PCH PRESS State's Impeachement Battle Moves Forward- Local News

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State's Impeachement Battle Moves Forward

By KRISS PERRAS
PCH Press
May 12, 2006 1:00 PM PST

SACRAMENTO - In a 4 to 3 Assembly Rules Committee vote, legislation calling for the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney was referred to the Committee for further consideration. While the vote is considered procedural in nature, this action enables the language on impeachment to be amended into Assembly Joint Resolution 39 (AJR 39), replacing the prior language, which had been unrelated to the impeachment topic.

"“It is great news that the resolution is moving forward,” said Koretz. “The American public is increasingly angry and concerned about the misdeeds and failures of the Bush administration. Just look at the current headline about how they approved the secret collection of phone records of millions of ordinary Americans. This is a horrific abuse of our civil liberties, yet it’s the kind of thing that seems to happen all the time under this administration. We need a leveling with the public, we need accountability, and we need dramatic change – and right now, the impeachment process seems to be the most appropriate way to achieve all three.”

The impeachment resolution references Section 603 of Jefferson’s Manual of the Rules of the United States House of Representatives. THis is a prior to little known rule that allows federal impeachment proceedings to be initiated by joint resolution of a state legislature.

The first legislative body to introduce such a resolution was in the state of Illinois. California was the second. And, other states that have started such efforts include Vermont, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Nevada and North Carolina.

The key reasons cited for impeachment include: 'the Bush Administration intentionally misleading the Congress and the American people regarding the threat from Iraq; exceeding constitutional authority to wage war by invading Iraq; exceeding constitutional authority by Federalizing the National Guard; conspiring to torture prisoners in violation of the “Federal Torture Act” and indicating intent to continue such actions; spying on American citizens in violation of the 1978 Foreign Agency Surveillance Act; leaking and covering up the leak of the identity of Valerie Plame Wilson, and holding American citizens without charge or trial.'"