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Efforts to impeach George W. Bush

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File:Honk.jpg
A protester in Boston urges rush hour drivers to 'honk' in support of the impeachment of President George W. Bush on September 28, 2007.

The movement to impeach George W. Bush is a series of actions and commentary within the public and private spheres voicing support for the impeachment of United States President George W. Bush. The phrase is also used in a broader sense to refer to a social movement and public opinion poll data that includes both Democrats and Republicans which indicate a degree of public support for the impeachment of President Bush. The reasons offered for Bush's impeachment include concerns about the legitimacy, legality, and constitutionality of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and the controversial warrantless electronic surveillance of American citizens by the National Security Agency.

Polls in 2007 have shown public support ranging between 39% and 45% in favor of impeaching Bush, and between 46% and 55% opposed. The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee has not considered the impeachment of President Bush, and the House of Representatives has taken no action to do so. The Democratic Party leadership has indicated that they have no intention of resolving to impeach him.

On June 9, 2008 Dennis Kucinich gave official notice of his intention to introduce 35 articles of impeachment against George W. Bush to the U.S. House of Representatives.[1] On June 10, 2008, as Congressman Robert Wexler joined Kucinich as co-sponsor of the resolution[2], Kucinich officially introduced his resolution to a near-empty House chamber. The Clerk took just under four hours to read the resolution into the record. As soon as the House Clerk finished reading the resolution in the early morning of 11 June, Kucinich himself moved to refer the resolution to the Judiciary Committee. The House voted 251 to 166 to refer the impeachment resolution to the Judiciary Committee on July 25.

Impeachment

Main article: Impeachment in the United States

To impeach the President of the United States, a majority of the United States House of Representatives must agree to pass a resolution that alleges the President committed "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors." This impeachment resolution is also commonly called an "Article of Impeachment" and spells out in detail the charges against the President. The House of Representatives then exhibits these Articles of Impeachment to the United States Senate since the latter body has the "sole Power" to "try all impeachments."

If the U.S. Senate, by two-thirds vote, finds the President "guilty" on any Article of Impeachment, then the President is removed from office and the Senate next votes on whether or not to disqualify the ex-President from holding further office under the United States. Although already convicted by the Senate, the ex-President is still liable to indictment and trial under regular criminal statutes for any federal crimes he may have committed. If the U.S. Senate fails to reach a two-thirds majority for conviction, the President is acquitted and the trial is over.

In the House, the Judiciary Committee is the typical committee to where impeachment resolutions are referred. The Judiciary Committee has formally reported to the full House of Representatives impeachment resolutions against four Presidents: John Tyler, Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton. Of those four Presidents, only Johnson and Clinton were impeached by the House. Both were acquitted by the Senate. Nixon resigned after the Judiciary Committee recommended impeachment but before the full House considered the report. (Nixon resigned apparently after being told that his impeachment and conviction were near certainties by Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater, a conservative Senator who ran for President in 1964.)

The President's pardon power does not extend to "Cases of Impeachment", as explicitly stated in Article Two of the United States Constitution. Thus a President may not intervene in either the House impeachment or the Senate trial. Dispute exists about whether the Impeachment exception to the pardon power extends to cases brought in the regular court system after Senate conviction.

Rationales for impeachment

Proponents of impeaching Bush assert that one or more of his actions qualify as "high crimes and misdemeanors" under which the president can constitutionally be impeached.[3][4]

This section collates a list of pro-impeachment advocates' rationales as suggested by commentators, legal analysts, members of the Democratic Party, the Center for Constitutional Rights[5] and others. However, since impeachment is inherently political, and not a legal process, there is no exact definition of what constitutes an impeachable offense (other than treason or bribery). Therefore, this list is not necessarily accurate. Simply stated, it is up to Congress to determine if something rises to the level of "high crimes and misdemeanors."

NSA warrantless surveillance controversy

Further information: NSA warrantless surveillance controversy, Rule of law, and Separation of powers

In the context of the "War on Terrorism", Bush ordered the wiretapping of certain international calls to and from the U.S. without a warrant. The program's critics contend that it violates the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which was adopted to remedy similar actions in the past (e.g. Operation Shamrock, Operation Minaret, Church Committee). They also allege that it violates the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution,[6] which prohibits unlawful searches and seizures of US citizens, including electronic surveillance. These allegations have been advanced by articles published in The Christian Science Monitor and The Nation.[7] In its defense, the administration has asserted that FISA does not apply as the President was authorized by the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) and the presidential powers as Commander-in-Chief inherent in the Constitution, to bypass FISA.[8] In Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, the Supreme Court majority held that neither the AUMF nor the president's role as Commander-in-Chief trumps explicit federal law, in this case the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

In January 2006, the Congressional Research Service released two legal analyses concluding that:

...no court has held squarely that the Constitution disables the Congress from endeavoring to set limits on that power. To the contrary, the Supreme Court has stated that Congress does indeed have power to regulate domestic surveillance... the NSA surveillance program... would appear to be inconsistent with the law.[9]

In addition, the American Bar Association, in February 13, 2006, issued a statement denouncing the warrantless domestic surveillance program, accusing Bush of exceeding his powers under the Constitution. Their analysis opines that the key arguments advanced by the Bush administration are not compatible with the law.[10] David Kris and five former FISC judges, one of whom resigned in protest, have also voiced their doubts as to the legality of a program bypassing FISA.[11][12]

Aside from these organisations, others (see below) have stated that the Bush administration's justification of the program, using its interpretation of presidential power, overthrows the Constitutional system of checks and balances and ignores other provisions of the Constitution mandating that the President "shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed" and vesting Congress with the sole authority "To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces" and "To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof." The Senate Committee voted along party lines, and decided a detailed investigation into the matter was unwarranted.[13]

Former House member Elizabeth Holtzman (who played a key role in House impeachment proceedings against Nixon), John Dean (Nixon's former counsel) and Jennifer van Bergen from FindLaw assert that by authorizing warrantless domestic wiretapping, President Bush violated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act without legal basis, constituting a felony and as such an impeachable offense.[14][15][16]

On August 17 2006, the case, ACLU v. NSA, in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan ruled that the Bush administration’s program to monitor the phone calls and e-mails of Americans without warrants was unconstitutional and must be stopped.[17] It was the first ruling by a federal court to strike down the National Security Agency surveillance program. In her ruling, Judge Anna Diggs Taylor dismissed the government’s argument that the president "has been granted the inherent power to violate not only the laws of the Congress but the First and Fourth Amendments of the Constitution, itself." In the conclusion of the ruling, Justice Warren was quoted from the case U.S. v. Robel, 389 U.S. 258 (1967) where he wrote:

