Code Pink Fasts for Cheney's Impeachment

Code Pink Fasts for Cheney's Impeachment
Monisha Bansal | Crosswalk.com

Hundreds of anti-war protesters are on a hunger strike, trying to urge House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) to begin impeachment hearings against Vice President Dick Cheney.

"I'm really concerned that the Bush and Cheney administration have committed so many impeachable offenses," Leslie Angeline, a member of Code Pink told Cybercast News Service.

Angeline and her followers are urging the Judiciary Committee to take up articles of impeachment introduced by former presidential candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) in April. In November, Kucinich introduced a similar bill, but the Democratic leadership tabled the motion.

"The only way to move forward is to start impeachment hearings against Vice President Dick Cheney to hold him accountable, for the sake of the United States and for the sake of the world," Angeline said.

"I think for the reputation of the United States in the eyes of the world, we need to show that we'll hold our officials responsible and accountable for their actions," she added.

Angeline was fasting for 19 days on Friday. "I felt that I really needed to do something to show my commitment," she said. "I was willing to put my body on the line."

She met with Conyers on Feb. 15 and said he was sympathetic, but "it didn't seem like... he was ready to start impeachment hearings."

Angeline, however, noted that Congress is required to hold the proceedings. Listen to Audio

"I guess she learned this childish tactic from her kids," countered David Almasi, executive director of the conservative National Center for Public Policy Research.

"What's next? Holding her breath until her face turns blue? Lawmakers should not be intimidated into action by force, graft or inane publicity stunts," Almasi told Cybercast News Service.

"Congressional leaders said early on that impeachment was off the table and rightly so, as the facts prove President Bush and Vice President Cheney acted in good faith with the information they had at the time," Almasi said. "Leslie Angeline's hunger strike is never going to change that."

David Swanson, creator of ImpeachCheney.com, however, noted that there are nine or 10 members of the Judiciary Committee who want to take up the resolution.

Swanson told Cybercast News Service that they are targeting other Democratic members of the committee as well in an effort to influence Conyers. He said Conyers, like the rest of the Democratic leadership, does not want to hold impeachment hearings.

"They put election concerns ahead of everything else, and they believe that impeachment would hurt them in the coming elections," he said. "I think they are wrong on both points."

Make media inquiries or request an interview about this article.