Let’s Impeach the President For Lying…
New MSNBC Live Survey: 87% Think Bush Should Be Impeached...
In addition, a recent Newsweek poll found 51 percent of all Americans - including 20 percent of Republicans - feel impeachment should be on the table.
This morning Democracy Now with Amy Goodman had a great must read interview with Elizabeth Holtzman and Daniel Ellsberg. Here’s a taste of that:
There is support for impeachment in the House. Over three dozen Democrats in Congress have publicly supported an inquiry into possible impeachable offenses by the Bush administration. The list includes John Conyers of Michigan who is positioned to become chair of the House Judiciary Committee.
To talk more about impeachment, the mid-term elections and the war in Iraq, we are joined by two guests: Elizabeth Holtzman and Daniel Ellsberg.
* Elizabeth Holtzman, served four terms in Congress, where she played a key role in House impeachment proceedings against President Richard Nixon. She is co-author of the new book "The Impeachment of George W. Bush: A Practical Guide for Concerned Citizens." She will be speaking in Philadelphia on Saturday at the pro-impeachment rally.
* Daniel Ellsberg, may be the country's best known whistleblower. He leaked to the press the Pentagon Papers, the 7,000 page top-secret study of U.S. decision making in Vietnam. This set in motion actions that would eventually topple the Nixon presidency. He recently published an article in Harpers magazine about Iran. It is called "The Next War."
AMY GOODMAN: Nancy Pelosi who is set to become House Speaker was asked about it on Wednesday during her first press conference since the mid-term election.
REP. NANCY PELOSI: Democrats are not about getting even. Democrats are about helping the American people get ahead. And that's what our agenda is about. So while some people -- are excited about prospects that -- that they have in terms of their priorities, they're not our priorities. I have said and I say again that impeachment is off the table.
AMY GOODMAN: There is support for impeachment in the house over the three -- over three dozen democrats in congress have publicly supported an inquiry into possible impeachable offenses by the Bush Administration, the list includes: John Conyers of Michigan, positioned to become Chair of the House Judiciary Committee. To talk more about impeachment, the mid-term elections, and the war in Iraq we are joined by two guests, Elizabeth Holtzman and Daniel Ellsberg. Elizabeth Holtzman served four terms in Congress, where she played a key role in House impeachment process against President Richard Nixon. She is co-author of the new book The Impeachment of George W. Bush: A Practical Guide for Concerned Citizens. Welcome to Democracy Now! You’re going to be speaking at a pro-impeachment rally on Saturday in Philadelphia?
ELIZABETH HOLTZMAN: Correct. -- In an effort to try to bring, -- to create a grassroots movement around the country and press Congress to do what should be done.
AMY GOODMAN: What’s your response to the Speaker in waiting, Nancy Pelosi saying it’s off the table?
ELIZABETH HOLTZMAN: Well it’s very understandable. It was off the table to the democrats in 1973 when the democrats controlled the House and the Senate—and you had Richard Nixon as President.
AMY GOODMAN: He had won by a landslide victory in 1972.
ELIZABETH HOLTZMAN: Correct. He had won by a landslide and impeachment was off the table then. Nobody, -- no democrat was pushing for it. And in fact, as the revelations came out, it still wasn't on the table. It took the American people after the Saturday night massacre sending a clear message to --
AMY GOODMAN: The Saturday night massacre being?
ELIZABETH HOLTZMAN: The firing by Richard Nixon of the special prosecutor who was investigating him. It took that clear signal from the American people who said enough is enough. We are not a banana republic, a president cannot be above the law, he can't stop an investigation into possible criminal behavior by him or his top aides. And we want Congress to hold him accountable. So it came from the American people. It didn't come from the congress. It’s -- understandable that congressional leaders, members of congress will be very reluctant to take this enormous step to protect our constitution and our democracy. But the American people still, -- we have a democracy, you saw what happened at the polls, members of Congress will get it if the American people want it.
JUAN GONZALEZ: Of course, in the – in the Clinton scandal it wasn’t a demand that came from the American people for impeachment it was one that came directly from the Congress itself –-
ELIZABETH HOLTZMAN: Correct.
JUAN GONZALEZ: and, of course, that was the level of alleged crimes there was certainly not at the level that we're talking about here.
ELIZABETH HOLTZMAN: Well, remember, under the constitution, first of all you don't need a crime to commit an impeachable offense it doesn't have to be a crime. A high crime and misdemeanor – is really an archaic British term that means an abuse of power. It’s a political offense, not a criminal offense. -–Um-- President Clinton did very bad things, but they were not abuses of power. They did not threaten our democracy and the American people got it. They understand what impeachment is about. They --and that's why they in the end supported the impeachment of Richard Nixon. Because what he was doing was an abuse-- involved an abuse of power, what he was saying was that he was above the law and the American people said, no, we don't want that kind of -- abuse of our democracy. I think the same thing can happen again. Of course you can't have a top down impeachment. You can't have a partisan impeachment. If an impeachment happens it has to be done, -- I think the way we did it in Watergate, which was bipartisan, to include the American people, to be um – to have a process that was extremely fair, nobody could question the fairness of it--
Continued at Democracy Now!!!!!
