Impeach Cheney
With all of Cheney's anti-democratic manuevers (not part of executive branch, torture, warrantless ease dropping etc.), I would be perfectly happy if the Democrats shut down the government just to impeach Cheney. Cheney is not just using the usual political boiler plate aruguments, he is actively undermining the very foundation this nation is founded on. This is serious. If you only write you congressperson once, this is the time to do. We must demand the Vice President stop his anti-constitutional rampages.
Your Representative
Your Senator
You can watch Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) call for defunding Cheney's office here.
Cheney has done more to curtail our liberties and the Constitution than Al-Quieda could dream of.
You can read Bruce Fein's reasoned analysis for impeaching Cheney:
"Article II enumerates the powers and responsibilities of the president, including the obligation to take care that the laws be faithfully executed. A special presidential oath is prescribed. Section 3 of the 25th Amendment provides a method for the president to yield his office to the vice president, when "he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office." There is no other constitutional provision for transferring presidential powers to the vice president.
Yet without making a written transmittal to Congress, President Bush has ceded vast domains of his powers to Vice President Cheney by mutual understanding that circumvents the 25th Amendment. This constitutional provision assures that the public and Congress know who is exercising the powers of the presidency and who should be held responsible for successes or failures. The Bush-Cheney dispensation blurs political accountability by continually hiding the real decision-maker under presidential skirts. The Washington Post has thoroughly documented the vice president's dominance in a four-part series running this week. It is quite a read.
In the end, President Bush regularly is unable to explain or defend the policies of his own administration, and that is because the heavy intellectual labor has been performed in the office of the vice president. Cheney is impeachable for his overweening power and his sneering contempt of the Constitution and the rule of law."
via Slate.com
Your Representative
Your Senator
You can watch Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) call for defunding Cheney's office here.
Cheney has done more to curtail our liberties and the Constitution than Al-Quieda could dream of.
You can read Bruce Fein's reasoned analysis for impeaching Cheney:
"Article II enumerates the powers and responsibilities of the president, including the obligation to take care that the laws be faithfully executed. A special presidential oath is prescribed. Section 3 of the 25th Amendment provides a method for the president to yield his office to the vice president, when "he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office." There is no other constitutional provision for transferring presidential powers to the vice president.
Yet without making a written transmittal to Congress, President Bush has ceded vast domains of his powers to Vice President Cheney by mutual understanding that circumvents the 25th Amendment. This constitutional provision assures that the public and Congress know who is exercising the powers of the presidency and who should be held responsible for successes or failures. The Bush-Cheney dispensation blurs political accountability by continually hiding the real decision-maker under presidential skirts. The Washington Post has thoroughly documented the vice president's dominance in a four-part series running this week. It is quite a read.
In the end, President Bush regularly is unable to explain or defend the policies of his own administration, and that is because the heavy intellectual labor has been performed in the office of the vice president. Cheney is impeachable for his overweening power and his sneering contempt of the Constitution and the rule of law."
via Slate.com
Labels: Dick Cheney
posted by Michael at 3:37 PM
2 Comments:
I do think that Cheney should be removed from office. He's clearly out of control.
However, if you can't get a conviction in the Senate, there's no point in impeaching him in the first place. 67 Senators need to vote "guilty" in order to convict in an impeachment trial. That means at least half of the Senate Republicans have to vote to convict, which I don't see happening.
I think the best course of action for Democrats is to continue doing what they're doing now: investigating. In less than six months they've driven the VPs office to the point where they're making bizarre claims about not being part of the executive branch. Give them another few months and they might uncover enough to encourage Republicans to defect en-masse.
Dave,
I agree with everything you say, but I think it is this type of thinking (impeachment) that will spur the nortoriously wishy washy democrats to keep up their investigations. I often worry the democrats will begin to get cold feet, but that doesn't seem to be happening this time around.
It was great seeing you during pride, btw.
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