Implicit in the term ‘national defense’ is the notion of defending those values and ideas which set this Nation apart…It would indeed be ironic if, in the name of national defense, we would sanction the subversion of…those liberties…which makes the defense of the Nation worthwhile. Id. at 264.[18]

In response to this decision, on September 20, 2006, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence as both committees approved H.R. 5825, the "Electronic Surveillance Modernization Act." According to the ACLU, that bill, authored by Representative Heather Wilson (R-NM) would give the president unprecedented power and authorize the warrantless surveillance program conducted by the National Security Agency.[19] Some civil liberties groups opposed the bill commenting that the new bill gives the president tacit approval to ignore the Constitution.[19]

Bush notified Congressional leaders of his decision to authorize warrantless wiretapping at the time of the decision. However, they were not totally informed, nor were they allowed to take notes or confer with others to assess the possible ramifications of this program.[20]

2003 invasion of Iraq

Further information: 2003 invasion of Iraq

Constitutionality of invasion

Further information: United States Constitution

In February and March 2003, John Bonifaz served as lead counsel for a coalition of US soldiers, their parents, and members of Congress in John Doe I v. President Bush,[21] a constitutional challenge to Bush’s authority to wage war against Iraq absent a congressional declaration of war or equivalent action. Bonifaz argued in court that Bush's planned first-strike invasion of Iraq violated the War Powers Clause of the US Constitution.[22] As a corollary to his lawsuit, Bonifaz has argued publicly and in writing that Bush should be impeached for this. However, Bonifaz's lawsuit was dismissed in February 2003 and, in March 2003, the dismissal was upheld on appeal. Regarding the dismissal, Bonifaz said:

"They’re not supposed to sideline... Courts cannot shirk from responsibility when it looks like a political battle."[23]

Regarding the affirmation of the dismissal, the First Circuit Court of Appeals held:

"...the text of the October Resolution itself spells out justifications for a war and frames itself as an 'authorization' of such a war."[24]

Francis Boyle, a professor of international law at the University of Illinois also uses this argument as reason in his Draft Impeachment Resolution.[25]

Justification for invasion

Further information: Iraq and weapons of mass destruction, Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda, Downing Street memo, Bush-Blair memo, Legitimacy of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and Bush-Aznar memo

Furthermore, the arguments put forward for the invasion of Iraq[26] — the continued possession and development of weapons of mass destruction and active links to al Qaeda — have been found to be false, according to all official reports.[27][28] A report by the Defense Department in 2007 conclusively stated the claimed working relationship with Al Qaeda did not exist. As the Washington Post described it:

"the intelligence community's prewar consensus [was] that the Iraqi government and al-Qaeda figures had only limited contacts, and ... that reports of deeper links were based on dubious or unconfirmed information."[29]

The Bush administration advocated that this was due to failure by the intelligence community. However, it has become clear that, prior to the invasion, these arguments had already been widely disputed,[30] in intelligence reports which should have been seen by the Bush administration. An in-depth investigation into the nature of these discrepancies by the Senate Intelligence Committee has been frustrated. A New York Times editorial states:

Mr. Roberts (chairman of the Senate panel) tried to kill the investigation entirely, and after the Democrats forced him to proceed, he set rules that seem a lot like the recipe for a whitewash.[31]

Supporters of impeachment argue that the administration knowingly distorted intelligence reports or ignored contrary information in constructing their case for the war.[32][33] The Downing Street memo and the Bush-Blair memo are used to substantiate that allegation.[34] Congressional Democrats sponsored both a request for documents and a resolution of inquiry.[35] A report by the Post on April 12, 2006, corroborates that view. It states that the Bush administration advocated that two small trailers which had been found in Iraq were "biological laboratories," despite the fact that U.S. intelligence officials possessed evidence to the contrary at that time.

"The three-page field report and a 122-page final report published three weeks later were stamped "secret" and shelved. Meanwhile, for nearly a year, administration and intelligence officials continued to publicly assert that the trailers were weapons factories."[36]

U.N. Charter

Further information: UN Charter, War of aggression, Jus ad bellum, and Legitimacy of the 2003 invasion of Iraq

By Article VI of the Constitution, Senate-ratified treaties such as the U.N. Charter are "the supreme Law of the Land." John Conyers, Robert Parry and Marjorie Cohn– professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, executive vice president of the National Lawyers Guild, and the U.S. representative to the executive committee of the American Association of Jurists – assert that this was not a war in self-defense but a war of aggression contrary to the U.N. Charter (a crime against peace) and therefore a war crime.[3][25][15][37] Also, Kofi Annan called the war in Iraq a violation of the UN Charter and therefore "illegal." A war of aggression refers to any war not initiated out of self-defence or sanctioned by the UN. Such a violation of international law would constitute an impeachable offense according to Francis Boyle, John W. Dean, from FindLaw, Marcus Raskin and Joseph A. Vuckovich, from the Institute for Policy Studies.[25][38]

Geneva Conventions controversy

Unlawful combatant status

Further information: Unlawful combatant, Combatant Status Review Tribunal, and Seton Hall study

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Bush administration advocated that suspected Al Qaeda and Taliban members would be designated as "unlawful combatants". They suggested that, as such, they were not protected under the Geneva Conventions. To address the mandatory review by a "competent tribunal" as defined by article five of the Third Geneva Convention, Combatant Status Review Tribunals were established. The American Bar Association, Human Rights Watch, the Council on Foreign Relations and Joanne Mariner from FindLaw have dismissed the use of the unlawful combatant status as not compatible with U.S. and international law.[39] In Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court held that Common Article 3 (CA3) of the Geneva Conventions applies to detainees in the Global War on Terrorism.

Congress passed the Military Commissions Act of 2006 to provide a legal framework for the designation of "unlawful combatants", their detention, and trial through military commission. This was described as unconstitutional by several Senators during the floor debates, so it has not changed the views of those advocating impeachment on these grounds.

Extraordinary rendition

Further information: Extraordinary rendition by the United States and United Nations Convention Against Torture

The CIA has "rendered" suspected terrorists, such as Maher Arar, to other countries. Critics accuse them of doing this in order to avoid U.S. laws prescribing due process and prohibiting torture, calling this "torture by proxy" and "torture flights".[40] Then-U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales explicitly testified to Congress that the administration's position was to extradite detainees to other nations as long as it was not "more likely than not" that they would be tortured, although he later modified that statement.[41] However, the Convention against torture states:

No State Party shall expel, return ("refouler") or extradite a person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture.