Full MSNBC Survey Numbers
Full Democracy Now Must Read Transcript
New MSNBC Live Survey: 87% Think Bush Should Be Impeached...
In addition, a recent Newsweek poll found 51 percent of all Americans - including 20 percent of Republicans - feel impeachment should be on the table.
This morning Democracy Now with Amy Goodman had a great must read interview with Elizabeth Holtzman and Daniel Ellsberg. Here’s a taste of that:
There is support for impeachment in the House. Over three dozen Democrats in Congress have publicly supported an inquiry into possible impeachable offenses by the Bush administration. The list includes John Conyers of Michigan who is positioned to become chair of the House Judiciary Committee.
To talk more about impeachment, the mid-term elections and the war in Iraq, we are joined by two guests: Elizabeth Holtzman and Daniel Ellsberg.
* Elizabeth Holtzman, served four terms in Congress, where she played a key role in House impeachment proceedings against President Richard Nixon. She is co-author of the new book "The Impeachment of George W. Bush: A Practical Guide for Concerned Citizens." She will be speaking in Philadelphia on Saturday at the pro-impeachment rally.
* Daniel Ellsberg, may be the country's best known whistleblower. He leaked to the press the Pentagon Papers, the 7,000 page top-secret study of U.S. decision making in Vietnam. This set in motion actions that would eventually topple the Nixon presidency. He recently published an article in Harpers magazine about Iran. It is called "The Next War."
AMY GOODMAN: Nancy Pelosi who is set to become House Speaker was asked about it on Wednesday during her first press conference since the mid-term election.
REP. NANCY PELOSI: Democrats are not about getting even. Democrats are about helping the American people get ahead. And that's what our agenda is about. So while some people -- are excited about prospects that -- that they have in terms of their priorities, they're not our priorities. I have said and I say again that impeachment is off the table.
AMY GOODMAN: There is support for impeachment in the house over the three -- over three dozen democrats in congress have publicly supported an inquiry into possible impeachable offenses by the Bush Administration, the list includes: John Conyers of Michigan, positioned to become Chair of the House Judiciary Committee. To talk more about impeachment, the mid-term elections, and the war in Iraq we are joined by two guests, Elizabeth Holtzman and Daniel Ellsberg. Elizabeth Holtzman served four terms in Congress, where she played a key role in House impeachment process against President Richard Nixon. She is co-author of the new book The Impeachment of George W. Bush: A Practical Guide for Concerned Citizens. Welcome to Democracy Now! You’re going to be speaking at a pro-impeachment rally on Saturday in Philadelphia?
ELIZABETH HOLTZMAN: Correct. -- In an effort to try to bring, -- to create a grassroots movement around the country and press Congress to do what should be done.
AMY GOODMAN: What’s your response to the Speaker in waiting, Nancy Pelosi saying it’s off the table?
ELIZABETH HOLTZMAN: Well it’s very understandable. It was off the table to the democrats in 1973 when the democrats controlled the House and the Senate—and you had Richard Nixon as President.
AMY GOODMAN: He had won by a landslide victory in 1972.
ELIZABETH HOLTZMAN: Correct. He had won by a landslide and impeachment was off the table then. Nobody, -- no democrat was pushing for it. And in fact, as the revelations came out, it still wasn't on the table. It took the American people after the Saturday night massacre sending a clear message to --
AMY GOODMAN: The Saturday night massacre being?
ELIZABETH HOLTZMAN: The firing by Richard Nixon of the special prosecutor who was investigating him. It took that clear signal from the American people who said enough is enough. We are not a banana republic, a president cannot be above the law, he can't stop an investigation into possible criminal behavior by him or his top aides. And we want Congress to hold him accountable. So it came from the American people. It didn't come from the congress. It’s -- understandable that congressional leaders, members of congress will be very reluctant to take this enormous step to protect our constitution and our democracy. But the American people still, -- we have a democracy, you saw what happened at the polls, members of Congress will get it if the American people want it.
JUAN GONZALEZ: Of course, in the – in the Clinton scandal it wasn’t a demand that came from the American people for impeachment it was one that came directly from the Congress itself –-
ELIZABETH HOLTZMAN: Correct.
JUAN GONZALEZ: and, of course, that was the level of alleged crimes there was certainly not at the level that we're talking about here.
ELIZABETH HOLTZMAN: Well, remember, under the constitution, first of all you don't need a crime to commit an impeachable offense it doesn't have to be a crime. A high crime and misdemeanor – is really an archaic British term that means an abuse of power. It’s a political offense, not a criminal offense. -–Um-- President Clinton did very bad things, but they were not abuses of power. They did not threaten our democracy and the American people got it. They understand what impeachment is about. They --and that's why they in the end supported the impeachment of Richard Nixon. Because what he was doing was an abuse-- involved an abuse of power, what he was saying was that he was above the law and the American people said, no, we don't want that kind of -- abuse of our democracy. I think the same thing can happen again. Of course you can't have a top down impeachment. You can't have a partisan impeachment. If an impeachment happens it has to be done, -- I think the way we did it in Watergate, which was bipartisan, to include the American people, to be um – to have a process that was extremely fair, nobody could question the fairness of it--
Continued at Democracy Now!!!!!
Full MSNBC Survey Numbers
Full Democracy Now Must Read Transcript
