Captain, we have a problem ....
Oh, boy! Do we! I have a few bones to pick with the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.). (Adjectives omitted.)
For ease of reading, I just intersperse my comments throughout.
Waxman Wimps Out On The Constitution
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As published on After Downing Street – From Henry Waxman:
Thank you for contacting me to express your strong opposition to the policies of the Bush White House and your support for impeachment. I appreciate having the benefit of your view on this issue and the opportunity to share my thinking with you. (yeah, but I am sure not going to help you achieve THAT.)
As you know, on November 6, 2007, Representative Dennis Kucinich offered a privileged resolution on the House floor to bring up H.Res. 333, which would impeach Vice President Cheney. (no kidding! Lots of us know, Henry . we are waiting you YOU. At least the accusations should be investigated? Too much to ask?) I joined a majority of the House in a 218-194 vote to refer the privileged resolution to the Judiciary Committee, which is the committee of jurisdiction. (yes, yes it IS. and your responsibility in the matter no COMPELS you to what? Ever wonder why so many republicans voted for it as well? Do you just assume it was to tie up that committee with further complications, or to just stall it a proper investigation? OR to belittle the current Speaker of the House for her inaction? OR .. that maybe, just maybe, there are multiple REASONS .. ?)
I do not take impeachment lightly. Having been elected to the House in 1974 on the heels of the resignation of President Nixon, I fully understand the gravity of the impeachment process. And having served in the House during the partisan and political campaign that pursued the impeachment of President Clinton, I have seen the detriment of its abuse. (Well this is some sort of minimization of the daily death toll in Iraq, if there ever was one! Somehow, the ONE remedy that the Founding Fathers of the Republic came up with is to be given greater gravity than the actual CRIMES committed? We are already going onto slippery slope territory with this. The CREATIVE impeachment process was the real remedy for ABUSE of the citizenry. But citizens come way down the list of priorities .. your discomfort and displeasure coming way ahead of citizen concerns and grievances, obviously.)
While I recognize the eagerness of Representative Kucinich and other supporters of impeachment to move this resolution swiftly, I believe the House has a constitutional and institutional responsibility to handle such resolutions and their underlying accusations with due process and regular order. (First off, Henry there should be a initial cop on Constitutional; it is an IMPORTANT document, The Bible is not the ONLY document that gets an initial cap. You for one, in particular, should know this. And two, I question the use of your word EAGER. They are asking for "due process" and "regular order" that is the SPECIFIC point. You are marginalizing those who call for IMPEACHMENT, that is NOT removal - that is asking for an INVESTIGATION.) That is why I voted to refer the measure back to the House Judiciary Committee for its evaluation and consideration. (and your point is ... ? You aren't cosponsoring the bill!! I hardly call you COOPERATIVE.)
In addition to concerns about process, I personally believe that impeachment is not a successful strategy for challenging the Bush Administration. (so is the point to be strategically FOR democrats on the take? What strategically do you propose?) On a practical level there aren't enough votes in the House or the Senate for impeachment or a conviction. (You are lumping the two things together. We are asking for IMPEACHMENT, the conviction is another story, for a later date!! Kapish, Henry! You can use and/or rather than just or and be correct about it. The real number of persons who have obstructed this for so long are ON THE COMMITTEE, which is way HR. res. 333 was submitted. The People are pretty FED UP. We are SPECIFICALLY asking for not, an admonishment of the Bush Administration but particularly for an investigation of Richard Cheney. Did you follow the resolution. We aren't asking what YOU think about challenging the Bush Administration; HISTORY and the families of the war dead, injured and emotionally destroyed, as well as many other harmed individuals will do THAT.) Furthermore, pursuing impeachment would polarize our country at a time when Americans are unifying across party lines to oppose the President's policies in Iraq. (I will not argue that many Republicans are coming to see that the President's HELL HOLE of a society is making less and less sense to many republicans, but that important consideration of INVESTIGATING Richard Cheney goes begging here once again.) It does not make sense to divert attention and focus on a losing strategy against an administration that will be out of office next year. (If Richard Cheney is guilty of abuse of privilege, if he is a war criminal, if he has used his office to enrich himself, particularly in pursuit of moneys taken to procure arms, and is quality of other crimes as well, then CERTAINLY got beyond the date the administration cedes power. The high crimes and misdemeanors, not to mention TREASON will still need to be investigated at the time they leave "Office".)
As Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform I am committed to holding this Administration accountable for its actions. (Yes, you are responsible! You got something right! But COMMITMENT is another question. You are RESPONSIBLE, but the commitment seems to be "strangely" lacking.) I believe the best way to do so is by restoring the essential checks and balances that languished during previous congresses. (And we are not asking about that, we are asking for an INVESTIGATION, Henry. The checks and balances are WAY out of whacked; in this administration worse than any other previous administration in history, even on a partisan level. But what is your solution to the problem? By becoming more like a spineless, insipid, unreasoning tool of Dick Cheney?) I am determined to fully investigate acts of misconduct and misjudgment and learn from the Administration's mistakes so that we can fix our policies and prevent future abuses.
So boyz and girlz, the lesson is this - everything YOU learned in Civics class, everything you THOUGHT you knew about the government's LEGAL remedies against public officials who are criminals is all bunk. Henry Waxman, the OFFICIAL keeper of US House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has told you so. His STRATEGIES are way more important, and like a classic example of what is wrong with this government he has no plan for governmental oversight.Sigh. Now you can all go to your rooms, and burn those Constitutions. Unless some other people began to grow consciences and take their oaths of office, there is no need for them anymore.
The Great and Glorious OZ, aka Henry Waxman, has spoken and the clicking on the Ruby slippers don't work.
Hey! Care to write Henry Waxman a letter and tell me what he tells you back? He's provided a nice link -- or you can call him up. and below I've posted the phone and his address at the bottom.
For more about my work in Congress, or to sign up for periodic e-mail updates, please visit http://oversight.house.gov and http://www.waxman.house.gov.
Thank you again for contacting me and please be in touch on issues of concern.With kind regards, I am
Sincerely,
Henry A. Waxman
Member of Congress.
8436 West Third Street, Suite 600
Los Angeles, California 90048
(323) 651-1040 (phone) (818) 878-7400 (phone)
(310) 652-3095 (phone) (323) 655-0502 (fax)
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