Commentators, including the United Nations and Louise Arbour, have stated that, under international law, rendition as practiced by the U.S. government is illegal.[3][42] Conyers has called for investigating whether these violations of international and US law constitute an impeachable offense,[3] whereas Boyle thinks it does, and included this in his Draft Impeachment Resolution.[25]

A report on May 19 2006, by the United Nations Convention Against Torture concluded that the US should not send suspects to countries where they face a risk of torture, since that would violate international law.[43]

Treatment of detainees

Further information: Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse, Bagram torture and prisoner abuse, United Nations Convention Against Torture, Geneva Conventions, and Command responsibility

As part of the war on terrorism, several memos[44] were written analyzing the legal position and possibilities in the treatment of prisoners. The memos, known today as the "torture memos," advocate enhanced interrogation techniques, but point out that refuting the Geneva Conventions would reduce the possibility of prosecution for war crimes.[45] In addition, a new definition of torture was issued. Most actions that fall under the international definition do not fall within this new definition advocated by the U.S.[46]

Several top military lawyers, including Alberto J. Mora, reported that policies allowing methods equivalent to torture were officially handed down from the highest levels of the administration, and led an effort within the Department of Defense to put a stop to those policies and instead mandate non-coercive interrogation standards.[47]

Notwithstanding the suggestion of official policy, the administration repeatedly assured critics that the publicised cases were incidents, and Bush later stated that:

"The United States of America does not torture. And that's important for people around the world to understand."[48]

The administration adopted the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 to address the multitude of incidents of detainee abuse. However, in his signing statement, Bush made clear that he reserved the right to waive this bill if he thought that was needed.[49]

Over the years numerous incidents have been made public and a UN report denounced the abuse of prisoners as tantamount to torture.[50] Conyers has advocated investigating these abuses to see if they violate the Geneva Conventions and are thus cause for impeachment, while Boyle, Holtzman and Veterans For Peace hold that violating these laws is grounds for impeachment.[3][25][14][15][51] An article in the Progressive supports the view that these alleged violations of US and international law could be an impeachable offense too.[15]

Several legal analysts — such as Holtzman, Marjorie Cohn, and Human Rights First — have advocated that writing the so-called "torture memos," not preventing or stopping the abuse could result in legal challenges involving war crimes[25] under the command responsibility.[3][52] This view was confirmed when the US Supreme Court ruled in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld that, contrary to what the Bush administration advocated, the Third Geneva Convention (regarding the treatment of prisoners) applies to all detainees in the war on terrorism and as such the Military Tribunals used to try suspects were violating the law. The Court reaffirmed that those involved in mistreatment of detainees violate US and international law.[53] Dave Lindorff contends that by ignoring the Geneva Conventions the Bush administration — including Bush himself, as Commander-in-Chief — is culpable for war crimes, and as such that constitutes an impeachable offense.[54]

On May 19, 2006, the United Nations Convention against Torture issued a report stating the U.S. should stop, what it concludes, is "ill-treatment" of detainees, since such treatment, according to the report, violates international law. It also calls for cessation of the US-termed "enhanced interrogation" techniques, as the UN sees these methods as a form of torture. The UN report also admonishes against secret prisons, the use of which, is considered to amount to torture as well and should be discontinued.[43]

Reviewing the book The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals, by Jane Mayer, The New York Times reported on July 11, 2008, that:

Red Cross investigators concluded last year in a secret report that the Central Intelligence Agency’s interrogation methods for high-level Qaeda prisoners constituted torture and could make the Bush administration officials who approved them guilty of war crimes .....[55]

and that the techniques applied to Abu Zubaydah

were “categorically” torture,....[55]

Commutation of Lewis Libby

Main article: United States v. Libby
Further information: Niger uranium forgeries and Plame affair

Lewis "Scooter" Libby, convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice in connection to the investigation of the leak of the identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and a fine of $250,000, which he paid with $400 in additional fees.[56] While Libby's appeal in United States v. Libby was still pending, the presiding judge, Reggie Walton, denied his request for a stay and ordered Libby to begin his prison sentence.[57][58] Following that decision, Bush commuted Libby's sentence, eliminating the prison term on the basis that the sentence was too harsh and would have lasting effects on Libby's career.[59][60]

In response, representative Robert Wexler (D-FL) stated he would file a resolution censuring President George W. Bush for the "egregious and politically motivated commutation of Scooter Libby's prison sentence."[61] Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., Marjorie Cohn, and Elizabeth de la Vega suggested it to be an impeachable offense.[62][63][64] According to Dan Froomkin the President was within his prerogative, but that when commutation was used in matters in which the president himself may be involved, impeachment was warranted.[65]

Alleged declassification for political purposes

Further information: Invasion of Iraq, Iraq and weapons of mass destruction, Downing Street memo, Bush-Blair memo, Yellowcake forgery, Plame affair, and CIA leak grand jury investigation

On April 6, 2006, court papers were filed in the CIA leak grand jury investigation, stating that Libby had testified that Bush authorized the disclosure of select portions of the then classified National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iraq.[32][66] The position of the Bush administration is that a Presidentially authorized release of material, even if it does not go through the formal declassification procedure, is not a "leak", because Presidents are authorized to de-classify material and the release of de-classified material is not leaking.[32][67] This contradicts previous statements by Bush in which he made clear that leaking classified information is unacceptable.[32][68] According to the court filings by Fitzgerald:

“Defendant (Libby) testified that this July 8 meeting was the only time he recalled in his government experience when he disclosed a document to a reporter that was effectively declassified by virtue of the President’s authorization that it be declassified.”[69]

Elizabeth de la Vega, Ray McGovern and Greg Mitchell have noted that the Bush Administration's asserted motivation — that this declassification was needed to counter misinformation spread by opponents of the Bush administration's casus belli — is odd, since only an obscure part of the NIE, which supports the claims advanced by the US government, has been released, while the rest of the report, in which the CIA in 2002 allegedly dismissed that claim as unlikely, is still classified.[30][69][70] Bush's misrepresentations on this point and his allegedly declassifying of information for a political purpose, is seen by some as an impeachable offense.[70][71]

Alleged politicization of the United States attorney offices

Main articles: Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy, Bush White House e-mail controversy, and Executive privilege

In March 2007 it became known that eight United States Attorneys were dismissed. The Bush administration has issued changing and contradictory statements about the timeline of the planning of the firings, persons who ordered the firings, and reasons for the firings.[72][73][74][75] Congressmen investigating these dismissals stated that sworn testimony from Department of Justice officials contradicts internal Department memos and e-mails.[76]

Because of that, and the uncommon nature of these firings,[77] critics suggest ulterior motives. Among them, Elizabeth Holtzman and Cynthia L. Cooper wrote that: "we may be witnessing criminal acts of obstruction of justice at the highest levels of government."[78] They allege that the attorneys were fired as retribution for prosecuting Republicans,[78] for failing to prosecute enough Democrats,[79] and/or for non-existent voter-fraud.[80] This supposed fraud led The New York Times to the following response:

