Open-Ended Issue

President George W. Bush will be impeached
- Desirability: Desirable; - Importance: High; - Volatility: High; - Likelihood: High; - Confidence: Medium. >>

"The President, Vice President, and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors." -- USA Constitution, Article II, which covers the executive branch, the fourth section >>

Impeachment is warranted given all the high crimes and misdemeanors of Bush and his administration
Impeachment is warranted given all the high crimes and misdemeanors of Bush and his administration >>

Def: High crime and misdemeanor
A high crime or misdemeanor is an archaic term that means a serious abuse of power, whether or not it is also a crime, that endangers USA's constitutional system of government. >>

In the USA, a long delayed five year U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence study and 170-page report unanimously found President Bush, Vice President Cheney and other top officers had made false charges and systematically presented a more dire picture about Iraq than justified by intelligence provided only to them. >>

Impeach George W. Bush Resolution by Dennis J. Kucinich
Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich defied his party leadership by calling, on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, for the impeachment of U.S. President George W. Bush for launching the Iraq war. >>

Hearing on: Executive Power and Its Constitutional Limitations
US House of Representatives Committee of the Judiciary Hearing on: Executive Power and Its Constitutional Limitations. Witnesses were: Hon. Dennis Kucinich, Maurice Hinchey, Walter Jones, Brad Miller, Elizabeth Holtzman, Bob Barr, Ross C. "Rocky" Anderson, Stephen Presser, Bruce Fein, Vincent Bugliosi, Jeremy A. Rabkin, Elliott Adams, Frederick A. O. Schwarz, Jr. >>

President George Bush should be prosecuted for the crimes he and his administration is accused of. >>

No One Should Be Above the Law >>

Take Bush and Cheney to court when they are out of office
One can wait till George Bush and Dick Cheney are out of office and take them to court for high crimes and misdemeanors then. >>

Impeachment now will make for a stronger indictment case later
If we don't get to impeachment, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney's strongest defense in court will be to argue that they were never impeached. -- David Swanson >>

In the USA, a sitting president can't be prosecuted. It is forbidden by the constitution. >>

Impeach President Bush after Januart 2009 >>

When President Bush is impeached, even if he is impeached after Januari 2009, he would be barred from any Federal office (such as work on federal commissions etc that prior-Presidents have done >>

"And as I've watched the Bush administration every day in the seven and a half years. [...] I didn't see anything along the way that would have indicated to me by an objective judgment that we would be sitting here with these impeachment hearings today." -- Rep. Steve King of Iowa, at the hearing on Executive Power and Its Constitutional Limitations >>

There is not adequate evidence that Bush / the Bush-administration committed a crime
If somebody had a crime that the president had committed, that would be a different story. -- Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker, in television show "The View" >>

Impeachment should not be used as a standard political tool: Obama
"I think you reserve impeachment for grave, grave breaches, and intentional breaches of the president's authority. I believe if we began impeachment proceedings we will be engulfed in more of the politics that has made Washington dysfunction. We would once again, rather than attending to the people's business, be engaged in a tit-for-tat, back-and-forth, non-stop circus." -- Barack Obama, USA Today >>

Impachment will prevent Bush from more havoc
Impachment will prevent Bush from more havoc amd misbehaviour >>

Impeachment renders executive privilege null and void.
Executive Privilege: US Congress can't get straight answers from any of the people they have been calling to testify. -- christian seppa, comments >>

Impeachment will remove the option of pardons
If Bush gets to the end of his term of office, expect a raft of pardons for people implicated in all manner of the most serious crimes. -- christian seppa, comments >>

Impeaching Bush or Cheney would lead them to abuse power further
... for instance, call off elections, and institute martial law. >>

There is an urgent need to remove George Bush and Dick Cheney from office in order to end the brutal occupation of Iraq where people are dying every day as a result of their policies. >>

Impeachment will prevent Bush from attacking Iran
Impeachment will prevent Bush (/ USA)from attacking Iran. >>

