FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is it possible to get the needed majority votes in the House to Impeach?
A: Perhaps not. But if we do not try, we certainly won’t. Our duty as citizens is to try.
2. If we impeach and remove Bush, won’t we get Cheney? Isn’t that worse?
A: Then we impeach Cheney too. Or both at once. Or, Cheney first, as Rep. Kucinich has moved, and then Bush.
3. Isn’t Impeachment unnecessary, since both will be out anyway in January 2009?
A: Removal is not the only, or main purpose of impeachment. They wreak serious damage in their time left. Importantly, though, this sets a precedent for accountability and justice in our government. Without this, we are left with a terrible precedent that implies future presidents could commit the same crimes!
4. Moving impeachment is a distraction from needed legislation.
A: That is short term thinking. Long term, impeachment is more important than any piece of legislation. Also, historically, significant and worthy legislation has been passed during impeachment trials; Congress can ‘walk and chew gum’. In fact,while drafting articles of impeachment against Richard Nixon, Congress managed to raise the minimum wage and create the endangered species list!
5. Isn’t impeachment partisan politics by Democrats? Republicans would not and will not impeach.
A: There is a long history of Impeachment in the US, including many examples where Republicans have joined or led the effort.
6. Is there any effort underway in Congress?
A: Representative Dennis Kucinich has introduced Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Cheney, submitted as House Resolution 333. The first charge concerned manipulation of intelligence about Iraq’s threat to the US; the second concerned manipulation of intelligence on the alleged Iraq-AlQaida relationship; the last concerned Cheney having openly threatened aggression against the Republic of Iran.
7. Impeachment is for “high crimes and misdemeanors” - what does that mean?
A: Most legal scholars agree that impeachable offenses may include such non crimes as abuse of official power, neglect of constitutional duties, encroachment on the power of another branch of government, undermining the integrity of the office, and betrayal of trust. Although an impeachable offense need not be criminal, it must be serious and substantial misconduct that subverts the integrity of government. — from Judith Volkart, Esq., in Impeach the President, The Case Against Bush and Cheney, Dennis Loo and Peter Phillips, eds.
How does impeachment work?
The most common misunderstanding is that an impeachment is a conviction for some criminal charge. It is not. This is originally an English tradition that was written into the US Constitution by the framers as a safety net that could be used to remove officers from public trust for misconduct.
An impeachment is a formal indictment of an officer for specific charges. There is typically an investigation beforehand, the impeachment itself, and then a trial. If the officer is found guilty, the traditional result is removal from office. In the US Constitution, impeachment is reserved for “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors”.
The phrase “high crimes and misdemeanors” is purposefully ambiguous. It does not refer to misdemeanors in today’s legal sense, nor does it imply that an actual law must be broken. Any dereliction of duty, misconduct, or abuse of power could meet these requirements. Since the range of impeachable offenses is difficult to foresee, each charge must be evaluated individually to see if it suggests a sufficient breach of trust. [more] [more]
According to Article I, Section 2 of the US Constitution, only the House of Representatives may impeach a Federal officer. The impeachment is akin to an indictment, and the trial is conducted by the Senate as per Article I, Section 3.
According to section 603 of the Jefferson’s Manual, which lays out standard procedures for the House of Representatives, the House impeachment process can be started any number of ways: directly by the US President, by any House representative, by any State or Territory, by any citizen whose representative submits that citizen’s Memorial document (see here), by a grand jury, or by the findings of a Congressional investigation.
When we say that we demand impeachment, it does not mean that we demand Bush and Cheney be removed from office. We are demanding the fair trial and investigation that impeachment gives us.
It completely defies my comprehension why there has been so much resistance to impeaching these self serving madmen. Congress must have some weird virus that nearly all members contract that effects there judgment and morals. Dennis Kucinich evidently had a high enough moral constitution that the virus couldn’t take hold of him. On the other hand, Nancy Pelosi had the chronic strain and it certainly weakened Harry Reid and his Senate leadership. The original virus, in the form that causes insanity in it’s first few generations, took deep destructive root in the republican party. How 90% of any particular group can become truly insane will be the study of scientists for years to come. Just go listen to them speak on the digitally recorded CSPAN archives. The malady is as plain as day. It took many democrats too.
March 14th, 2008 at 7:59 pmMaybe the pharmaceutical industry drugged them all.
I know mcCain is on drugs and bush definitely is, sometimes overdosing worse than others.
The biggest problem is that his drug overdosing has caused the whole country to have a Bad Trip.
Impeachment,then Rehab for the lot of them. And if anybody ever deserved it, NO, NO, NO, we will not waterboard them. That proves my stance on torture and leaves no doubt about it. Not even them!