"Last week, we learned that the administration edited a government-ordered report on voter fraud to support its fantasy. The original version concluded that among experts "there is widespread but not unanimous agreement that there is little polling place fraud." But the publicly released version said, "There is a great deal of debate on the pervasiveness of fraud." It's hard to see that as anything but a deliberate effort to mislead the public."[81]

The article continues to suggest that emphasising voter-fraud facilitates regulations, such as voter ID laws, which discriminate against the "poor, the elderly, minorities and other disenfranchised groups that tend to support Democrats." Greg Gordon for McClatchy Newspapers concurs, commenting that it might be part of a scheme "to restrict voter turnout in key battleground states in ways that favor Republican political candidates."[82] The same is implied by Greg Palast in In These Times, where he reports that Timothy Griffin, Arkansas’ new attorney general, was involved in suppressing minority voters.[83]

The investigation has drawn attention to the prosecution and subsequent conviction, during an election season, of Georgia Thompson for corruption, which the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit immediately reversed because the prosecution's evidence was "beyond thin."[84] Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin of Madison[85] and the Senate Judiciary Committee are investigating this case.[86][87]

Commentators have further observed the possible connection with the Jack Abramoff Guam investigation, which was discontinued after the chief prosecutor for Guam, and the instigator of the indictment, Frederick A. Black, was unexpectedly demoted and removed from office.[78][88]

Schumer, other Democrats, Holtzman, Cooper, and Laurie Levenson — a Loyola Law School professor and former federal prosecutor — compared the firings -allegedly to influence investigations- to the Saturday Night Massacre, in which the Nixon administration fired Archibald Cox while he was investigating the alleged misconduct by the White House in the Watergate scandal.[89][78][90][91]

For the involvement in these alleged wrongdoings[92] and the subsequent cover-up Marjorie Cohn, Elizabeth Holtzman, Cynthia L. Cooper, and Thom Hartmann have suggested that impeachment proceedings are warranted.[78][93]

Hurricane Katrina

Further information: Hurricane Katrina, Criticism of government response to Hurricane Katrina, and Political effects of Hurricane Katrina

The alleged responsibility of the Bush administration in the mishandling of Hurricane Katrina[94] has been used by Ramsey Clark, Francis Boyle, PopMatters, Green Party of Humboldt County and the Sunday Independent to suggest failure by the administration to adequately provide for the need of its citizens. And as such they hold that the allegations of incompetence amount to an impeachable offense.[25][95]

The administration, and its supporters, contend that the principal responsibility lies with the local authorities.[96] In a September 28, 2005 article in the Washington Times, then-FEMA head Michael D. Brown said accusations of inadequate handling of the disaster should be addressed to Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco.[97]

Expanded executive powers

Further information: [[:Unitary executive theory and signing statement]]

Bush has asserted broad executive powers, attributing them to his position as Commander-in-Chief and to the war on terrorism. These have been used to justify policies connected with the war in Iraq. Constitutional law expert Glenn Greenwald attributes Bush's interpretation of the authority of the president to a series of legal memos by John Yoo, identifies this expansive interpretation as the common thread shared by the other Bush controversies, and indicates that this interpretation is based on combining the powers of all three branches of government in the single person of the President, and is therefore the diametric opposite of the text and the Founding Fathers' intended meaning of the Constitution.[98]

Holtzman, Dean, De la Vega, AlterNet, the St. Petersburg Times and the Santiago Times have claimed that Bush has exceeded constitutional or other legal limitations on such war powers.[3][99] In the Draft Impeachment Resolution, Boyle advocates that this is an impeachable offense.[25] John Nichols of The Nation has argued that "if Bush and Cheney are not held accountable, this administration will hand off to its successors a toolbox of powers greater than any executive has ever held -- more authority, concentrated in fewer hands, than the Founders could have conceived or would have allowed."[100]

Political views and actions

Democrats in Congress

John Conyers, who had previously advocated the impeachment of George W. Bush, called for an investigation of the President in 2005.

On June 16, 2005 Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) assembled an unofficial meeting to discuss the Downing Street Memo and to consider grounds for impeachment. Dozens of members of Congress, former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson and former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) analyst Ray McGovern participated.[101]

On December 20, 2005, the House Judiciary Committee Democratic Staff, at Conyers' request, filed its report. [102] Regarding this report, Conyers makes several allegations favoring impeachment on his blog.

Conyers filed a resolution on December 18, 2005 to create an investigative committee to consider impeachment. His resolution gained 38 co-sponsors before it expired at the end of the 109th Congress. He has not re-introduced a similar resolution for the 110th Congress.[103]

As of May 18, 2006, Conyers' current position regarding impeachment is "... rather than seeking impeachment, I have chosen to propose comprehensive oversight of these alleged abuses."[104]

Keith Ellison was the leading figure behind the resolution to impeach Bush brought to the Minnesota State House of Representatives in May 2006 (see below). Ellison said “I absolutely know and can show that (the president) deserves it; he deserves to be impeached.”[105]

Ellison was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2006. During the campaign and when he was named to the House Judiciary Committee, Ellison repeatedly called for an investigation into a possible impeachment.[106][107] In support of his candidacy, he “received a $1,000 contribution from ImpeachPAC”.[107]

One of Ellison’s Republican counterparts from Minnesota, Rep. John Kline, said “Ellison's views won't matter because House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, has already said impeachment is ‘off the table.’ In all fairness to the gentleman from Minneapolis, he is a freshman member. I understand that he was endorsed by ImpeachPAC and supported financially. ... He probably feels that he made a commitment and he's got to make some noise, but so what?”[107] On April 22, 2007 Ellison later met with constituents, and listed new conditions for his support for impeachment hearings, such as verifiable facts and the backing of a majority of the American people.[108]

On December 19, 2005, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) issued a press release,[109] saying that she had written four undisclosed legal scholars, asking if there were grounds for impeachment. In the press release, she cited the December 16, 2005, New York Times disclosure of Bush's authorization of the National Security Agency to monitor Americans without warrants. However, in a December 20, 2005, CNN interview with Wolf Blitzer, Boxer stated she was not ready to call for Bush's impeachment.

Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) has said that Bush should be impeached for authorizing the NSA's actions.[110][111]

At another unofficial hearing convened by Conyers on January 20, 2006, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) called for the committee to explore whether Bush should face impeachment, stemming from his decision to authorize domestic surveillance without court review. The proceedings had no legal authority, as committee chairman, Rep. James Sensenbrenner, (R-WI), rejected Democrats' requests for an inquiry.[112]

On May 10, 2006 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) indicated she was not interested in pursuing impeachment and had taken it "off the table", reiterating this phrase on November 8, 2006.[113][114] In July 2007, Pelosi stated that she "would probably advocate" impeaching Bush if she were not in the House nor Speaker of the House.[115]

On December 8, 2006 (the last day of the 109th Congress), then-Representative Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) submitted a resolution, H. Res. 1106, introducing articles of impeachment against President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.[116] The bill expired along with the 109th Congress.[117]

John Conyers brought up the subject of impeachment on the July 8, 2007 broadcast of ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos,[118] stating:

"We're hoping that as the cries for the removal of both Cheney and Bush now reach 46 percent and 58 percent, respectively, for impeachment, that we could begin to become a little bit more cooperative, if not even amicable, in trying to get to the truth of these matters."

