Rep. Michaud seeks to impeach Cheney

[MaineDem]

What do people think of this?

Democratic U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud has called for impeachment hearings into the conduct of Vice President Dick Cheney.

Michaud, who represents Maine’s 2nd District, expressed his position in a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers of Michigan last month. In it, Michaud charged that there was "no doubt" that the Bush administration had "dangerously expanded the scope of executive authority" and flouted "the constitutionally defined separation of powers."

Michaud said that serious allegations had been raised against the vice president regarding his role in providing "mischaracterizing information" in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq five years ago as well as the nuclear weapons capabilities of Iran.

He also cited the political retaliation against former CIA officer Valerie Plame, the abuse of detainees in contravention of the Geneva Convention and the illegal wiretapping of American citizens as other reasons for moving forward with hearings. Michaud referred to a recent poll which indicated that 70 percent of the American public believed that Cheney had abused his power.

http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=158645&zoneid=500


I think the idea is wonderful. I fear it may cost him votes in November, though. He's probably safe enough.

[asteroid2003QQ47]

1. Double plus wonderful!

Go Get'em, Mike!

[pat_k]

2. Add the demand to impeach Bush, and it's triple plus wonderful.

Despite the all out effort to suppress the will to impeach, the drumbeat will not be silenced.

Along new calls for impeachment from McGovern and Florida ACLU it's another sign that their efforts to distract the nation with their endless "horserace" and ridiculously early primaries is failing.

[Angsty]

3. Um...

what the hell took so long?

[pat_k]

5. basically. .

. . .it boils down to http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=385&topic_id=34242#34717">the insanity of group think in a closed system. And the system has been steadily closing as politics has become the realm of "professionals." Our so-called leaders occupy a world in which consensus "reality" has been drifting further and further away from truth, fact, and simple moral principle.

The wrongheaded assumptions and rationalizations that drive http://journals.democraticunderground.com/pat_k/23">impeachophobia are deeply entrenched. We've been hearing the same irrational excuses for their failures for decades ("can't win; won't fight" "the backlash beast will get us" "keep our powder dry" for some fight that never seems to materialize. . . ). The conventional "wisdom" is rarely if ever challenged inside the Halls of Power. We hear the same excuses today that we heard in 1986 when they refused to impeach Reagan and Poppy -- and watched in shock as the White House was taken from their waiting hands (http://journals.democraticunderground.com/pat_k/24">"It's like Deja vu all over again").

But the magnitude of our national crisis is prompting outsiders (that would be us) to inject themselves, and to inject reality, into the insular beltway world. Resistance is strong, but more and more cracks have been appearing with each passing month. Time will tell whether or not we can make impeachment a reality, but as long as we keep hammering away, we have a shot.

[Maine-ah]

4. no matter how much we want this to happen

I don't see it happening.

[pat_k]

6. As McGovern points out "Impeachment is unlikely, of course. But we must still urge Congress to. . .

. . .to act. Impeachment, quite simply, is the procedure written into the Constitution to deal with presidents who violate the Constitution and the laws of the land. It is also a way to signal to the American people and the world that some of us feel strongly enough about the present drift of our country to support the impeachment of the false prophets who have led us astray. This, I believe, is the rightful course for an American patriot."

The Congressional oath is not an oath to win; it is an oath to fight -- to "support and defend."

Impeachment will only be "impossible" as long as those who claim to be anti-fascists refuse to fight to see that Bush and Cheney are impeached and removed -- something most tell us they "would love to see." If the "can't win; won't fight" people had been saying "must fight; win or lose" then articles of impeachment would have been voted the day Pelosi took up the gavel.

[asteroid2003QQ47]

7. Better late than never!

Mike has put himself in the line of fire for a noble cause, more power to him!
Hopefully he won't be left to twist in the wind.
--------------------------------------------------------------
The tyranny of a prince in an oligarchy is not so dangerous to public welfare
as the apathy of a citizen in a democracy.

~Charles de Secondat, baron de Montesquieu

[asteroid2003QQ47]

8. Petition to Impeach

Maine Campaign to Impeach
Petition to the United States Congress
for Impeachment of
George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney

We citizens of the State of Maine assert that President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard B. Cheney have committed high crimes and misdemeanors that warrant impeachment. These high crimes and misdemeanors must be subjected to impeachment investigations as stipulated in the U.S. Constitution.

If such impeachment action is not taken, the Constitutional balance of powers, rule of law, and protection of freedoms in the United States can be unduly compromised by the current and future Chief Executives of this Nation.

We call upon the U.S. House of Representatives, including Maine's Congressmen Thomas H. Allen and Michael H. Michaud, to support investigations and proceedings leading to impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney and their removal from office.

http://maineimpeach.org/Petition.html

[sandyd921]

9. Thank you Mike!

That's fantastic!


:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

[Vet31203]

10. Get em Mike!

I cant stand people like him. I hope we have seen the end of the Bush's, Roves, Cheneys, and Libby's. Lets get out and vote for all the democrats!

William J Meyers for House 2008

[Chacarron]

11. impeach! n/t

[sandyd921]

12. Yay Mike!

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

I can't imagine what votes it would lose him! Maybe, the far right crazy zombie crowd? I could be wrong but I'm not sure he would have had their votes to begin with.