The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age

    The Articles of Impeachement Enumerated

    You wouldn't be able to tell from the news, or TPM, but yesterday articles if impeachment were introduced.

    As the huffington posts' Joseph Palermo points out
    People will scream about how impeachment might backfire on the election of 2008. But that was never the issue. The president is guilty of grave crimes against the republic and should be held accountable. He does not have to be found guilty in a court of law; impeachment has a different standard. Bush has committed crimes against the nation. There are 4,100 dead Americans and 500,000 to 1 million dead Iraqis as a result of his lies and deceit. The Scott McClellan book just drives home everything the Intelligence Committee uncovered. It is time for the truth! If Bush can keep the prospect of attacking Iran "on the table," then the Congress should keep impeachment on the table too.
    I think this is absolutely correct.  If we are willing to ignore crimes because it is politically expedient, how exactly is this any different than what Bush did himself?

    Fortunately, the rest of the world cares more about what is happening in our fair land than do Americans themselves.  As the belfast telegraph notes:
    Bob Fertik, President of Democrats.com, said: "We've waited seven years to find one Member of Congress brave enough to stand up for our Constitution, for which generations of Americans have fought and died.

    "We are thrilled and honored that Dennis Kucinich has chosen to be that one genuine patriot.

    "We congratulate him on his historic leadership, and pledge to do everything in our power to persuade Congress to adopt all 35 Articles and put George W Bush on trial before the Senate of the United States, exactly as the Founding Fathers wanted."

    So if you were curious what the 35 points that made up Kucinich's very solid case for impeachment, they are as Follows:

    Article I
    Creating a Secret Propaganda Campaign to Manufacture a False Case for War Against Iraq

    Article II
    Falsely, Systematically, and with Criminal Intent Conflating the Attacks of September 11, 2001, With Misrepresentation of Iraq as a Security Threat as Part of Fraudulent Justification for a War of Aggression

    Article III
    Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq Possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction, to Manufacture a False Case for War

    Article IV
    Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq Posed an Imminent Threat to the United States

    Article V
    Illegally Misspending Funds to Secretly Begin a War of Aggression

    Article VI
    Invading Iraq in Violation of the Requirements of HJRes114

    Article VII
    Invading Iraq Absent a Declaration of War.

    Article VIII
    Invading Iraq, A Sovereign Nation, in Violation of the UN Charter

    Article IX
    Failing to Provide Troops With Body Armor and Vehicle Armor

    Article X
    Falsifying Accounts of US Troop Deaths and Injuries for Political Purposes

    Article XI
    Establishment of Permanent U.S. Military Bases in Iraq

    Article XII
    Initiating a War Against Iraq for Control of That Nation's Natural Resources

    Article XIIII
    Creating a Secret Task Force to Develop Energy and Military Policies With Respect to Iraq and Other Countries

    Article XIV
    Misprision of a Felony, Misuse and Exposure of Classified Information And Obstruction of Justice in the Matter of Valerie Plame Wilson, Clandestine Agent of the Central Intelligence Agency

    Article XV
    Providing Immunity from Prosecution for Criminal Contractors in Iraq

    Article XVI
    Reckless Misspending and Waste of U.S. Tax Dollars in Connection With Iraq and US Contractors

    Article XVII
    Illegal Detention: Detaining Indefinitely And Without Charge Persons Both U.S. Citizens and Foreign Captives

    Article XVIII
    Torture: Secretly Authorizing, and Encouraging the Use of Torture Against Captives in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Other Places, as a Matter of Official Policy

    Article XIX
    Rendition: Kidnapping People and Taking Them Against Their Will to " Black Sites" Located in Other Nations, Including Nations Known to Practice Torture

    Article XX
    Imprisoning Children

    Article XXI
    Misleading Congress and the American People About Threats from Iran, and Supporting Terrorist Organizations Within Iran, With the Goal of Overthrowing the Iranian Government

    Article XXII
    Creating Secret Laws

    Article XXIII
    Violation of the Posse Comitatus Act

    Article XXIV
    Spying on American Citizens, Without a Court-Ordered Warrant, in Violation of the Law and the Fourth Amendment

    Article XXV
    Directing Telecommunications Companies to Create an Illegal and Unconstitutional Database of the Private Telephone Numbers and Emails of American Citizens

    Article XXVI
    Announcing the Intent to Violate Laws with Signing Statements

    Article XXVII
    Failing to Comply with Congressional Subpoenas and Instructing Former Employees Not to Comply

    Article XXVIII
    Tampering with Free and Fair Elections, Corruption of the Administration of Justice

    Article XXIX
    Conspiracy to Violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965

    Article XXX
    Misleading Congress and the American People in an Attempt to Destroy Medicare

    Article XXXI
    Katrina: Failure to Plan for the Predicted Disaster of Hurricane Katrina, Failure to Respond to a Civil Emergency

    Article XXXII
    Misleading Congress and the American People, Systematically Undermining Efforts to Address Global Climate Change

    Article XXXIII
    Repeatedly Ignored and Failed to Respond to High Level Intelligence Warnings of Planned Terrorist Attacks in the US, Prior to 911.

    Article XXXIV
    Obstruction of the Investigation into the Attacks of September 11, 2001

    Article XXXV
    Endangering the Health of 911 First Responders


    Seems about right to me.  One thing to think about is that if we don't impeach the dastardly duo, George Bush will end his term with the power to pardon EVERYONE who was involved with his crimes.  If that happens, it won't matter what Obama's plans are.  We Americans can't just sit on our asses and say "Don't bother with this or that - Obama's gonna fix it when he's in office".

    <i>(please recommend this one)</i>