Peace Movement: Bush's Latest Signing Statement Is Grounds for Impeachment

[davidswanson]

United for Peace and Justice
www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
P.O. Box 607, Times Square Station; New York, NY 10108

New York, NY -- United for Peace and Justice, the country's largest anti-war coalition with over 1400 member groups, condemns President Bush's continued arrogant and unconstitutional use of signing statements.

On Monday, Jan. 25, 2008, President Bush released a signing statement claiming the right to violate four sections of H.R. 4986, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, which he had just signed into law. These four sections: 841, 846, 1079, and 1222, Bush announced, would be "construed" in a manner "consistent with the constitutional authority of the President."

Among the measures Bush's latest signing statement declares the right to violate are: the establishment of a commission to investigate U.S. contractor fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan, the expansion of whistleblower protections, a requirement that U.S. intelligence agencies respond to congressional requests for documents, a ban on funding permanent bases in Iraq, and a ban on funding any actions that exercise U.S. control over Iraq's oil money.

Over the past seven years, the same language used by Bush on Monday, usually attributed to Vice President Cheney's Chief of Staff David Addington, has been the precursor to numerous violations of law by his administration, including sections of law banning the use of torture and banning the use of funds to construct permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq. The president has signed laws blocking funding for the construction of permanent bases in Iraq six times, but never stopped the construction.

In January 2007, the House Judiciary Committee held hearings on Bush's use of signing statements at which Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Elwood claimed that the president is free to violate any laws until the Supreme Court rules otherwise. Following this hearing, the Government Accountability Office studied a small sample of Bush's signing statements and found that in a significant percentage of cases his administration was, in fact, violating the sections of law he had claimed the right to "interpret."

The U.S. Constitution requires that the president "take care that the laws be faithfully executed." Article I, Section 7, says that:

"every bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a law, be presented to the President of the United States; if he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the objections at large on their journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a law."

"The rule of law established by the Constitution has been undermind in an almost unnoticed revolution," said Leslie Cagan, National Coordinator of United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ). "The Constitution allows the president to veto bills or sign and enforce them, not to rewrite them or to disobey them. The same document that gives the Congress the power to make every law, gives it the sole power to raise and spend money, and the sole power to declare war. The people's representatives in Congress are losing all of these powers through their failure to act on the remedy provided for precisely this situation: impeachment."

According to the U.S. State Department, 65% of Iraqis favor a withdrawal of U.S. troops. In fact, neither the Iraqi people nor the people of this country have ever supported a permanent U.S. presence in Iraq, and the U.S. Congress has never approved one.

"The sooner all the troops and military contractors are home," said Cagan, "the sooner rebuilding can begin for the Iraqi nation and for our democracy."

UFPJ is urging its members to speak with the media about this matter and to phone the House Judiciary Committee at 202-225-3951 to request that it begin impeachment hearings.

President Bush's latest signing statement:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/01/20080128-10.html

Government Accountability Office Report:
http://www.gao.gov/decisions/appro/308603.pdf

Database of Bush Signing Statements:
http://acslaw.org/node/5309

Report on January House Judiciary Committee Hearings:
http://afterdowningstreet.org/signing

State Department Iraq Poll:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/26/AR2006092601721_pf.html

###

UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
To subscribe, visit www.unitedforpeace.org/email

[balantz]

1. Sorry if this Edwards supporter sounds cynical today,

and I FULLY admire all of the hard work done on this front, but nobody is going to impeach the cabal. It's been written in stone.

[Tom Joad]

3. sadly, people like Edwards would never say anything about impeachment.

nor would obama. or hillary. or mccain.
None of these people care about the rule of law.

[balantz]

4. Edwards hinted at it in my opinion.

He already had the cards stacked against him with all his talk of fighting the corporations to stir this pot. Look what that talk did for Kucinich.

This is clearly a job that should have been taken up by the congress we elected for that purpose. They haven't done squat! (excepting the few rare patriots who remain in congress to fight for us).

[Tom Joad]

10. Congress is not going to be moved by people who drop "hints"

Now that he is out of the race... what is holding him back?

[balantz]

11. We'll see. Give him a couple of days.

I do have confidence that he will work hard for his causes, whether or not he takes up this one.

[Tom Joad]

12. I would be happy if opposes all future funding

and supports full and unconditional withdrawal of all US troops and mercenaries in Iraq.

[balantz]

13. That would be great.

I hope to hear that from him too.

I hope he stays involved and speaks out and acts on a number of important issues.

[Tom Joad]

15. I think you expect too much from politicians

we need to force them to do the right thing.

