Stalling on Impeachment

On Wednesday 9 July, Chairman Conyers met with Veterans for Peace, in a dramatic confrontation over his indecision on impeachment.

The Real News Network's Matt Palevsky was at the meeting. Watch the story here.

Since June 9th, when Rep. Kucinich introduced 35 articles of impeachment, the articles have remained shelved in the House Judiciary Committee. Chairman Conyers has the ability to bring the articles to a vote in the committee, but he is undecided on a course of action. In a June meeting with Veterans for Peace, Rep. Conyers promised to present his decision on impeachment in early July. However, Conyers failed to present such a decision during a meeting held with Veterans for Peace (VFP) on Wednesday, July 9th. Members of VFP believe that Conyers is deploying stall tactics and that he has no intention of moving forward with impeachment. Conyers, once again, has promised to present his decision in a meeting planned for July 25th.

For more stories from The Real News Network, visit us today.

Comments

[kara1018]

It is never too late to do the right thing! Although President Bush is on his way out of the White House, it would do the party good to go down in history as standing up for the US Constitution and against this horrible administration that is responsible not only for war crimes but for crimes against the American people. Shame on any Democrat who doesn't think this is important.

[TN]

Has it ever occured to the Conyers and Pelosi types in Congress that America needs a Gov 101 lesson. Stop trying to predict what America will think. My mom always said, when you do good things, good things happen.

[CitizenInformed]

Giving the House the benefit of the doubt, maybe additional evidence must be gathered to improve chances of a successful impeachment. Otherwise, what are the Democrats waiting for? If Clinton could be impeached for lying about an extra-marital affair, surely we can muscle up some guts in Congress to impeach a vice president and president flat out guilty of war crimes and manipulating the US justice system.

On Democracy and Justice, America is all talk. Don't believe the hype.

[abouttime]

1. Conyers will decide on the 55th, two weeks hence?
2. Peolsi has said Impeachment is on the table.
3. Conyers gave Rove five more days.

Is push coming to shove?

It is with optomistic caution, but hope is not always based on false pretences.
Call Pelosi and Conyers again.
Call your Represntative, Make them ACT for the people and America.
Impeach!

[PigLipstick]

After a lot of thought and consultation with friends, i can only conclude that a majority of party Democrats wanted to loose the 06 election to build an overwhelming rejection of the GOP by the time the 08 election season arrived. I'm thinking it was kind of an "Oh Shit" Moment for many party insiders on the morning after the 06 election, not enough winning Dems to have majority control - just enough to catch hell for all the GOP victories with a Democrat majority !

[cruisepuppy7452a]

Let me remind Conyers and Pelosi, not acting on the impeachment is collusion in absentia. It is a federal crime. It is thier duty to seek impeachment and federal charges against any and all who colluded with Bush and Cheney. Nobody in this country is above the law, not even the white house. Election be damned. The nonsense they can't do so without house rule? LIES. Pelosi alone can order this hearing to move forward. Does she really want to sit in a federal prison the rest of her life for not upholding the law? Hello, yes that can and will happen if she fails to perform her duties she agreed to when sworn in. Its no longer a game folks this is far more than a blue dress and a few lies. We are talking murder charges, gagging the media to block the public from having the option not to fly or work on 911. Yeah, it did happen like that. Bush ordered the gag order. He false flagged the iran and iraq wars for profit. FEDERAL OFFENSES. He has no immunity for this. No executive privledge. You order crimes like that, its federal jail time and treason charges. Its go time.

[mostlyharmless]

and what about international law? conyers and pelosi are in a position to stop boosh's war crimes, but they have not only failed to do so, they have abetted his crimes by funding them . . . it's foolish to think that there will not be indictments with their names on them, just because they are, supposedly, members of the opposition party

[SantaFeStars]

Good post OmegaZ! You are right when you state that everyone in the world is aware of America's problems! This great Country of OURS is in deep trouble thanks to the inept policies of Bush & Co. Clinton's tryst with Monica was abominable but is not at all comparable to Bush's autocratic presidency. Rep Conyers, stand up for America and act NOW!

[Researchguy66]

They're ringing the dinner bell again, do you notice yourselves drooling?

I'm wondering exactly how different things would have been if the 2006 "tidal wave" had never swept into Washington.

[TheIndependenceParty]

Rep Conyers indicates "(HE) has not decided what he is going to do yet" with regard to impeachment! He, as I, lived through Watergate and the hearings preliminary to the impeachment of Richard Nixon. Bush and Cheney have committed crimes which make Watergate literally a "third rate burglary".