In late July 2007, Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) stated his intentions to introduce legislation to formally censure the president and vice president "within days." During an appearance on NBC's Meet the Press, Feingold stated "there's a lot of sentiment in the country...for actually impeaching the President and the Vice President. I think that they have committed impeachable offenses with regard to this terrorist surveillance program and making up their own program", later referring to censure as a "moderate course."[119]

Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich' major point in the Democratic Presidential Debate on October 30, 2007 was that the president and vice-president should be impeached for the war in Iraq.[120][121] On November 6, 2007, Kucinich introduced a resolution to impeach Vice President Cheney in the House of Representatives, and is currently preparing another impeachment resolution he says is more than 300 pages long.[122]

In November 2007, Presidential candidate Joe Biden stated that he will move to impeach if President Bush bombs Iran without first gaining congressional approval.[123]

In December 2007, Congressman Robert Wexler started a website to promote impeachment hearings against Vice President Cheney. He has indicated that hearings into the impeachment of Bush may be warranted as well.

In a January 6, 2008 Washington Post op-ed article entitled, "Why I Believe Bush Must Go: Nixon Was Bad. These Guys Are Worse.", former Senator and 1972 Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern wrote: "Bush and Cheney are clearly guilty of numerous impeachable offenses. They have repeatedly violated the Constitution. They have transgressed national and international law. [...] Their conduct and their barbaric policies have reduced our beloved country to a historic low in the eyes of people around the world.[124]

Kucinich Resolution

On June 9, 2008, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), introduced a resolution, H.Res 1258, to impeach president George W. Bush. At the end of the evening on June 10, Kucinich offered a motion to refer HRes 1258 to the House Judiciary Committee. On June 11, the House voted 251-166 to send the resolution to the Committee.[125]

On July 14, 2008, Kucinich introduced a new impeachment resolution (H.Res 1345) limited to a single count. That day, Speaker Pelosi told CBS News that "the House Judiciary Committee should address the issues that Rep. Kucinich has raised in his impeachment resolution." On July 15, 2008 the House of Representatives voted 218-183 to send the new Kucinich Resolution to the House Judiciary Committee. A hearing on the resolution, scheduled for the morning of July 25, 2008, under the heading of "Executive Power and Its Constitutional Limitations", will include testimony from legal experts, members of Congress, and military personnel. The hearing will be broadcast live on C-Span3, as well as on the five-station Pacifica Radio network and some affiliates, with online streaming audio available as well.

Republicans in Congress

Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) has raised the possibility of impeachment [126]. In an interview on ABC News' This Week on March 25, 2007, however, Hagel said, “I didn't call for it, I didn't predict it. What I was saying, I was laying out options here.”

Several weeks after Ignacio Ramos, one of the border guards imprisoned for shooting an alleged drug dealer on the US-Mexico border, was assaulted in prison, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) said, ""I tell you, Mr. President, if Ignacio Ramos or Jose Compean -- especially after this assault -- are murdered in prison, or if one of them lose their lives, there's going to be some sort of impeachment talk in Capitol Hill."[127]

State-level actions

State party conventions

On April 28, 2007, the California Democratic Convention passed a resolution for impeachment. On May 19, 2007, the Massachusetts Democratic Convention passed a resolution to impeach Bush and Cheney. On March 21 2006 the New Mexico Democratic Party, at a convention in Albuquerque, adopted a plank to their platform saying “the Democratic Party of New Mexico supports the impeachment of George Bush and his lawful removal from office.”[128]

On March 24, 2007, the Vermont Democratic State Committee voted to support JRH 15, a state legislative resolution supporting impeachment, calling for its passage as "appropriate action."[129][130][131]

New Hampshire House Resolution 24 (2008)

New Hampshire House Resolution 24[132] is a state petition to ask the United States House of Representatives to start investigations pursuant to the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney for "high crimes and misdemeanors," which include a host of violations of the Constitution such as domestic spying, illegal detentions, signing statements, electioneering, the breaking of international treaties, and war crimes. It was introduced in 2008 to the New Hampshire House of Representatives by Representative Betty Hall (D).

Representative Hall, a fourteen-term representative, presented the bill to the Committee for Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs on February 19, 2008. It was ruled inexpedient to pass by a 10 to 5 vote within committee, which passed the resolution on to the full House for a vote.

HR24 was slated to be voted upon April 16, 2008. If passed, it would have been the first state resolution of impeachment against President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney. HR24 is currently tabled in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. An amended resolution was approved at the Democratic Party Convention on May 17th.[133]

HR24 has been cited as an example of the use of impeachment found in Jefferson's Manual of Parliamentary Practice.

On February 13, 2008, New Hampshire State Representative Betty Hall, an 87-year-old, 12-term State Representative announced that she would join the Code Pink fast and would not eat until impeachment proceedings began in earnest. [134] On February 19, 2008, Concord, NH held hearing on New Hampshire State H.Res.24 to Impeach Bush and Cheney. If passed the Resolution would set in motion Jefferson's Manual, obligating Congress to act. State Rep. Betty Hall, 14-term 87 year old state rep., introduced the resolution.[135]

Public opinion

2005 polls

In October 2005, an anti-Iraq war organization, After Downing Street, commissioned a poll by the independent Ipsos Public Affairs Research,[136] which found that by a margin of 50 percent to 44 percent Americans say that President Bush should be impeached if he lied about the war in Iraq.[137] A Zogby International poll from October 29 to November 2 2005 confirmed this result by a margin of 53 percent to 42 percent. This was supported by 76 percent of Democrats, 50 percent of Independents, and 29 percent of Republicans.

