It's NOT Too Late and a Wager

It's NOT too late for impeachment, it's an imperative.  If you think it is too late for impeachment do you also think it is too late for the Constitution?  Here in New York we think impeachment is long overdue.  New Yorkers are actively lobbying House Judiciary Committee (HJC) members Rep. Anthony Weiner (NY CD-9) and Rep. Jerry Nadler (NY CD-8).  

One group met with Anthony Weiner's district director on Friday and asked him to convey their message to Weiner that he stated back in December that he would sign onto Wexler's letter to Conyers and they are still waiting for him to make good on his promise.  They hope to hear back in a few days and will keep you posted.

Another group has come together under the banner of AskNadler2Impeach.org to lobby Nadler to support impeachment.  AskNadler2Impeach.org is hosting a Town Hall Meeting/Impeachment Forum next Sunday, March 9th, from 4-6pm at Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South, NYC. to address the question Is Impeachment Necessary to Protect the Constitution?  

The Town Hall Meeting/Impeachment Forum will feature Constitutional scholar Bruce Fein, former Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman, Harper's contributor Scott Horton, and John Nirenberg, who walked 458 miles from Boston to DC to raise the question of impeachment with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, as speakers.  

Holtzman and Horton have written recently about torture under the Bush/Cheney administration, addressing how it establishes that impeachment is imperative and incumbent upon Congress.  Holtzman concludes her article Crimes in High Places about Mukasey's refusal to ensure that criminal law is enforced with regard to torture with the pronouncement:

Congress should not sit by. The attorney general must be requested by Congress to commence an investigation of the president and the top team, picking a special prosecutor to do so. I doubt that this will happen. What these events show is that the special prosecutor law must be reenacted by Congress, to avoid a repetition of this spectacle.

Criminal investigation and prosecution must commence under the next administration.

Impeachment must commence. This is the second approach. For too long the Congress has taken impeachment off the table, but the time has come to put it back on. Since impeachment doesn't require violation of federal criminal law, it will not matter that the War Crimes Act has been retroactively nullified. Congress can impeach for the abuse of power inherent in the president's knowing and deliberate effort to violate the War Crimes Act. Similarly, Congress can determine that water boarding is torture and impeach the president for holding himself above the law with respect to the anti-torture act.

Failure to act creates a culture of impunity around presidential misconduct of the most repugnant kind. It is imperative that those like President Bush who put themselves above the law be held accountable. That is the essence of what a democracy, in the end, is all about: the rule of law.

Horton is slightly more nuanced in How Hollywood Learned to Stop Worrying and to Love the (Ticking) Bomb.  In this article he does not directly address impeachment, although he has in the past.  Instead he talks about the role that the media is playing in shaping public perspective on torture. In taking a careful look at how torture is presented in the media, in particular, the Fox show "24", he posits:

the Administration has had tremendous impact on coverage of the issue. It was able to transform well-settled media views....

snip

....We should start with a frank question: has "24" been created with an overtly political agenda, namely, to create a more receptive public audience for the Bush Administration’s torture policies? I think the answer to that question is now very clear. The answer is "yes." In "Whatever It Takes," Jane Mayer has waded through the sheaf of contacts between the show’s producer, Joel Surnow, and Vice President Cheney and figures right around him. There is little ambiguity about this point, namely, if the torture system introduced after 9/11 can be traced back to a single person, it is Vice President Cheney. He pushed relentlessly for use of the tools of the "dark side," and he ruthlessly took out everyone who stood in his way. He also worked feverishly to disguise or cloak his intimate involvement in the entire process. I take it as a given that Surnow is working to develop public attitudes which are more accepting of torture; to overturn centuries-old prejudices against torture. He is a torture-enabler.

Undoubtedly Horton, Holtzman, and Fein will have more to say about this issue and others confronting us and our Constitution when they speak next Sunday.

And now for the Wager.  

Representative Nadler has also been invited to speak but has yet to respond to the invitation. We hope he will join the roster of speakers and share his insights as to why, even as the Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, he does not share the view of Fein, Holtzman, and Horton that impeachment hearings in the HJC are long overdue and should commence immediately. However, just a week away from the event, the most asked question about it is "Is Nadler coming?"  What's your wager?  The event is free, but where would you put your money - on Nadler coming or not?

This forum presents an excellent opportunity to learn more about impeachment and to bring a friend, neighbor, co-worker or family member who might benefit from hearing from the experts.  AskNadler2Impeach.org is pleased to be able to present these excellent speakers for free thanks to the generosity of individual contributors and support from the Village Independent Democrats, the Chelsea Reform Democratic Club, Democracy for NYC, and Progressive Democrats of New York CD 14 and CD 8.

Please help spread the word.  A pdf version of this notice, suitable for printing, can be downloaded at: asknadler2impeach.org.  Feel free one and all to post printed copies in your buildings and in stores around your neighborhood.  You can also link to AskNadler2Impeach.org in your emails where people can sign the petition and find out more about this group.  

For information call 212.340.9548 or email info at asknadler2impeach.org.

Most important, put the date on your calendar, and be sure to attend!  And, yep, for those outside of New York, it will be taped and possibly webcast.

AskNadler2Impeach.org has launched a website to host a petition asking Nadler to support Rep. Robert Wexler's call for impeachment hearings in the HJC.  Please go here to sign the petition.

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