Obama may "roll over" on FISA as well. Should he do so, he would drain all the hope and inspiration from those of us who believed his promises weren't just empty retoric.
Before Wexler can bring this impeachment on, he must first remove those who have obstructed him, Kucinich and John Conyers from doing so. Wexler should begin an ethics and obstruction of justice investigation against Nancy Perlosi and Harry Reed.
I wish for Impeachment Hearings, it would make my day. What does impeachment look like when these thugs leave office...c
They could be charged with international war crimes. Phillipe Sands was on "Fresh Air" talking to Terri Grosse and said that it's possible that the international community could bring them up on war crimes, and that a precident had been set of charging heads of state when Spain went after a South American dictator. But he claims the evidence is there...si
But I agree...th
To DCB: YOU'RE SURE NOT ALONE, RICHARD CLARKE said they should not go back into polite society
The Cheney/Bush administration could not have done so much to destroy our Constitution, our national security, our economy, our environment, etc. without the willing complicity of both Congress and the so-called MSM. The efforts to impeach should always be presented as addressing just one of the three problems. How would you address the other two-thirds of the problem?
You want accountability?
Start with testimony from Pelosi.
How can we as citizens call for the administration to take responsibility for the damage done to our country when impeachment was taken off the table by the leaders of congress? How can we "make the administration" do anything when congress cannot make them come to tesitify in congress when called? They thumb their noses at us and we are left with very few who will stand and say it is time to call the administration who and what they are and make them pay in the court of law which they have taken control of. How can we change this if the congress will not listen to us either?
You think devious George knows anything about the ten commandments? (what a joke!!)
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