Impeachment is good for the constitutional democracy of the USA
George Bush should be impeached because it is better for the constitutional democracy of the USA >>

In the final analysis this is about our Constitution: Kucinich
"We all know the consequences of the war, the loss of lives and injury to our troops, the deaths of innocent Iraqis, the cost to the American taxpayers. There has been another consequence: Great damage to our Constitution through an unnecessary, illegal war and the destruction of the superior role of Congress in the life of this nation. "Congress must in the name of the American people, use the one remedy which the Founders provided for an Executive who gravely abused his power: Impeachment. "Congress must reassert itself as a co-equal branch of government; bring this President to an accounting, and in doing so reestablish the people's trust in Congress and in our United States system of government. We must not let this President's conduct go unchallenged and thereby create a precedent which undermines the Constitution. "In the final analysis this is about our Constitution and whether a President can be held accountable for his actions and his deceptions, especially when the effects of those actions have been so calamitous for America, Iraq and the world. "Unless Congress reasserts itself as the power branch of government which the Founders intended, our experiment with a republican form of Government may be nearing an end." [...] "But when Congress acts to hold this President accountable it will be redeeming the faith that the Founders had in the power of a system of checks and balances which preserves our republic." -- Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), at a Capitol Hill press conference >>

The USA can't go forward without addressing the war crimes, and crimes against humanity ...
... and the common crimes with which the Bush administratioin has been charged. The criminality of the Bush administration has so damaged our country, has so diimiinished our standing and our ability to function in the world, and has so fundamentally altered the sense of what our country stands for and who we are as a people, that it is silly to think that we can go forward without addressing these issued. -- Based on comment of Brad Newsham >>

“It can be difficult, even painful, to look back on our own mistakes. It’s tempting to focus on the obvious triumphs or ignore history altogether in our constant quest for a better tomorrow. But I’m convinced there’s much to be gained from thoughtful, candid and probing self-examination ... and that requires an honest look at what happened.” -- Scott McClellan, in his book, “What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception”, in the last paragraph >>

History Books: If three months after walking out of the office scot-free, Bush is convicted of war crimes, how on earth can we say that our system of checks and balances works? -- Based on the comment of Christian Seppa >>

Impeachment is a constitutional duty
It is the one power and highest duty the Constitution rests in the Congress to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States when the President, Vice President, and other civil officers of the United States commit treason, bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors. -- Ramsey Clark >>

We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that, among these, are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the government; and, whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it. These words from the Declaration of Independence are instructive at this moment. Because not only whenever any form of government, but whenever any government official becomes destructive of the founding purposes, that official or those officials must be held accountable. -- Dennis Kucinich >>

Impeachment will be divisive for the USA. >>

Impeachment would be divisive for the country. -- According to Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker, in television show "The View" >>

“If Obama were to win, that would be an issue his administration would have to face early ... because he’s pledging to be a uniter, not a divider — without saying those exact words we campaigned on in 2000. He’s pledging to change the way Washington works, and if Congress were to pursue that, it would be very divisive.” “That could be very problematic for his presidency right off the start.” -- Scott McClellan, when asked what advice he would give to a President Barack Obama or Democratic Congress on the matter of handling former Bush officials >>

If we as citizens do not hold him accountable for these crimes, if we do not begin the process of impeachment, we will be complicit in the codification of a new world order. -- Chris Hedges, article No One Should Be Above the Law >>

The acts of the Bush administration undermine the current world order of international cooperation >>

Impeachment is not a good political move for the US Democrats
Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, and other key Democrats have repeatedly said that trying to remove Bush from office would be "divisive" and is unlikely to succeed. To some Democratic leaders, starting impeachment proceedings at this time would be so divisive that it would mean throwing away their chances of winning in November. >>

Impeachment is off the table: Pelosi
"Well, it's a pledge in the – yes, I mean, it's a pledge. Of course it is. It is a waste of time." "Wouldn't they just love it, if we came in and our record as Democrats coming forth in 12 years, is to talk about George Bush and Dick Cheney? This election is about them. This is a referendum on them." "Making them lame ducks is good enough for me." >>