[NikolaC]

32. Kucinich Did More Than Hint

He actually introduced articles of impeachment against Cheney and was also going to do so against Bush, but the Judiciary Committee basically got their way in quashing both. I hope that there will be a change, but it does not look good with the limited time left to impeach both criminals.

[Tom Joad]

2. Congress will not address these things. This criminal congress couldn't care less.

[frog92969]

5. Throw the bums out!

Into a busy street.:evilgrin:

If we stay silent we're as complicit as our criminal Congress, that's the flip side of democracy.
You can't make them listen, but you can make them hear you.

[Independent_Liberal]

17. I for one am not staying silent.

There are those around here who chose to remain cynical and say that our efforts are futile. Don't listen to them. We can and we will win this fight.

[donkeyotay]

6. Just when I think I'm too exhausted by the outrageous to give a damn anymore

this sorry excuse for a president does something else impeachable. I despise what he has done to our country. And here's a clue to the dems: your miserable approval rating is because 100% of the repos hate you, and 70% of the dems. That leaves only those paying absolutely no attention giving you a thumbs up. You had a constitutional duty to protect our country from this fraudulent fratboy gangster, and you didn't even try. That's one reason the dems take as much heat for bush as the repos do. They, unlike you, will put a hurtin on you if you cross them. The dems deserve their reputation for being jelly fish. We knew bush, the repo party and their knuckledragging base would do and say anything, and thus no restraint could be expected. But your aiding and abetting was unexpected, a betrayal that hurts.


"The rule of law established by the Constitution has been undermined in an almost unnoticed revolution," said Leslie Cagan, National Coordinator of United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ). "The Constitution allows the president to veto bills or sign and enforce them, not to rewrite them or to disobey them. The same document that gives the Congress the power to make every law, gives it the sole power to raise and spend money, and the sole power to declare war. The people's representatives in Congress are losing all of these powers through their failure to act on the remedy provided for precisely this situation: impeachment."

[petepillow]

7. Congress wouldn't impeach even if Cheney/Bush

shot us ALL in the face.

[Independent_Liberal]

19. I know. I've heard that repeated over and over. It's getting old in my opinion.

It's okay to joke about something every once in a while. Just don't overdue it.

[EFerrari]

8. The law is immaterial when your government is above the law. n/t

[mikelgb]

9. so is everything else, but we much employ our positive vetoed agenda

Pass the Valium

[Hissyspit]

14. .

[rambler_american]

16. Grounds for impeachment?

BFD
There's enough grounds for impeachment to bury this administration for all eternity but it's never gonna happen. And no, I don't know why other than the Dem leaders apparently either don't have the balls for it or the administration has naked pictures of Pelosi with a herd of billy goats.

How many of you think the Repugs would let any Dem stay in office if he/she shoplifted a stick of gum from a 7/11 much less killed over a million people in a bogus war, bankrupted the treasury, trashed the Constitution.... oh wait, any Dem that did those things would be asked enthusiastically to join the republican party and stay in office.

God I despise those people.

[Independent_Liberal]

18. That's right. Keep being cynical.

Keep saying it's never gonna happen. As I say above, I'm not going to remain silent and complicit. I don't care what it takes, I'll fight to the bitter end. I at least want to be remembered as somebody who stood up to fight. I don't want to be remembered like a "Good German" who rolled over.

[rambler_american]

24. I have not stopped working for impeachment.

I have written my Congressman several times, have signed petitions, made contributions to groups working for impeachment. I won't give up, but I am angry at the spineless Dems who will not do their Constitutional duty. I'm not a "good German" either.

[damntexdem]

20. Actually, the signing statement is not of itself grounds for impeachment.

What is grounds would be violating the law. The importance of the signing statement:
1) evidence of intent to violate the law -- establish premeditation;
2) clue to where to look for legal violations.

[merh]

26. .

Each president recites the following oath, in accordance with Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

[Senator]

34. Actually, as a "high misdemeanor" it is.

Because no law violation is necessary for impeachment. The evidence of "intent" is sufficient -- as impeachment is a protective action. It does not "punish" for previous bad acts per se. Rather it removes an official who Congress deems likely to (continue to) abuse the power of office.

Though with so many other previous impeachable offenses on the public record, this specific instance is hardly necessary. Still, as a catalyst for continuing the impeachment campaign it serves a purpose.

----

[paparush]

21. In the United States of America, Bush and Cheney Would be Impeached

We are no longer living in that country.

[tavalon]

22. Wow! Our first impeachable offense!

Not.

