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Not Out To Impeach President

by Open-Publishing - Sunday 28 May 2006
9 comments

Parties Governments USA

Publisher’s note: While Conyers backs away from impeachment indicating that the allegations of misconduct are not proven, he is also trying to pass a law to stop Bush from illegal wiretapping...a law to force Bush to obey the law. Why is he making it seem as if the case for impeachment over illegal wiretapping has not been made when he knows that Bush has broken the law?
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As Republicans have become increasingly nervous about whether they will be able to maintain control of the House in the midterm elections, they have resorted to the straw-man strategy of identifying a parade of horrors to come if Democrats gain the majority. Among these is the assertion that I, as the new chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, would immediately begin impeachment proceedings against President Bush.

I will not do that. I readily admit that I have been quite vigorous, if not relentless, in questioning the administration. The allegations I have raised are grave, serious, well-known, and based on reliable media reports and the accounts of former administration officials.

But none of these allegations can be proved or disproved until the administration answers questions. For example, to know whether intelligence was mistaken or manipulated in the run-up to the Iraq war, we need to know what information was made available to - and actually read by - decision-makers and how views contradicting the case for war were treated.

We need to know the extent to which high-ranking officials approved of the use of torture and other cruel and inhumane treatment inflicted upon detainees. We need to know whether the leaking of the name of a covert CIA operative was deliberate or accidental, as well as the identity of those responsible.

The administration’s stonewalling, and the lack of oversight by Congress, have left us to guess whether we are dealing with isolated wrongdoing, or mistakes, or something worse. In my view, the American people deserve answers, not guesses. I have proposed that we obtain these answers in a responsible and bipartisan manner.

It was House Republicans who took power in 1995 with immediate plans to undermine President Bill Clinton by any means necessary, and they did so in the most autocratic, partisan and destructive ways imaginable. If there is any lesson from those "revolutionaries," it is that partisan vendettas ultimately provoke a public backlash and are never viewed as legitimate.

So, rather than seeking impeachment, I have chosen to propose comprehensive oversight of these alleged abuses. The oversight I have suggested would be performed by a select committee made up equally of Democrats and Republicans and chosen by the House speaker and the minority leader.

The committee’s job would be to obtain answers - finally. At the end of the process, if - and only if - the select committee, acting on a bipartisan basis, finds evidence of potentially impeachable offenses, it would forward that information to the Judiciary Committee. This threshold of bipartisanship is appropriate, I believe, when dealing with an issue of this magnitude.

One-party rule has dug our nation into a deep hole over the past six years. The Judiciary Committee needs to fully implement the recommendations of the Sept. 11 commission, strengthen laws against wartime fraud, ban trade with state sponsors of terrorism, increase funding for community policing and protect government whistle-blowers. Most important, before we have another presidential election, I believe we need to pass laws protecting the integrity of our electoral system - the very foundation of our democracy.

John Conyers Jr. is a Democratic U.S. representative from Michigan. He wrote this for The Washington Post.
– http://www.courant.com/news/opinion...

Forum posts

  • John Coyners you are a co-opted Black on the order of Colin Powell and Condi.

    Much shame on you.

  • John, I am terribly upset with you! Nancy Pelosi is pulling your strings! You were once my hero! I thought you introduced resolution into possible impeachment? I thought you already did introduce resolution to impeach Bush?

  • John, YOU SAID IF WE WON HOUSE BACK YOU WOULD IMPEACH BUSH! WHAT DO THEY HAVE ON YOU JOHN? WHAT ABOUT DOWNING ST. MEMO’S ARE PROOF POSITIVE! IS IT BECAUSE OF BABYSITTING ISSUE YOU ARE BACKING OFF? If so, that is BUSHIT reason! Having tax payers pay for babysetting, IF that is what happened in your case, is a HELLVA LOT DIFFERENT THAN TREAON, WAR CRIMES AND SUCH MANY TIMES OVER! I WILL NOT SUPPORT ANY, ANY POLITICIANS WHO DO NOT WANT TO IMPEACH BUSH,PERIOD! And any politicians who do NOT want him impeached need to either 1. Resign as your helping to destroy America from within. or 2. Be run out of Congress on a rail also! And I WAS a huge fan of yours! Key word here WAS! What are they blackmailing you with John for you to do a 100% degree change!? What? What ever it is is NOT as BAD AS TREASON, WAR CRIMES AND REST for you to have a change of heart!

  • But none of these allegations can be proved or disproved until the administration answers questions. For example, to know whether intelligence was mistaken or manipulated in the run-up to the Iraq war, we need to know what information was made available to - and actually read by - decision-makers and how views contradicting the case for war were treated.

