Kucinich To The Democratic Leadership: "WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR SHOULD BE THE QUESTION"

[kpete]

Friday, November 9th, 2007
Rep. Dennis Kucinich: Effort to Impeach Vice President Cheney Still Alive

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(I transcribed his remarks as carefully as possible - but please listen to this great interview, kpete)

Congress member Dennis Kucinich of Ohio introduced the measure. He joins me now from Washington.

KUCINICH: Certainly Bush has to be held accountable.

Appropriate that VP be held accountable first, so you do not create a condition where you remove the
president first & then Cheney becomes his successor


Democratic Leadership is indefensible.

I think that the American people's response is becoming more and more powerful.

People want to see this administration held accountable.

The war was based on lies.

Lives lost, money spent.

Domestic agenda being capsized.

Another war against Iran - with similar lies.

Our country is at risk.


Time for Democratic Leaders to take a stand.

WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR - SHOULD BE THE QUESTION!!!

Since when does it become unfashionable to stand up for the Constitution?

To stand up for our nations laws, international law, moral law

Since when does it become inconvenient to take a stand that would help secure our democracy once again

It is all at risk right now

CONGRESS CAN NOT STAND BY AND LET THIS ADMINISTRATION CONTINUE TO UNDERMINE OUR CONSTITUTION.


Re: Conyers, Kucunich says: "Conyers wants to do the right thing."

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/11/09/1455244

[Benhurst]

1. Thanks, Kpete.

Recommended :kick: #2

[Freddie Stubbs]

2. Democratic Leadership? What about the Democratic majority?

The Democratic majority voted to send the impeachment bill back to committee.

[hootinholler]

6. Do you think that there wasn't arm-twisting going on there?

Pelosi has Conyers on a leash, and if she can do that ...

-Hoot

[bdamomma]

3. thanks kpete, it is all up to us, to keep pushing and pushing

and help Dennis with this.

[Bitwit1234]

4. I have come to the conclusion

the democrats in office don't want to rock the boat. They think if they straddle the fence they'll not cause conterversary and will get elected. THAT AIN'T THE CASE FOLKS...you are going to be in the running to get re-elected if you don't get off your ass and do what you were elected for.

[lonestarnot]

10. They just don't seem to understand that fighting WORKS!

Especially as an elected American fighting for the Constitution who wants to be re-elected. Go figure.

[tomp]

11. no!

it's that they don't want what we want, they want what bush wants. it's that fundamental.

[magellan]

12. I think you're right

After learning how the Mukasey vote went down, it's difficult not to wonder if, instead of cowards, they're actually traitors who've sold this country out as surely and willingly as the Republicans.

[kelligesq]

14. This quote says it all: from a book by Arthur Silber

"This is where we've come: two criminal gangs run the
United States from Washington. Neither of them understands the
supreme and sacred value of an individual human life. Neither
understands any matter of principle relating to liberty or
peace. Both of them are intent upon power, no matter how many
innocent people must die, and regardless of how many countries
must be destroyed, including our own."

[caseycoon]

5. Thanks Kpete!

Dennis is SO right!

Happy to give rec #5!

[BornagainDUer]

7. K&R! Keep pounding this single issue Dennis!

[eridani]

8. Transcript

We have to hold politicians accountable because they are selling us out,'' Ratzenberger said.

http://www.democracynow.org/print.pl?sid=07/11/09/1455244

JUAN GONZALEZ: What do you say to those who will argue that even though they may agree with you on a lot of your concerns, that the impeachment process itself would drag out for so long that it may as well -- people should just move forward toward the elections and elect a new president?

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH: Right, well, you think about that. You know, the administration will be in office for at least fourteen more months. They can cause a lot of damage in that time. They’re planning to attack Iran. When you think about the defense authorization budget including a provision that would retrofit Stealth B-2 bombers so they can carry 30,000-pound bombs, which would then be dropped on nuclear research labs, creating an humanitarian and ecological disaster, “What are we waiting for?” is the question, not “Why don’t we wait for the election?”

AMY GOODMAN: The other argument that the leadership has used is that they’re concerned about losing in a landslide vote against them, that that is bad strategically, Congressman Kucinich.

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH: Since when does it become unfashionable to stand up for the Constitution, to stand up for our nation's laws, to stand up for international law, to stand up for moral law? Since when does it become inconvenient to take a stand that would help secure our democracy once again? I mean, we’re really -- it’s all at risk right now, and it’s time that the Democratic leadership exerted an effective influence. As a coequal branch of government, Congress cannot stand by and let this administration continue to undermine our Constitution. That’s why I introduced those articles of impeachment.

AMY GOODMAN: What happens now? Is it over?

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH: Not at all. I mean, Representative Wexler, who’s a member of the committee, sent a note to the members of the committee two days ago saying that we ought to proceed with hearings. Members have been talking to John Conyers on a regular basis since the impeachment resolution was introduced, asking him to take this up, and I’m hopeful that he will.

AMY GOODMAN: Do you feel Conyers has changed his position from, when he was in the minority, calling for impeachment, and then, when he became head of the House Judiciary Committee, stepping back with pressure from the House leadership?

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH: I think John Conyers wants to do the right thing, and I’m hopeful that he will.

JUAN GONZALEZ: Congressman, I’d like to ask you, on another matter, a vote this week in Congress over the Peru free trade bill. Many Democrats supported the administration position on this. You’ve been outspoken in your opposition to many of these free trade agreements. Your perspective on this vote?

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH: It’s a disaster for the people of Peru. It’s a disaster for farmers whose land is being poisoned by gold mining and the cyanide that’s used in that process. And American workers have absolutely no protection about jobs being moved out of this country. It’s basically a modeling of NAFTA sent to Peru. This is really a continuation of the stripping of rights of peoples of both nations. And a reason why NAFTA has to be canceled -- and I’ve said that I would do that as President -- that we must get out of the WTO -- I said that I would withdraw from the WTO -- and to have trade that is wholly and solely based on workers' rights, human rights and environmental quality principles. And it’s time that we recognize that this whole trade model has been about nothing but a race to the bottom for workers. It’s time we stood up for workers, no matter if they’re in Peru or anywhere else in the world, but certainly in the United States. We should have some concern about what the effect of these trade agreements are on American workers.

[mmonk]

9. The only answer that works is some democrats high up in power

have dirty laundry they don't want to risk being aired. It's the only answer that makes sense.

[kelligesq]

13. Not invited to one cable or msm news show or on Sunday - we need to be callling up

the newspapers WaPo, La Times, NY Times, cbs, nbc, 
russert, etc etc and asking why they are not having Kucinich
on for an interview after he made the biggest news of the week
about the proposed impeachment hearings of Cheney the same day
as the vote for Mukasey.

Again , enough phone calls and pressure should wake them up.

And by the way, not one peep out of move on in support of
Kucinich impeachment movement.  Are they 
DLC???