Sorry, I have impeachment fatigue because there have been so many, really, really impeachable offenses and yet the Vichy Dems have no stomach for it. So, I don't see this making one damn bit of difference. I don't even think the live boy or dead girl, killed or fucked on live TV, would get those bastards impeached. It might get a resolution asking the President and VP to stop killing and fucking on live TV. That being a variation of the Rumsfeld doctrine - that it isn't the crime that's the problem, it's the film documentation of the crime that is the problem.

[grannylib]

23. And will our representatives grow a set and DO ANYTHING

about this? It's been a bad habit of the Unelected Imbecile for so damn long now, and he keeps on getting away with more and more egregious violations of the very document he swore an oath to preserve, protect and defend, when he himself and Cheney the DICK are themselves the greatest domestic threat to our Constitution our nation has ever known.
It makes me SICK but despite the continued shitting on the Constitution by these liars, killers, whores and thieves, Congress does NOTHING.

Chimpy and Cheney should be INDICTED and all the members of the House and Senate who have let this happen, should themselves be impeached.

Dereliction of duty all the way around, if you ask me...but it matters not one whit what We the People think; Corporate 'Murka does not belong to us.

[Joanne98]

25. All the seven sins included!

Among the measures Bush's latest signing statement declares the right to violate are: the establishment of a commission to investigate U.S. contractor fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan, the expansion of whistleblower protections, a requirement that U.S. intelligence agencies respond to congressional requests for documents, a ban on funding permanent bases in Iraq, and a ban on funding any actions that exercise U.S. control over Iraq's oil money.

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

27. Maybe he's "impeachment ready"?

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_7779.shtml

"Mr. President," one aide in the meeting said. "There is a valid case that the provisions in this law undermine the Constitution."

"Stop throwing the Constitution in my face," Bush screamed back. "It's just a goddamned piece of paper!"


President Bush Delivers State of the Union Address
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/01/print/20080128-13.html


On matters of justice, we must trust in the wisdom of our founders and empower judges who understand that the Constitution means what it says.

[McCamy Taylor]

28. The only way to convince the American people that this is not a "bipartisan war" get off the fence

and go ahead and impeach these criminals. Start with Cheney first.

The GOP plans to campaign against the Democrats this fall by claiming that the Democrats are just as much to blame for this war as the Republicans. They will cite as evidence statements made by people like Kucinich and Obama (if he isn't the nominee) and Cindy Sheehan.

The only way to avert 1968 and 1972 when the Democratic base stayed home and left the Democratic Party high and dry because they considered the war a "Democratic War" is to stop being scared of the political fallout of impeachment and do what it right.

What kind of fallout will there be? Only the 25% base that is going to vote GOP will get mad. The rest hate Cheney. And the 60-70% who hate this war will be glad to see something done.

If impeachment is started, there is a very real chance that Cheney will have to allow troops to start coming home to protect himself. He is up to his ass in criminal activity with Halliburton and no bid contracts. He does not want that exposed.

We can get progress in Iraq NOW and take a stand.

To do it we must impeach, and we must start with the real power in the White House, Dick Cheney not his puppet W.

[defendandprotect]

29. It's the responsibility of Congress to ensure that the legislation it passes into law . ..

is carried out with the intent and spirit with which it was passed . . .

[OneBlueSky]

30. well, they seem to not be aware of that . . .

Bush has been issuing these presidential signing statements for years, essentially telling Congress which aspects of the laws they passed he intends to circumvent or ignore . . . and what have they done about it? . . . not a damned thing . . . and they won't do anything about this one either . . .

the worst aspect of Congress' inaction is that they are, by default, allowing these signing statements to become institutionalized as part of our system of government . . . every president from now on will feel justified in issuing similar statements about laws that he or she doesn't like, and cite Bush's four years of uncontested signing statements as precedent . . .

in my book, Congress should be impeached right along with the entire BushCo enterprise . . .

[defendandprotect]

33. Right -- !! And he could be impeached for any one of them --- !!!

Our problem isn't with a lack of impeachable offenses by this administration,
our problems are with an elitist Democratic leadership which is more interested
in negotiating and/or compromising with Bush and the neo-cons than doing their
duty --- which I presume also causes some fear in their hearts since this is
obviously involving parts of our Pentagon/military ---

What's new --- they were obviously also involved in the coup on JFK ---

[Senator]

31. Good News. Everyone Should Follow UPJ's Lead

It's time to stop being "anti-war" and start being "pro-impeachment."

(No, you can't ride two horses with the same behind.)

What do I mean by everyone? (everyone.wav)


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