On December 15 2005, Rasmussen Reports released a poll that showed that 32 percent of the 1,000 Americans polled would support an impeachment of Bush and 35 percent would support an impeachment of Cheney.[138]

2006 polls

A March 16 2006 poll by American Research Group showed that 42 percent of American adults favored impeaching Bush, with 49 percent opposed.[139][140]

A May 18, 2006 poll by Fox News/Opinion Dynamics showed 30 percent supported impeaching over the Iraq war and weapons of mass destruction, while 62 percent did not and 7 percent were unsure. [3]

A September 2, 2006 poll conducted by CNN/Opinion Research Corp. indicated that 30 percent of the American people supported impeachment, and 69 percent were opposed.[141]

An October 2006 Newsweek poll found support for the impeachment of President Bush as follows: 28 percent felt that impeachment should be a "top priority", 23 percent a "lower priority", and 44 percent that it should not be done.[142]

2007 polls

According to Angus Reid, an InsiderAdvantage poll around May 1, 2007, found 39 percent of American voters to favor impeaching both Bush and Cheney, and 55 percent opposed.[143] Analyzing these numbers, Bob Barr, who initiated the Clinton impeachment hearings, said that "this indicates the surprising depth of dissatisfaction with Bush."[144]

On July 6, 2007, a telephone poll conducted by the American Research Group found that 45 percent of American adults favored the US House of Representatives beginning impeachment proceedings against Bush, with 46 percent opposing the proceedings.[145] In the same poll, 54 percent wanted impeachment proceedings against Cheney, and 40 percent were opposed.[146]

In another July 2007 pool by USA Today/Gallup, 36% of Americans felt there was justification for congress to begin impeachment proceedings against the President, while 62% felt that there was no justification [147]

A November 13, 2007 nationwide poll by American Research Group found 34% of all voters agreeing that "President Bush has abused his powers as president which rise to the level of impeachable offenses under the Constitution and he should be impeached and removed from office", distributed among 50% of Democrats, 18% of Republicans and 34% of independents. 43% of all voters nationwide agreed Dick Cheney has abused his powers as vice president to the level of impeachable offenses and he should be impeached and removed from office.[148][149]

Online petitions and surveys

A number of organizations provide online petitions and open access polls regarding Bush/Cheney impeachment. An MSNBC online poll is ongoing and has garnered in excess of 715,000 votes, 89% in favor of impeachment (as of June 11, 2008).[150] However, MSNBC provides the disclaimer that "MSNBC's online surveys ... are not necessarily representative of the general population." Democrats.com has an active online petition, which has received more than 153,000 of its targeted 1,000,000 signatures.[151]

MoveOn has not officially taken up the cause for Bush/Cheney impeachment; however, they have quietly initiated an online survey on the issue.[152] Ironically, MoveOn's reluctance to act more forcefully has led to an online petition urging them act, endorsed by Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn, with more than 2,500 additional signatures.[153]

Media response to polls

Several columnists have endorsed impeachment. Eleanor Clift on The McLaughlin Group predicted on November 6, 2005 that "if the country, according to the polls, believes by a margin of 55 percent that President Bush misled us into war, the next logical step is impeachment and I think you’re going to hear that word come up and if the Democrats ever capture either house of Congress there are going to be serious proceedings against this administration."[154] However, Clift's prediction proved to be in error. After the Democrats took both the House and Senate in the 2006 elections, there was no serious movement undertaken in Congress to initiate impeachment hearings.

When the Washington Post's chief pollster, Richard Morin, was asked by readers why the Post has not polled on impeachment he responded, "This question makes me angry" and explained: "we do not ask about impeachment because it is not a serious option or a topic of considered discussion--witness the fact that no member of congressional Democratic leadership or any of the serious Democratic presidential candidates in '08 are calling for Bush's impeachment. When it is or they are, we will ask about it in our polls."[155]

Rallies and marches

An anti-Iraq war protest march in Washington, DC on 24 September 2005 attracted over 100,000 people. The march among other things included calls for impeachment and for investigations leading to impeachment.[156]

On November 2 2005, The World Can't Wait mobilized marches across the country that called for the ousting of Bush.[157][158][159][160][161]

Groups formed to support impeachment

Numerous groups have been created to support impeachment.[who?] The website ImpeachBush.org claims to have collected 1,004,746 signatures (as of May 29, 2008) on a petition to impeach Bush.

Constitution Summer [162], a nonpartisan coalition of students and young people at law schools and universities nationwide, helped the cities of Berkeley and San Francisco put impeachment on their municipal ballots, and are working to help other cities pass city council resolutions. The organization does not appear to be active, not having issued a press release since June, 2006.[163]

