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Campaign Launched to Demand Resolution of Inquiry
A coalition of veterans' groups, peace groups, and political activist groups announced a campaign today to urge that the U.S. Congress launch a formal investigation into whether President Bush has committed impeachable offenses in connection with the Iraq war. The campaign focuses on evidence that recently emerged in a British memo containing minutes of a secret July 2002 meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his top national security officials.
KEY DOCUMENTS
Downing Street Minutes
Bonifaz Memo to Conyers
RawStory Article
Bio of John Bonifaz
John Bonifaz, a Boston attorney specializing in constitutional litigation, sent a memo to Congressman John Conyers of Michigan, the Ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, urging him to introduce a Resolution of Inquiry directing the House Judiciary Committee to launch a formal investigation into whether sufficient grounds exist for the House to impeach President Bush.
Bonifaz's memo, made available today at www.AfterDowningStreet.org, begins: "The recent release of the Downing Street Memo provides new and compelling evidence that the President of the United States has been actively engaged in a conspiracy to deceive and mislead the United States Congress and the American people about the basis for going to war against Iraq. If true, such conduct constitutes a High Crime under Article II, Section 4 of the United States Constitution."
In February and March 2003, John Bonifaz served as lead counsel for a coalition of United States soldiers, parents of U.S. soldiers, and Members of Congress (led by Representatives John Conyers, Jr. and Dennis Kucinich) in a federal lawsuit challenging President George W. Bush�s authority to wage war against Iraq absent a congressional declaration of war or equivalent action. Bonifaz is the author of Warrior-King: The Case for Impeaching George W. Bush (NationBooks-NY, 2004, foreword by Rep. John Conyers, Jr.), which chronicles that case and its meaning for the United States Constitution.
The organizations forming the AfterDowningStreet.org coalition include: Global Exchange, Gold Star Families for Peace, Democrats.com, Veterans for Peace, Code Pink, Progressive Democrats of America, and Democracy Rising. These organizations, beginning today, will be urging their members to contact their Representatives to urge support of a Resolution of Inquiry.
For more information, see www.AfterDowningStreet.org, or contact:
� Democrats.com, President Bob Fertik, and Washington Director David Swanson, 202-329-7847 (contact Swanson to set up an interview with Bonifaz.)
� Global Exchange, Co-Founder Medea Benjamin.
� Code Pink, Co-Founder Gael Murphy.
� Gold Star Families for Peace Member Cindy Sheehan. (Sheehan's son, U.S. Army Spc. Casey Sheehan was killed in Iraq April 4, 2004.)
� Consultant Steve Cobble.
� Progressive Democrats of America Executive Director Tim Carpenter.
� Veterans for Peace Executive Director Michael T. McPhearson.
� Democracy Rising's Kevin Zeese.
� Rainbow Push's Butch Wing, 773-FREEDOM.
� Velvet Revolution's Brad Friedman.
� Justice Through Music's Jeff Cohen, jtmpinfo@comcast.net
[Phone numbers deleted for most contacts above - available to members of the media on request.]
KEY DOCUMENTS
Downing Street Minutes
Bonifaz Memo to Conyers
RawStory Article
Bio of John Bonifaz
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EVERYTHING that was told to the US public, and the World, by the Bush Administration concerning the reasons for going to war with Iraq was based on one simple position: TRUST.
The Downing Street Memo is the straw that broke that trust. It finally reveals with crystal clear clarity, that the Bush Administration violated the TRUST. All steps, procedures, evidence and speeches that led this great nation to war was once seen through the lens of honest intention. The Downing Street Memo changes our lens of perception to one of regretful suspicion. Now we are forced to reinterpret ALL THAT WAS SAID with a new investigative scrutiny.
This is not a joyful task, but it is a necessary one if we are to fulfill our honorable duty of defending our US Constitution from ALL ENEMIES, BOTH FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC. Yes, that even includes the President of the United States of America.