    What do you call Downing St. Memo JOHN? Or other secret memos that YOU KNOW GODDAMN WELL ALREADY PROVE THEY ARE GUILTY AS HELL! WHY VOTE DEMOCRATIC IF YOU GUTLESS, PEOPLE IN HOUSE AND SENATE WILL NOT IMPEACH BUSH AND JUST 2 MORE YEARS OF RUBBER STAMPING BUSH’S REGIME AGENDA! HELL, I SAY DO TOTALLY AWAY WITH CONGRESS ALTOGETHER, WHY BOTHER, as majority of you are just rubber stamps for Bush regime while you HELP TO DESTROY AMERICA FROM WITHIN TO SAVE YOUR OWN HIDES! How Unpatriotic! John, What did they threaten you with? That scandal? That is NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT THEY ARE DOING AND HAVE DONE JOHN, SO STOP LETTING THEM BLACKMAIL YOU INTO SUBMISSION TO STOP THEM FROM BEING OUT ANY,SO CALLED POSSIBLE SCANDAL YOU MAY BE INVOLVED IN FOR GOD’S SAKE DEFEND OUR PRECIOUS CONSTITUTION AND OUR NATION FROM THESE BASTARDS OR WE WILL REMOVE YOU TOO FROM OFFICE AND REST OF GUTLESS BASTARDS IN CONGRESS WHO ARE HELPING TO DESTROY AMERICA FROM WITHIN! PUT OUR NATION FIRST JOHN, NOT YOUR CAREER OR OTHER PERSONAL STUFF BUT OUR NATION FOR GOD’S SAKE! ANY,ANY SCANDALOUS EVIDENCE THEY MAY HAVE ON YOU IS NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT THEY HAVE DONE AND WILL DO! PLEASE, JOHN STOP CAVING IN!

  • So, rather than seeking impeachment, I have chosen to propose comprehensive oversight of these alleged abuses. The oversight I have suggested would be performed by a select committee made up equally of Democrats and Republicans and chosen by the House speaker and the minority leader.( GET ANOTHER PHONEY COMMISSION LIKE 9-11 COVER-UP COMMISSION WAS AT OUR EXPENSE!) BI-PARTISAN COVER-UP OF TREASON,MANY TIMES OVER!

    COMPREHENSIVE OVERSIGHT MY ASS,JOHN! RESIGN NOW! GET THE HELL OUT OF CONGRESS and take the rest of gutless, Democrats and Republicans with you, who are LITERALLY HELPING TO DESTROY AMERICA FROM WITHIN! Did Nancy Pelosi put pressure on you John or what? Who got to you John or were you just bullshiting when you told people in Baraboo,Wisc. at Bobfest that if D’s won House back you would impeach Bush? CONGRESS ALREADY WAS SUPPOSED TO BEING "OVERSIGHTING" BUSH REGIME AND LOOK WHAT YOU GUTLESS JERKS HAVE ALREADY LET HIM GET BY WITH! Are they blackmailing you about babysitting issue John is that it? Even one of your staffers told me, she believes Bush and cohorts were behind 9-11 and YOU DON’T WANT TO IMPEACH BUSH!? You sold out, John and need to resign from Congress, asap! HOW CAN YOU LOOK IN A MIRROR JOHN, HOW? I REPEAT JOHN, HOW CAN YOU LOOK YOURSELF OR YOU GRANDKIDS IN FACE? OR ANY AMERICAN, THAT YOU AND REST ARE TOTALLY SCREWING OVER! YOU TOOK AN OATH, GODDAMN IT TO PROTECT AND DEFEND OUR NATION AND OUR PRECIOUS CONSTITUTION AND YOU AND OTHERS IN GUTLESS FUCKING CONGRESS ARE DOING NEITHER! YOU ARE ALL ARE AS GUILTY OF TREASON AS BUSH AND COHORTS ARE FOR NOT DOING YOUR DUTY TO IMPEACH THEM! YOU ALL NEED TO BE RUN OUT OF CONGRESS AND NOW! You know Goddamn good and well there is PLENTY OF PROOF RIGHT NOW TO IMPEACH BUSH ON ILLEGAL WIRETAPPING, TREASON, LYING TO TAKE US TO WARS, INVOLVEMENT IN 9-11 AND SUCH AND YOU ARE GOING ALONG WITH IT! ROT IN HELL JOHN CONYERS AND REST OF TRAITOROUS CONGRESS! God, we SOOO Goddamn desperately need a 2nd American revolution and NOW!
    Oversight committee my ass, John if you and rest of gutless Congress WOULD HAVE DONE THEIR GODDAMN JOBS IN FIRST PLACE, BUSH WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO ILLEGAL WIRETAP IN FIRST PLACE AND NOW YOU WANT A BI-PARTISAN COVER-UP COMMISSION LIKE FUCKING WORTHLESS 9-11 COVER-UP COMMISSION WAS!? SCREW Y0U JOHN! Even one of your staffers said Bush was behind 9-11! And YOU DON’T WANT TO IMPEACH HIM?