A citizens arrest was attempted in 2006. [164]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Rep. Kucinich introduces Bush impeachment resolution". AP/MSNBC. 2008-06-10. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
  2. ^ Anthony Man (June 10, 2008). "Impeach Bush, Wexler says". South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g The Constitution in Crisis; The Downing Street Minutes and Deception, Manipulation, Torture, Retribution, and Coverups in the Iraq War Investigative Status Report of the House Judiciary Committee Democratic Staff
  4. ^ Arguments in general.
  5. ^ Impeaching George W. Bush By Onnesha Roychoudhuri, AlterNet, March 6 2006.
  6. ^ Fourth Amendment
  7. ^ Wiretapping possibly illegal
  8. ^ LEGAL AUTHORITIES SUPPORTING THE ACTIVITIES OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY DESCRIBED BY THE PRESIDENT U.S. Department of Justice, January 19 2006
  9. ^ Congressional Research Service
  10. ^ American Bar Association
  11. ^ Legal Rationale for Spy Program Questioned By PETE YOST
  12. ^ Former FISA judges
  13. ^ No official inquiry into wiretapping
  14. ^ a b The Impeachment of George W. Bush by Elizabeth Holtzman, The Nation, January 11 2006
  15. ^ a b c d Grounds for Impeachment by Matthew Rothschild, The Progressive,March 8 2006
  16. ^ Wiretapping probably impeachable offense
  17. ^ American Civil Liberties Union : Federal Court Strikes Down NSA Warrantless Surveillance Program
  18. ^ http://www.aclu.org/images/nsaspying/asset_upload_file689_26477.pdf
  19. ^ a b American Civil Liberties Union : ACLU Slams House Panels’ Approval of Wilson NSA Spying Bill, Says Measure Undermines Constitution, Condones Abuse of Power
  20. ^
  21. ^ John Doe I v. President Bush
  22. ^ Suit challenges Bush war authority CNN
  23. ^ Judge Dismisses HLS Alum’s Suit Against Bush By Kate A. Tiskus, The Harvard Crimson, February 25 2003
  24. ^ Opionion of First Circuit Court of Appeal in DOE v. Bush
  25. ^ a b c d e f g h Draft Impeachment Resolution Against President George W. Bush, 108nd Congress H.Res.XX, by Francis A. Boyle, professor of law, University of Illinois School of Law, January 17 2003
  26. ^ Bush administration has used 27 rationales for war in Iraq, study says by Andrea Lynn, the News Bureau of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  27. ^ Weapons of Mass Destruction
  28. ^ Link with Al Qaeda
  29. ^ Hussein's Prewar Ties To Al-Qaeda Discounted - Pentagon Report Says Contacts Were Limited By R. Jeffrey Smith, W@ashington Post, April 6, 2007
  30. ^ a b Blowing Cheney's Cover Ray McGovern, April 10 2006
  31. ^ The Intelligence Business editorial, The New York Times, May 7 2006
  32. ^ a b c d Selectively disseminating information
  33. ^ Misrepresenting the facts surrounding Iraq
  34. ^ Downing Street memo
  35. ^ FOIA request
  36. ^ "Biological laboratories"
  37. ^ War of aggression
  38. ^ Iraq impeachable offense?
  39. ^ Violating International Law
  40. ^ Torture by proxy
  41. ^ Gonzales Defends Transfer of Detainees By R. Jeffrey Smith, Washington Post, March 8 2005
  42. ^ Legal position of rendition
  43. ^ a b UN Committee against Torture report
  44. ^ The Interrogation Documents: Debating U.S. Policy and Methods the memos written as part of the war on terrorism
  45. ^ War crimes warning
  46. ^ US definition of torture
  47. ^ Torture as policy?
  48. ^ We don't torture
  49. ^ U.S. Cites Exception in Torture Ban McCain Law May Not Apply to Cuba Prison, By Josh White and Carol D. Leonnig, Washington Post, March 3 2006
  50. ^ UN calls for Guantanamo closure BBC, Read the full UN report into Guantanamo Bay, February 16 2006
  51. ^ Impeachment for violating the Geneva Conventions
  52. ^ Accountability
  53. ^ A Supreme Rebuke Bush Loses Guantanamo Case Marjorie Cohn -professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, president-elect of the National Lawyers Guild, and the US representative to the executive committee of the American Association of Jurists- CounterPunch, June 30 2006
  54. ^ The Real Meaning of the Hamdan Ruling Supreme Court: Bush Administration Has Committed War Crimes By Dave Lindorff, CounterPunch, July 3 2006
  55. ^ a b Red Cross Report of C.I.A. Torture of Qaeda Captives
  56. ^ Neil Lewis and Jim Rutenberg, ""Libby Pays Fine; Judge Poses Probation Query", The New York Times, 6 July, 2007, accessed 6 July, 2007.
  57. ^ Neil A. Lewis and David Stout, "Judge Won't Delay Libby Prison Term", The New York Times, 14 June, 2007, accessed 16 June, 2007.
  58. ^ "Judge Orders Libby Jailed during Appeal", CNN News, 14 June, 2007, accessed 14 June, 2007.
  59. ^ Edwin Chen, "Bush Commutes Libby's Prison Term in CIA Leak Case (Update 2)", Bloomberg.com, 2 July, 2007, accessed 2 July, 2007.
  60. ^ George W. Bush, "Grant of Executive Clemency: A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America", The White House, 2 July, 2007, accessed 2 July, 2007.
  61. ^ Censuring the President by Robert Wexler, Huffington Post, July 6, 2007
  62. ^ The Opportunistic Commuter-in-Chief: The use and misuse of presidential clemency power by Marjorie Cohn, July 5, 2007
  63. ^ Bush's Real Fourth of July Message to Nation: Unprintable By Elizabeth de la Vega, truthout, July 6, 2007
  64. ^ Jackson: Bush Actions 'Crime Against Constitution' - Congressman Calls For Impeachment Proceedings After President Commutes Libby Sentence CBS, July 2, 2007
  65. ^ Obstruction of Justice, Continued By Dan Froomkin, Washington Post, July 3, 2007
  66. ^ Bush authorized disclosure
  67. ^ Disclosure legal?
  68. ^ Questions regarding statements
  69. ^ a b Uncommon way of declassifying
  70. ^ a b Final Jeopardy By Elizabeth de la Vega, TomDispatch.com, April 9 2006
  71. ^ Lying impeachable
  72. ^ Sheryl Gay Stolberg (March 17, 2007). "With Shifting Explanations, White House Adds to Storm". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-03-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  73. ^ Associated Press (March 17, 2007). "Republican Support for Gonzales Erodes". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-03-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  74. ^ Dan Eggen (March 17, 2007). "Accounts of Prosecutors' Dismissals Keep Shifting". Washington Post. p. A01. Retrieved 2007-03-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  75. ^ Ron Hutcheson. "U.S. Attorneys: A look at what's behind the U.S. attorney flap". McClatchy Newspapers. Retrieved 2007-03-17.
  76. ^ Mike Allen (2007-03-20). "Dems' Strategy On Attorneys Takes Shape". CBS News. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
  77. ^ Dismissal attorneys uncommon
  78. ^ a b c d e Questions for Karl Rove – and President Bush By Elizabeth Holtzman and Cynthia L. Cooper, The San Diego Union-Tribune, March 29, 2007
  79. ^ Domenici Sought Iglesias Ouster By Mike Gallagher, Albuquerque Journal, April 15, 2007
  80. ^ The Fraudulence of Voter Fraud - The Bush administration purged U.S. attorneys for failing to prosecute crimes that didn’t occur By Joel Bleifuss, In These Times, April 18, 2007
  81. ^ The Fantasy Behind the Scandal The New York Times, April 2007
  82. ^ Campaign against alleged voter fraud fuels political tempest By Greg Gordon, McClatchy Newspapers, April 19, 2007
  83. ^ The Talented Mr. Griffin by Greg Palast, In These Times, April 16, 2007