These crimes, including the wholesale obliteration of hundreds of thousands of defenseless Iraqis, the senseless loss of thousands upon thousands of American armed forces, the squandering of billions of dollars on no bid contracts, ... and undeniably reach the level of high crimes against the American and Iraqi people. Worse, they rise to the level of international war crimes!

Is this what Conyers fears? Does he fear a time when an American Official sits before an international tribunal to answer for these heinous crimes? Does Pelosi dread that it might become necessary for "her" House to conduct such hearings and detract from her preferred agenda of enabling Bush's every wish? Does Representative Waxman imagine that the American People have infinite patience for the likes of Bolten, Meiers, and Rove to appear before the People's House under subpoena?

Americans are growing exceedingly weary of excuses by the Democrats for the crimes of the RepublicRats! Pardon me, Ladies and Gentlemen, but you had better learn that this Country Belongs to The People!!!

[PigLipstick]

These elected officials of ours are most afraid of going down this track because if could forever end their dominance in a position where there is zero oversight and a life long career in politically safe districts that will remain protected by the power of the incumbency. But you can't blame them entirely, their constituents continue to re-elect them to office time after time and then bitch about how things never change. Why should they start responding to their constituents, they continue to be re-elected without really doing anything. We are getting the government we voted for !

[Ivar]

So HOW do we get congress up off of its ass and make them do something?

[4President]

Listen, America has to have priorities! With two wars abroad and a recession at home, etc., etc., etc., we should all be focusing on those big bad phone companies that are doing the real damage to the constitution.

Vote for a starkly different, and less favorable America than your parents enjoyed - Vote McCain 08!

[ouroborous]

Christ, NOBODY in government is willing to do the right thing.

Democrats aren't our allies anymore, folks.

Nothing left but to march.

Bravo, guys, for having the guts to stand up to "our guy" Conyers. As I'm finding out here with my attempts to criticize Obama for his utter capitulation on FISA, it's often times MUCH harder to stand up to "our guy" than to "their guy."

I'll contribute money now.

[TimmySlagle]

Has anyone taken a look at those articles?

They cite everything short of an Area 51 coverup.

Anyone in Congress who supports them, automatically loses their credibility. Face it people, there are no high crimes or misdemeanors. He's going to finish his term.

Move On.

[OmegaZ]

I looked at the articles. I printed them up and hung them outside my cube at work! Every last one of them is true and has been documented. If you don't know, then perhaps you've been sucking at the teet of the MSM too long. Try another source, like, say, the BBC. But you probably don't want to read all that 'nonsense' about how our elections are being subverted. That's just too much for a wise soul like yourself who trusts in Almighty Dollar. Wake up and join the rest of the world! Ever hear of the metric system? Got any idea who else uses it besides us? I'll give you a hint: Everyone. It's kinda like how everyone in the world knows something is seriously wrong with America--except for esteemed individuals like yourself who just live here.

[tommybones]

"If the impeachment provision in the Constitution of the United States will not reach the offenses charged here, then perhaps that 18th-century Constitution should be abandoned to a 20th-century paper shredder." Rep. Barbara Jordon, July 25th, 1974

Anyone who could actually make the statement you just made, Timmy, should just slap on an armband and start goose-stepping down main street.

[fairwitness]

Forgive me, but despite Conyers tough talk, NOTHING HAS HAPPENED on any issue whatsoever (except threatening press releases, requests for petition signatures, multiple requests for donations and "hearings" that vent but achieve nothing).

Conyers appears to be another fearful, spineless Dem--easily bullied and cowed into cautious, fearful submission. Talk, no action.

Is this incorrect?

[drkazmd65]

Of course Conyers is stalling,... They all have been stalling (except Kucinich, Wexler and a handful of others). Why would we expect change from them now?

It is just a shade over 6 months folks,... is our Democracy going to be able to hang on that long?

[DieboldHacker]

"It is just a shade over 6 months folks,... is our Democracy going to be able to hang on that long?"

Do you still believe that things will change after Obama gets elected? Did you similarly think things would change after Dems took both houses of Congress in 2006?

They have absolutely no intention whatsoever to do the right thing. Work stoppages and marches might get their attention, but they would have to be massive. Maybe when gas is so expensive that people can't drive to the mall..

[Ivar]

drkazmd65...more importantly, How many of our boys ...just starting out in life...will not hold on? How many will die for George Bus & Co. lies?

[ouroborous]

You think anything is really going to change in 6 months, no matter who wins?

[Liberal2]

Yeah....the name on White House stationary.