Day: November 8, 2007

Cheney Impeachment Sent to Judiciary Committee

Jon Ponder

There’s buzz in the Capitol about the sudden and surprising progress this week in the movement to impeach Cheney and Bush. After months of delays, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) was finally able to send his impeachment bill against Cheney to the floor.

One theory has it that the Democratic leaders prefer keeping Bush and Cheney around as constant reminders of Republican incompetence, arrogance and sleaze.

Now the bill is before the Judiciary Committee, whose chairman, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich) is known to be sympathetic to impeaching both Cheney and Pres. Bush — even while Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a San Francisco Democrat, remains adamantly opposed.

Here’s a recap of the parliamentary maneuvering that moved Kucinich’s bill off the House floor and into Judiciary:

[The] behind-the-scenes partisan maneuvering that preceded that vote was arcane indeed, with Kucinich first exercising a member’s privilege motion to present his stymied impeachment bill to the full House, only to have Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrange for a colleague (Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland) offer a motion to table it. The Republicans, anxious to embarrass the Speaker, threw a wrench into that plan, though, by voting as a bloc to oppose tabling.

Since Kucinich already has 22 co-sponsors for his bill, it was clear that the tabling gambit would fail. As soon as that became apparent, rank-and-file Democrats, unwilling to be seen by their constituents as defending Cheney, rushed to change their votes to opposing the tabling motion. In the end, tabling failed by 242 to 170 with 77 Democrats supporting a pleasantly surprised Kucinich.

In order to avoid a floor debate on the merits of impeaching the eminently impeachable Vice President Cheney, Pelosi and her allies then moved to send Kucinich’s bill directly to the Judiciary Committee. They were joined by three Republicans, including maverick Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul (R-Texas).

It is mystifying that Pelosi insists on keeping impeachment off the table. She apparently believes it would be a distraction. Another theory has it that the Democratic leaders prefer keeping Bush and Cheney around as constant reminders of Republican incompetence, arrogance and sleaze.

Rightwing Religious Militias in Iraq Target Gays for Assassination

Pensito Editors

Leaders of Iraqi LGBT report that fundamentalist Shia militias in Iraq are tracking down and killing gay people.

Apparently life for Iraqi gays was better under a brutal secular dictator than it is today with armed rightwing religious fanatics roaming the streets.

The group’s founder, Ali Hili, says two Iraqi LGBT members were killed inside a safe house they operated in Najaf earlier this year. A young boy the two women had rescued from the sex industry was also murdered.

Iraqi LGBT has been operating five safe houses for gay people but says it has closed three of them due to lack of funding. Now the lives of the people forced out of the shelters are in danger,say Ali Hili:

Over 30 gay residents who we cared for in these three safe houses now have to take their chances in a country where religious militia regularly seek out gays and execute them. We feel deserted by the international gay community. Few people seem to care about our fate,

One member of the group said,”Nowadays, we don’t dare be seen in the neighbourhoods where we used to live. It is too dangerous for anyone known to be gay or to have had a homosexual past.”

Interestingly, Ali Hili blames the U.S. and British invasion and occupation for setting loose the homophobic killing spree:

Their armies invaded and occupied our land, destroyed the infrastructure of government, and created the chaos and lawlessness that has allowed religious fundamentalism to flourish and to terrorise woman and gay people.

Violence against gays has intensified sharply since late 2005, when Iraq’s leading Shiite Muslim cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, issued a fatwa, or religious decree, which declared that gays and lesbians should be ‘killed in the worst, most severe way possible’.

Since then, LGBT people have been specifically targeted by the Madhi Army, the militia of fundamentalist Shia cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, as well as by the Badr organisation and other Shia death squads. Badr is the military arm of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, which is one of the leading political forces in Baghdad’s

Apparently life for Iraqi gays was better under a brutal secular dictator than it is today with armed rightwing religious fanatics roaming the streets.

For information on making a donation to keep the safe houses open, visit the Iraqi LGBT website.

Congress Overrides Bush Veto of Water Bill

Jon Ponder

Turns it there really is a first time for everything:

The Senate today voted overwhelmingly to override President Bush’s veto of a popular $23-billion water bill, marking the first override of a Bush veto.

The bipartisan, 79-14 vote, following a House vote earlier in the week to override the veto, means the bill authorizing water projects becomes law over the president’s objections.

Thirty-four Republicans joined 43 Democrats and two independents in rejecting Bush’s assertion that the bill was fiscally irresponsible and voting for the override — a reflection of their determination to preserve politically important projects for their states. Twelve Republicans and two Democrats voted no.

Trish suggested earlier this week that this veto override could signal a change in the wind for Bush’s political fortunes:

I’m betting that once it gets started, Congress will keep right on ripping… I think Bush miscalculated. He’s teasing the dog that’s always been tied to the tree one too many times. When the rope breaks and Congress gets a taste of blood — remembering what it feels like to be an equal participant in the governing process — who knows where it will stop?

We can only hope.