Pelosi may have put it “off the table,” but it’s not her decision anyway
The question is not: Where does Nancy Pelosi stand at the opening of this session of Congress? Rather, it is: Where do the people stand? -- John Nichols, In Praise of Impeachment >>

Impeachment is an organic process, imagined as such by the founders
Its seed is not naturally planted in Washington, nor nurtured there. When proposals for impeachment are grounded in popular concern for the republic in general and the application of the rule of law in particular—as are moves to sanction Bush and Cheney for illegal war making and wiretapping—the process will begin at the grassroots and grow until it cannot be denied by Washington. -- John Nichols, In Praise of Impeachment >>

Democrats are not serious about impeaching Bush now >>

Democrats have failed to start impeachment over the year and a half since they took control of Congress >>

Nothing has happened in recent months to give Democrats special reason to start impeachment proceedings now >>

Democrats launched the hearing on a Friday afternoon >>

The hearing received very limited attention from the mainstream media >>

The hearing is a gesture of appreciation for Dennis Kucinich and his supporters >>

Not enough votes to impeach George Bush. -- According to John Conyers, Jr., Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 14th district >>

An impeachment vote in the US House would require 67 votes. >>

Democrats can have enough votes in Congress
Congress members will have enough votes to pass impeachment, if Nancy Pelosi and John Conyers, and others promoted impeachment. >>

In the US House, 61 Democrats represent nominally "red" districts and thus may feel compelled to vote nay. >>

Not enough time to impeach George Bush. -- According to John Conyers, Jr., Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 14th district >>

The fact that Bush has four months left in office does not matter one bit when it comes to violating the Constitution. As one speaker after another made clear in the July 25 hearing of the House Judiciary Committee hearing: impeachment is a constitutionally mandated duty and not a matter of partisan politics. If Congress refuses to carry out its obligations it sends a message to all future presidents, from either Party, that the Constitution has been stripped of all meaning. We have a duty to act and we will. -- Radhika Miller. representing ImpeachBush.org, during newsconference with Dennis Kucinich >>

Most impeachments happen late
The movements to impeach Truman and Hoover, and the impeachment of Johnson, happened later than where we are now with George Bush. >>

In the USA, there have been in the past impeachments and trials that have taken a total of two days. >>

USA President Richard Nixon's impeachment took three months. >>

USA President Bill Clinton's impeachment and trial combined took four months >>

“George Bush has enough time to bomb Iran on another pretext. He has enough time to continue policies of torture. He has enough time to continue policies of eavesdropping and wiretapping. “We don’t have enough time. We can’t spend any more time temporizing, while the Constitution, the United States laws, international laws, are being shredded.” - Dennis Kucinich in response to the argument that there is not enough time to conduct impeachment proceedings before Bush leaves office next January, Democracy Now! >>

It will most likely cost the Democrats the election if they try to impeach George W. Bush. -- According to John Conyers, Jr., Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 14th district >>

Many USA people want to impeach President George W. Bush
Many USA people want to impeach President George W. Bush >>

More than 2 million Americans have signed petitions demanding impeachment
In the USA, representative Dennis Kucinich submitted 50,000 more names to the clerk of the House demanding impeachment of President George Bush >>

The congressional elections of Nov. 7, 2007 show that the USA people want impeachment
More than three-dozen Democratic members of the House faced the voters as explicit advocates for keeping the impeachment option on the table. Thirty-eight members of the House signed on over the past year to H. Res. 635, a measure sponsored by Michigan Rep. John Conyers, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. It proposed the establishment of a select committee to investigate whether members of the Bush administration made moves to invade Iraq before receiving congressional authorization, manipulated pre-war intelligence, encouraged the use of torture in Iraq and elsewhere, and used their positions to retaliate against critics of the war. H. Res. 635 explicitly states that the select committee would be charged with making recommendations regarding grounds for the possible impeachment of Bush and Cheney. So how did supporters of the “dangerous” principle that impeachment should be kept “on the table” fare at the polls? One co-sponsor of the resolution, Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), was elected to the Senate. Every other member of the House who signed on for an impeachment inquiry and faced the voters on Nov. 7 was reelected, in many cases with increased percentage of the vote. -- John Nichols, In Praise of Impeachment >>