  • John, What are you going to do, John ask Bush if Downing St. Memo is for real and when he says NO ,say OK we’re done investigating we can go on screwing over Constitution now! YOU DON’T HAVE TO ASK THEM A GODDAMN THING, JOHN! THE EVIDENCE SPEAKS FOR ITSELF! AND THERE IS PLENTY OF IT! FOR ALL ABOVE STUFF! AND YOU GODDAMN KNOW IT! You know Bush and cohorts will just lie,lie and lie more so WHY ASK THEM A GODDAMN THING? And you and others on so-called sham of commission like 9-11 was cover-up commission too and you want to implement their recommendations? One of your own staffers told me 9-11 was an inside job by Bush and cohorts, which I ALREADY knew and yet YOU DON’T WANT TO IMPEACH BUSH AND REST? And you want to follow the Goddamn SHAM 9-11 COVER-UP Commission’s findings and recommendations, when THEY TOO ARE INVOLVED IN COVER UP OF 9-11? Chairman Kean, for God’s sake had oil business ties to Bin Laden’s brother-in-law! Zelikow, the executive director of commission, CO-WROTE a book with Condi Rice! Most commission members had ties to Bush Adminstration or oil companies. Goddamn Lee Hamilton, Unpatriotic bastard that he is, didn’t want public to find out about Iran/Contra event and "October surprise" hence that is WHY he was picked for commission! And WHO in right mind let Bush pick commission members anyway? 9-11 commission are TRAITORS TOO! Some according to recent reports took bribes to keep Pakistan out of commission reports! They need ALL to be in prison as well! Bob Kerry held dinner for CEO, George David of UTC fame, who makes defense hardware! Kerry was a known hawk on war! I can do on and on about traitorous 9-11 fucking phoney commission! 9-11 WAS AN INSIDE JOB, JOHN AND YOU KNOW IT AND YOUR LETTING THEY GET BY WITH MASS MURDER, WAR CRIMES, WAR PROFITEERING, ILLEGAL WIRETAPPING,WHICH YOU AND REST OF CONGRESS SHOULD ALREADY BE IMPEACHING HIM ON ALL OF THESE THINGS!

  • now you know it’s one party hahahahahahhahhahaha we start bombing in late june get ready forthe draft.

  • Mr. Conyers, you need to take the blinders off and you would see the mountain of evidence that exists against the present administration.

    In the run-up to the Iraq war, did several prominent persons not say to the administration that there was no evidence to support this invasion?

    Bush claimed that Saddam was threatening to attack america with weapons of mass destruction. Did Saddam Hussein have any offensive weapons capabiltiy after the 1991 gulf war and if so, why did he not use them against the americans when they launched their bombing campaign in March 2003?

    Since America has the most sophisticated intelligence gathering capability in the world because of their satellite spying techniques, why wasn’t this alleged capability by Saddam to deliver WMD in 45 minutes not tendered as proof by Colin Powell at the speech he made to the UN?

    And if Colin Powell did tender any evidence to substantiate the alleged 45 minute claim which would have been subsequently proven false, why wasn’t he nor the then head of the CIA Mr. George Tenet not held to account; given the hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis that were killed during the carpet bombing of Baghdad?

    Bush claimed that Saddam was a threat; did he build up forces on America’s coast anytime between 1990 and 2003? or for that matter, anytime during his tenure? But the whole world knows that the Americans amassed their forces in the gulf over a period of time and were just waiting for the order to invade. Isn’t that not proof enough to show that this invasion of Iraq by the Americans was a deliberate action?

    If Saddam was this huge threat as claimed by Bush, why did he not attacked the Americans while they were amassing their forces in Kuwait and the other treacherous gulf states?

    Saddam was such a huge threat to the Americans that he couldn’t even defend his country from the blitz krieg aerial attack and could only wait until the american troops were on the ground before he could launch his defensive geurilla tactics.

    And finally Mr. Conyers, do you really expect the administration to answer your questions truthfully?

    It seems to me Mr. Conyers that you have a major difficulty with your basic sight and perceptions and clearly are not representing the interests of the constituents you are supposed to represent. It is ok to blow a little hot air every now and then but to take firm measures to deal with the issues, you don’t have the balls to do so. There is no doubt in my mind that you are part and parcel of the same corrupt administration; in other words, pigs of the same sow. And I sincerely hope that yourself and all the other politicians who act like you get voted out of office next election.

    • ILLEGAL ALIENS ARE MINOR AND ARE A DISTRACTION, SHEEP! AND MEANT TO DISTRACT YOU FROM REAL ISSUES OF TREASON, WAR CRIMES AND ILLEGAL WIRE TAPPING! OUR NATION AND CONSTITUTION AND FREEDOMS ARE ON THE LINE HERE AND ALL YOU CAN BITCH ABOUT IS ILLEGAL ALIENS? COME ON! WE HAVE TRAITORS IN WHITE HOUSE, CONGRESS AND ALL OVER THE PLACE IN OUR GOV’T AND YES, 9-11 WAS an inside job TOO and your worried about illegal aliens!? While we have MASS MURDERERS IN WHITE HOUSE AND OTHEROFFICES? YES, SHEEP, 9-11 WAS AN INSIDE JOB! GOOGLE: LOOSE CHANGE,2ND EDITION AND ALSO 911EYEWITNESS AND WATCH AND SPREAD WIDELY AND FAST !