Robertson is Crazy to Endorse Giuliani — No, He’s Just Crazy

Buck Banks

Following his endorsement of Rudy Giuliani for prez yesterday, let’s review some other non-lucid moments in the life of Christian Right mouthpiece Pat Robertson:

December 2004 — He explained why gay marriage is wrong:

That’s what marriage is about and it is about nothing else. It has nothing to do with these hedonists, self-absorbed hedonists, if you will, that want to impose their particular sexuality on the rest of America. They don’t need marriage because marriage was the protection of men and women, male and female, for the bringing forth of children. That’s what it’s about, nothing else, bottom line. And if America goes the other way we will be flying directly in the face of the clear word of the Bible.

August 2004 — He warned Disney World about God’s vengeance for hosting Gay Days and hanging rainbow flags:

I don’t think I’d be waving those flags in God’s face if I were you. … [A] condition like this will bring about the destruction of your nation. It’ll bring about terrorist bombs, it’ll bring earthquakes, tornadoes and possibly a meteor.

August 2005 — He calls for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez:

You know, I don’t know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we’re trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it. It’s a whole lot cheaper than starting a war. And I don’t think any oil shipments will stop. But this man is a terrific danger and the United … This is in our sphere of influence, so we can’t let this happen. We have the Monroe Doctrine, we have other doctrines that we have announced. And without question, this is a dangerous enemy to our south, controlling a huge pool of oil, that could hurt us very badly. We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. We don’t need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator. It’s a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with.

November 2005 — He flat-out lies about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s positions on several issues:

But look at Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The stuff that she believed in was absolutely outlandish, you know, polygamy, legalized prostitution, legalized — the age of consent dropped to 12. And on and on. And the Republican Senate confirmed her almost unanimously.

January 2006— He credits God for the death of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and for the stroke of Ariel Sharon:

I have said last year that Israel was entering into the most dangerous period of its entire existence as a nation. That is intensifying this year with the loss of Sharon. Sharon was personally a very likeable person. I am sad to see him in this condition. But I think we need to look at the Bible and the Book of Joel. The prophet Joel makes it very clear that God has enmity against those who, quote, “divide my land.” God considers this land to be his. You read the Bible, he says, “This is my land.” And for any prime minister of Israel who decides he going carve it up and give it away, God says, “No. This is mine.” And the same thing — I had a wonderful meeting with Yitzhak Rabin in 1974. He was tragically assassinated, and it was terrible thing that happened, but nevertheless, he was dead. And now Ariel Sharon, who was again a very likeable person, a delightful person to be with. I prayed with him personally. But here he is at the point of death. He was dividing God’s land, and I would say woe unto any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the EU, the United Nations or United States of America. God said, “This land belongs to me, you better leave it alone.”

May 2006 — Robertson gives a theological exegesis on Islam:

Who ever heard of such a bloody, bloody, brutal type of religion? But that’s what it is. It is not a religion of peace. Islam means submission. Submission to the Quran, to Muhammad, to the quote, “will of Allah, as revealed by Muhammad.” And the penalty of not submitting is death. A penalty of leaving, in many of these countries, as [700 Club correspondent] Erick Stakelbeck has so eloquently shown, is also death.

Seems to me that for Rudy to accept an endorsement from this madman is simply crazy. Like a fox. We’ll see if Robertson’s endorsement makes the knuckle-dragging Bible-thumpers forget about Giuliani’s three marriages and his pro-gay, pro-choice political positions and vote for the former mayor of New York.

Quotes courtesy of Media Matters, which wisely monitors Robertson’s demented yammerings on his 700 Club television show.

UPDATE: Jon shared his favorite instance of Robertson’s incredibly fallible weather forecasting — he said Disney World would get smacked by a hurricane, but it was his sorry ass instead that felt the brunt of Hurricane Bonnie. Check out Jon’s post here.

House Judiciary Issues Contempt Citations against Miers, Bolten

Jon Ponder

Citations Could Be Voted on By Full House before Thanksgiving

Last summer, Bush flunkies Josh Bolten, the White House Chief of Staff, and Harriet Miers, Bush’s former lawyer, secretary and erstwhile Supreme Court nominee, failed to show up to testify before the House Judiciary Committee about Bush’s firing of eight U.S. attorneys for political reasons in 2006.

Finally, on Monday, the Judiciary Committee answered the affront:

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) filed a contempt citation against the White House with the House clerk Monday in a last-ditch effort to cajole testimony from chief of staff Josh Bolten and former legal counsel Harriet Miers relating to the firing of several U.S. attorneys last year. If Democrats decide to take up the measure and it passes — two actions that are anything but certain — a constitutional clash would ensue over separation-of-powers issues.

Sources in the capitol say Bush’s former brain Karl Rove is also in the committee’s crosshairs.

Contempt of Congress is a federal misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum $100,000 fine and a maximum one-year sentence in federal prison.

The problem, of course, is that if the House votes to issue the citations, it would fall to a loyal Republican, Jeffrey A. Taylor, the interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, to enforce them. Taylor was appointed by former Attorney Gen. Alberto Gonzales, and because he was appointed on an interim basis, confirmation by the Senate. (And, because of an amendment to the Patriot Act, which he helped draft as a Senate staffer, interim appointees have term limit. Nice trick, that one.)

The law compels Taylor to “bring the matter before a grand jury for its action,” but since this is unlikely, the Congress does have another option: Miers, Bolten and Rove could be thrown in long-unused jail cells in the basement of the capitol.

Conyers has said the vote by the full House on the contempt citations could be held before Thanksgiving.