A majority of Americans surveyed last fall in a national poll by the respected firm Ipsos Public Affairs, which measures public opinion on behalf of Associated Press, agreed with the statement: “If President Bush did not tell the truth about his reasons for going to war with Iraq, Congress should consider holding him accountable by impeaching him.” >>

In the USA, 45 percent of respondents would support impeachment proceedings against Bush and 54 percent would back moving against Cheney. -- According to an American Research Group poll >>

The corporate media will slay us [= Democrats]. -- According to John Conyers, Jr., Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 14th district >>

Being attacked by the corporate media impeaching Bush and Cheney and for defending the Constitution would be political gold; >>

While the majority of people in the USA want Bush gone, they don't want impeachment. -- According to John Conyers, Jr., Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 14th district >>

Impeachment would definitively alienate nonideological voters
... and, therefore, harm the Democrats' otherwise excellent chances for winning congressional seats and the White House in 2008. >>

The Democrats (/Obama) will gain by impeachment
Obama: If impeachment begins, we will see the dirt coming out from everywhere. Obama will not be at risk of losing the election, and will indeed make many gains. -- Based on comments by Christian Seppa >>

Recent history shows that impeachment has been a very good thing for an opposition party. >>

After Richard Nixon was facing impeachment and resigned instead, the Democrats were able to get Jimmy Carter elected. >>

After Bill Clinton was impeached the Republicans were able to elect George W. Bush. >>

San Franciscans were asked to vote “yes” or “no” on Proposition J, a measure calling on the city’s elected representatives to “use every available legal mechanism to effect the impeachment and removal from office of President Bush and Vice President Cheney for committing high crimes and misdemeanors in violation of the United States Constitution.” The measure won with more than 58 percent of the vote. Nancy Pelosi’s hometown wasn’t the only city to vote for impeachment on November 7. Calls for impeachment won voter approval from Cunningham Township, Illinois, to Berkeley, California, adding the names of those communities to the list of two-dozen municipalities nationwide that have now officially adopted impeachment resolutions. >>

George Bush should not be impeached: Conyers
According to John Conyers, Jr., Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 14th district >>

Rep. Jim McDermott (D.-WA) is in favor of impeachment of President Bush >>

"It's increasingly clear to me that we were led into a war without any justification whatsoever," McDermott said in an interview Wednesday. "And the president deliberately did this. It wasn't an accident of any kind." -- Jim McDermott, Seattle Congressman, wants to see impeachment of George Bush >>

In the USA, Rep. Jim McDermott (D.-WA) spoke on the House floor in favor of impeachment of President Bush. >>

One should not dare to impeach a president during a time of war >>

When a president takes us into an unnecessary war, and people are dying for no good reason, that is the most important time to challenge the president. -- According to Abraham Lincoln, Republican president >>

Impeaching Bush is detrimental to the war in Iraq >>

The war in Iraq is becoming more successful >>

In recent weeks, even formerly cautious voices in the Pentagon have started to talk about an impending "victory" for the USA >>

It is undesirable that VP Dick Cheney becomes President of the USA. >>

If President George Bush get impeached, VP Dick Cheney becomes President of the USA >>

A peaceful and respectful transition of power from the Bush presidency to the next got to be first and foremos -- Comments by denissail >>

If US Congress tried to Impeach Bush, Bush would declare martial law
... fire congress, and ... According to Mark, commenting on this article >>

Impeachment would convert Bush into a figure of vague sympathy
... instad of one of contempt and mockery he is now. -- According to Michael Tomasky >>

The issue of impeachment/indictment should just remain bubbling in the background as a “non-issue”.
Should Bush/Cheney feel more threatened, the shredders will be working even harder. To actually achieve a peaceful and respectful transition of power has got to be first and foremos. -- Comments by denissail >>