  84. ^ Steven Walters and John Diedrich (April 5 2007). "Ex-state official freed: Judge calls evidence she steered travel contract 'beyond thin'". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2007-04-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  85. ^ Frederic J. Frommer (April 10 2007). "Baldwin: Was freed state worker a victim of politics?". Retrieved 2007-04-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  86. ^ Jenn Rourke (April 10 2007). "U.S. Senators Review Georgia Thompson Case". WTMJ-TV. Retrieved 2007-04-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  87. ^ Adam Cohen (April 16 2007). "A Woman Wrongly Convicted and a U.S. Attorney Who Kept His Job". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-04-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  88. ^ Guam
  89. ^ Prosecutor fired so ex-Rove aide could get his job By Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY, June 2 , 2007
  90. ^ Deconstructing the Dispute over the Politicization of U.S. Attorney Firings: The News Stories, the Testimony, and What Should Happen Next By CARL TOBIAS, FindLaw, March 12, 2007
  91. ^ Firings raise concern over Justice Dept. and politics - Gonzales admits mistakes were made, but he stands by dismissal of federal prosecutors by Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, March 14, 2007
  92. ^ Bush, Gonzales Reportedly Discussed Fired Prosecutor By Margaret Talev, McClatchy Newspapers, April 17, 2007
  93. ^ Attorneygate
  94. ^ Most Katrina Aid From Overseas Went Unclaimed By John Solomon and Spencer S. Hsu, Washington Post, April 29, 2007
  95. ^ Hurricane Katrina
  96. ^ Responsibility Katrina
  97. ^ Brown blames Gov. Blanco By Stephen Dinan, The Washington Times, September 28 2005
  98. ^ Glenn Greenwald, How Would a Patriot Act? Defending American Values from a President Run Amok, Working Assets Publishing, 2006, ISBN 0-9779440-0-X
  99. ^ Abuse of Power
  100. ^ It's time to impeach Bush, Cheney and the public knows it
  101. ^ Launch drive to impeach Bush, activists urge By PAUL KORING, Globeandmail.com, June 17 2005
  102. ^ U.S. House Judiciary Committee
  103. ^ H.RES.635 - Creating a select committee to investigate the Administration's intent to go to war before congressional authorization, manipulation of pre-war intelligence, encouraging and countenancing torture, retaliating against critics, and to make recommendations regarding grounds for possible impeachment Sponsor: Rep Conyers, John, Jr. (introduced December 18 2005)
  104. ^ No Rush to Impeachment By John Conyers Jr., Washington Post, May 18 2006
  105. ^ Conrad Wilson (2006-12-08). "The Insurgent". {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Retrieved January 27 2007
  106. ^ Tim Pugmire (2006-08-09). "Ellison compares Bush to Nixon". Minnesota Public Radio. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Retrieved January 27 2007
  107. ^ a b c Rob Hotakainen (2007-01-25). "Will Ellison pursue impeachment? Not for now, he says". Star Tribune. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Retrieved January 27 2007
  108. ^ Mikael Rudolph (April 23, 2007). ""Impeachment Should Be on the Table": Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN)".
  109. ^ Press Release of Senator Boxer "Boxer Asks Presidential Scholars About Former White House Counsel's Statement that Bush Admitted to an 'Impeachable Offense'", December 19 2005
  110. ^ article "Congressman calls for Bush impeachment." The Associated Press
  111. ^ Rep. Lewis press release "Rep. John Lewis Says No Justification for NSA Spying on American Citizens," December 19 2005
  112. ^ article "Call is out to impeach Bush, Dems are urged at unofficial hearing," Detroit Free Press, January 21 2006
  113. ^ Democrats Won't Try to Impeach President by Charles Babington, Washington Post, 12 May 2006
  114. ^ Pelosi Says Democrats Are Ready to Lead by NANCY ZUCKERBROD, Associated Press, 8 November 2006
  115. ^ Ari Berman:Why Pelosi Opposes Impeachment. The Nation, 07/31/2007
  116. ^ Search Results - THOMAS (Library of Congress)
  117. ^ Evans, Ben (2006-12-08). "McKinney Introduces Bill to Impeach Bush". Associated Press (via breitbart.com). {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  118. ^ clip of Rep. Conyers on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, YouTube
  119. ^ USNews.com: Political Bulletin: Monday, July 23, 2007
  120. ^ US presidential candidate insists he saw UFO - Telegraph
  121. ^ Poll: Vermont Wants Bush, Cheney Impeached, Nearly Two-Thirds Of State's Likely Voters Want President, VP Removed Before Term Ends - CBS News
  122. ^ Fosters.com - Dover NH, Rochester NH, Portsmouth NH, Laconia NH, Sanford ME
  123. ^ Seacoastonline.com: Biden: Impeachment if Bush bombs Iran
  124. ^ George McGovern, "Why I Believe Bush Must Go: Nixon Was Bad. These Guys Are Worse." Washington Post, Sunday, January 6, 2008; Page B01
  125. ^ Search Results - THOMAS (Library of Congress)
  126. ^ 'Before this is over, you might see calls for his impeachment.' - Esquire
  127. ^ Kevin Mooney (February 8, 2007). ""GOP Lawmaker Warns of Impeachment in Border Agent Case": Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA)".
  128. ^ Jeff Jones (2006-03-21). "N.M. Dems Call For Bush's Exit". {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Retrieved January 27 2007
  129. ^ "Vermont towns seek to impeach Bush", by Jason Szep, ABC News, 7 March 2007.
  130. ^ Vermont: 36 towns call for impeachment probe of president, by Shay Totten & Christian Avard Vermont Guardian, March 6, 2007.
  131. ^ Why Not Gaye?, Brattleboro Reformer March 28.
  132. ^ "HR 24 – As Introduced 2008 Session". New Hampshire House of Representatives. Retrieved 2008-05-31.
  133. ^ Impeach Bush, New Hampshire
  134. ^ 87-Year Old New Hampshire State Representative Says She Will Not Eat and Is Willing to Die for Impeachment | AfterDowningStreet.org
  135. ^ Impeach Bush For Peace » New Hampshire to Initiate Impeachment
  136. ^ About Ipsos in North America
  137. ^ Poll: Americans Favor Bush's Impeachment If He Lied about Iraq October 11 2005
  138. ^ 32% Favor Bush Impeachment Rasmussen Reports
  139. ^ The Raw Story | Poll: Americans slightly favor plan to censure
  140. ^ The Washington Monthly[1]
  141. ^ CNN poll, 8 September 2006
  142. ^ "Are the Faithful Losing Faith?" By Marcus Mabry, Newsweek, October 21 2006
  143. ^ Two-in-Five Americans Would Impeach Bush: Angus Reid Global Monitor
  144. ^ Inside the Numbers - HUMAN EVENTS
  145. ^ Much of US favors Bush impeachment: poll
  146. ^ Poll: 45% say impeach Bush
  147. ^ Bush Administration
  148. ^ American Research Group: Impeachment poll. November 13, 2007.
  149. ^ Two-in-Five Americans Would Impeach Cheney: Angus Reid Global Monitor
  150. ^ Live Vote: Should Bush be impeached? - Politics - MSNBC.com
  151. ^ "Ten Reasons to Impeach George Bush and Dick Cheney"
  152. ^ "Dealing with the Administration"
  153. ^ "It's Time for MoveOn to Start Talking about Impeachment"
  154. ^ Clift: "Next Logical Step is Impeachment" of President Bush -11/7/2005- Media Research Center
  155. ^ Poll: Bush Approval Numbers Up. The Washington Post. 2005-12-20.
  156. ^ Anti-War Protesters March On D.C., Police Estimate Event Drew 100,000 Demonstrators - CBS News
  157. ^ World Can't Wait | Drive Out the Bush Regime - F.A.Q
  158. ^ http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-110205closures_lat,0,7371129.htmlstory?coll=la-tot-promo&track=morenews
  159. ^ Anti-Bush Protests In NYC, Organization Calls For Putting An End To The Bush Administration - CBS News
  160. ^ [2][dead link]
  161. ^ Article Not Found!
  162. ^ Constitution Summer
  163. ^ Press Releases | Constitution Summer
  164. ^ Infoshop News - 1,000 Attempt Citizen's Arrest of Bush at UN; Blocked by Police, 10 to 12 Arrests

Further reading

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