President George W. Bush lied to the American people and Congress about the reasons for invading Iraq, and if that isn’t enough, he authorized warrantless wiretapping and torture of detainees. It is really quite simple: Bush, Cheney, and the whole lot should be impeached. Ah, but there’s a problem…

Impeachment is the dreaded “I” word among the mainstream media (MSM) and the Democrats in charge of Congress. Let me cite a few examples from last year. On April 28, 2007 1,500 people in San Francisco showed up to spell out “Impeach Now” with their bodies in Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s home district. Activists held impeachment rallies the same weekend in 125 locations. The MSM did not cover the events.

When Rosie O’Donnell was still a part of The View she asked the pointed question, “What do you have to do to get impeached in this country? What do you have to do?” The MSM treated her as if she had marbles in her head.

On April 24, 2007, former Democratic presidential candidate, Rep. Dennis Kucinich appeared on CNN with Wolf Blitzer. Blitzer allowed him to discuss the reasons why Bush should be impeached, and then asked Kucinich, “What about the argument, congressman, that this is during a time of war, and that’s not a time to go after impeaching a sitting vice president?” Kucinich reminded him that during the Nixon era a conflict was also being fought.

Apparently impeachment is a dreaded word to  Pelosi. The day after Democrats gained control of both congressional houses, Pelosi announced that “impeachment is off the table.” With her statement Pelosi dashed the hopes of progressive activists that she would stand up to President George Bush and his administration.

Shortly after Pelosi’s statements, former House Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) spoke to Atlanta Progressive News (APN). “Nothing is off the table unless the American people allow it to be so,” she said. McKinney introduced House Resolution 1106, articles of impeachment against President George Bush, Vice-President Dick Cheney, and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. The resolution was the last congressional measure she sponsored before leaving office. Her resolution ended up dead in the proverbial water.

“I decided to introduce Articles of Impeachment because the American people have been subjected to betrayal at the highest levels for the lowest reasons. Our Constitution and our Democracy have been betrayed. It is imperative those in high places know they must respect our laws and our values,” McKinney told APN.

The Constitution on impeachment

The Constitution is clear about impeachment: it is the way the framers of the Constitution provided to remove elected officials who have abused their power. The number of times impeachment is mentioned in the Constitution is an indication our Founding Fathers intended the process to be used. Benjamin Franklin said, “It would be the best way therefore to provide in the Constitution for the regular punishment of the Executive where his misconduct deserves it.”

Appearing first in Article 1 Section 2, the Constitution stipulates the House of Representatives “shall have the sole power of impeachment.” Article 1 Section 3 gives the Senate the “sole power to try all impeachments.” Therefore, impeachment is introduced in the House, and tried in the Senate.The reasons for impeachment are given in Article 2 Section 4: treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.

An impeachable offense does not have to be punishable by law. Alexander Hamilton referred to impeachable offenses as “those offenses which proceed from the misconduct of public men, or, in other words, from the abuse or violation of some public trust. They are of a nature which may with peculiar propriety be denominated political, as they relate chiefly to injuries done immediately to the society itself.”

The phrase “high crimes and misdemeanors” was understood by the Constitutional Convention delegates to “cover a myriad of offenses whereby an official has overstepped the particular bounds of public office.” An impeachable offense must be a “grave and immediate offense against the state.”

Edmund Randolph, a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and Virginia governor, said, “Guilt wherever found ought to be punished. The executive will have great opportunities of abusing his power; particularly in time of war when the military force, and in some respects the public money will be in his hands. Should no regular punishment be provided, it will be irregularly inflicted by tumults and insurrections.”

At a Town Hall meeting in New York City on March 2, 2006, the Constitutional scholar, Michael Ratner said, “It sounds today like “high crimes and misdemeanors” means “criminal acts,” but impeachment does not necessarily have to mean a criminal act.” He explained that impeachment is the way that a president is removed “when there is executive tyranny.”

“The framers of our Constitution feared executive power run amok and provided the remedy of impeachment to protect against it,” wrote Elizabeth Holtzman, former Congresswoman who sat in on the House impeachment hearings against President Nixon, in an article for The Nation magazine.

“While impeachment is a last resort, and must never be lightly undertaken, neither can Congress shirk its responsibility to use that tool to safeguard our democracy. No President can be permitted to commit high crimes and misdemeanors with impunity,” she wrote.

Putting impeachment back on the table

Are you as disgusted with Bush and company as I am? Then let Nancy Pelosi know you want impeachment back on the table. I will make it easy for you: copy the part of this article about the constitution and impeachment, and paste it into the contact form on Pelosi's website. If you are in her district forward it to sf.nancy@mail.house.gov. Make sure to include at least a few lines in your email message about why you want the Bush administration impeached.

Let's make sure Pelosi is flooded with requests to put impeachment on the table. Do not let her get away with keeping it off the table!