George McGovern Calls for Impeachment

George McGovern, former South Dakota Senator is urging America to impeach the President George Bush  and Vice President Dick Cheney.  Writing in an op-ed for the Washington Post, McGovern states that he has “belatedly and painfully concluded that the only honorable course for me is to urge the impeachment [of the president and the vice president].”

While McGovern admits that there is little support to institute the impeachment hearings, he says “Bush and Cheney are clearly guilty of numerous impeachable offenses.”

Accusing Bush and Cheney of repeatedly violating the Constitution, McGovern says they have lied to Americans several times and their conduct and policies have placed global opinions on the US at an all time low.  “These are truly ‘high crimes and misdemeanors.’”

According to McGovern, the administration has single handedly “derailed” American democracy with it’s addiction to the “murderous, illegal nonsensical war against Iraq…done without the declaration of war from Congress that the Constitution clearly requires, in defiance of the UN Charter and in violation of international law.  This reckless disregard for life and property, as well as constitutional law, has ben accompanied by the abuse of prisoners, including systematic torture, in direct violation of the Geneva Conventions of 1949.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich presented a resolution, HR 333, in November, that called for the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney.  HR 333 passed and was submitted to the Judiciary Committee and has been there since.  Kucinich later stated that he would also request the impeachment of President George Bush.

House Speaker Pelosi has dismissed the idea of the resolutions stating that impeachment hearings would only take congress’ focus away from more important business.  Meanwhile, Republican Robert Wexler is asking for the hearings to begin immediately.

McGovern writes, “Impeachment is unlikely, of course, but we must still urge congress to act.  Impeachment, quite simply, is the procedure written into the Constitution to deal with presidents who violate the Constitution and the laws of the land.  It is also a way to signal to the American people and the world that some of us feel strongly enough about the present drift of our country to support the impeachment of the false prophets who have led us astray.”