The implications require extraordinary examination of the Executive Branch, for we must now be suspect of ALL PAST INTELLIGENCE that was supplied to both houses of Congress concerning the threat assessment of Iraq against the USA.
Let's support this historic rally that is in search of the truth.
Maybe FOX NEWS can help with the investigation?
Afterall, FOX NEWS seemed to have excellent connections with "Senior Defense and other U.S. Officials" with "intelligence reports indicate[ing] that Saddam Hussein's troops are armed with chemical munitions."
Click on this: ARTICLE from FOX NEWS on March 17, 2003 indicating their well placed sources. WHO WERE THESE SOURCES?
When you read propaganda like that Fox News article, it kind of makes you sick knowing now that it was all based on "intelligence fixed around the policy to invade Iraq". Very sick.
IT'S ABOUT TIME! I've been emailing ALL the Senators off and on for the last couple of years. I'm glad to see that at least there might be some SERIOUS action taken on impeachment. If ever a sitting president deserved to be impeached, it is G.W. Bush. He knowingly lied to Congress (an impeachable offense), he has not upheld the U.S. Constitution (a violation of his oath of office), and he is personally responsible for the death of almost 2000 military and an estimated 100,000 civilians so far during the Iraqi war.
Bush is guilty of nothing less than TREASON. Personally, I think he should hang for Treason and War Crimes.
But that's just me.
Patriot Gal
This Presidentand and all of his cabinet members are an insult to humanity. The world will remember him as one of the most dangerous mentaly un-stable people to ever hold a high office. What he has done to our country will take decades to repair. The sane people are finaly starting to wake up from the great slumber that has kept them blissfully un-aware of the horror this spoiled rotten war monger has forced upon the people of Iraq.
Impeach!
Lets roll
Excellent Comment!
Well said. I totally agree!
I'd like to reiterate the comment by Patriotgal - IT'S ABOUT TIME! - but shouldn't this newly formed group include VotetoImpeach.org?
The impression was given that we could SIGN ON to Conyer's letter, but I see no place that that can be done.
Add To Resolution [Oh There's So Much That Can Be]
July 2005 issue
Stripping Rumsfeld and Bush of Impunity
by Matthew Rothschild
When Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee last year, he was asked whether he "ordered or approved the use of sleep deprivation, intimidation by guard dogs, excessive noise, and inducing fear as an interrogation method for a prisoner in Abu Ghraib prison." Sanchez, who was head of the Pentagon
Why not include "Vote to Impeach"? http://impeachbush.pephost.org/site/PageServer?pagename=VTI_homepage
We can use all the helo we need.
Congratulations on opening this great site.
Thanks for givins the Memo/Minutes the legs it deserves!
It's about time!
First off, there is not 100,000 Iraqi's dead and we all know this. The 100,000 is a fake number from a poll of 998 houses in one city and those numbers were run through a set of equations already predetermined to get a certain result. Also the Senate and Congress voted overwhelmingly with the same info the our President got to support this war, so this war is legal. Also, for the 8 years Clinton was President, these same Senate/Congresional leaders (who are calling Bush a liar) stated the same things Bush stated for his reasonings. So if we impeach Bush, EVERY Democrat in the Senate must be removed too because Bush acted upon what they previously stated. Congress signed a Joint-Resolution to use force, http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/10/20021002-2.html.
Congressmembers even stated in the 90's the need for military action, "One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line."
President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998.
"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program."
President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998.
"Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face."
Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998.
"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983."
Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998
"[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs."
Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, and others Oct. 9, 1998.
"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process."
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998.
"Hussein has ... chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies."
Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999.
"There is no doubt that . Saddam Hussein has reinvigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies."
Letter to President Bush, Signed by Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL,) and others, Dec, 5, 2001.
"We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandate of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them."
Sen. Carl Levin (d, MI), Sept. 19, 2002.
"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country."
Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002.
"Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power."
Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002.
"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seing and developing weapons of mass destruction."
Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002.
"The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons..."
Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 2002.
"I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force
I feel so sorry for people who hate the fact that they were wrong and don't want to change. Be a man, and realize that not only you are wrong, you can't even admit it. I bet you have troubles not only at work but in your relationships too. Let it go.
That is a very important point, Herman.
Our opposition will try to "divide" our evidence in order to conquer it. We must not let that happen.
The Downing Street Minutes evidence is one part of a larger BODY OF EVIDENCE which is substantial, factual, and incriminating. This body is sufficient enough to call for a larger comprehensive investigation into every facet of the Bush Administration's case for war and the US Intelligence agencies that supplied the "facts" supporting their reasons to go to war. That needs to be examined for how it was presented to US Congress and the UN and to what degree those two bodies were manipulated or mislead by the "fixed" US intelligence. Only then will the citizens of the USA understand to what level corruption has risen in the government that they pay for with their taxes, daughters, and sons.
Remember: The Bush Administration is the most secretive in US History. Time to start finding out why.
Actually, Michael,it is you who is clueless.
Let us note what is the issue here: Was Bush determined to go to war regardless of whether Saddam actually had weapons of mass destruction at the time the war would commence? Right away, we see that your comments about what certain politicians were believing in the late 1990s are completely meaningless, for the war wouldn't begin until 2003.
But the Downing Street Memo shows that even the fact that congressional leaders believed that Saddam had WMDs during Bush's first term is also irrelevant, SINCE CONGRESS ITSELF WAS BEING DUPED BY THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION. Remember, one of the main allegations of the Downing Street Memo is that intelligence was being twisted to provide a bogus case for war: "Intelligence and facts are being fixed around the policy."
Confirmation of this immoral perversion of the truth would come from the UN Weapon Inspectors, who returned to Iraq in late 2002, staying until early 2003. Now, Michael, how many weapons of mass destruction did these trained inspectors find? Please give me a nice round number. Hint: VERY round.
Realizing that there was an excellent chance that the UN Weapons Inspectors weren't going to find anything, Bush and company naturally didn't want to wait for the final report of these inspectors to come out, so Bush invaded Iraq before the weapons inspectors were finished. And so it was left to groups headed by Kay and by Duelfer to show the world that the only WMDs were the Weapons of Mass Deception known as Bush, Cheney, Powell, Rice, Rumsfeld, etc.
And yes, Michael, Bush and company did break the law. It doesn't surprise me, though, that you fail to note what law was broken, for it was international law that was trampled upon, and your thinking is far too limited to even consider something like that. Certainly, it is a violation of international law to pre-emptively invade another nation when it turns out that the invasion wasn't pre-emptive after all. And if the Republicans can impeach Clinton for trying to cover up an extramarital affair to protect his family from embarrassment, surely (considering all the lives that have been lost in Iraq) Bush could be impeached (or at least publicly condemned since we know that the Republican-controlled Congress isn't going to do a damn thing).
Websites like afterdowningstreet.org are important to try to raise public awareness of the wickedness of the Bush Administration so that in the future our country is less likely to have such a monstrous government.
We must remember that the Downing Street Memo just confirms what people like former Bush Administration officials Paul O'Neill and Richard Clarke were saying all along: that the Bush Administration was gunning for Saddam from Day One.
Further evidence of the nefarious plans of the Bush Administration comes from the article, "Bolton Said to Order Unlawful Finding," (http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=4&u=/ap/20050604/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/bolton_un_firing) which describes how just a few months before the Downing Street Memo was written, the Bush Administration got rid of a UN diplomat who wanted only for chemical weapons inspectors to return to Iraq. Of course, the return of these inspectors would have delayed, possibly even prevented the planned invasion of Iraq, so this unfortunate diplomat had to go.
Tellingly, we see these words written in the article, "Former Bustani aide Bob Rigg, a New Zealander, sees a clear U.S. motivation: 'Why did they not want OPCW involved in Iraq? They felt they couldn't rely on OPCW to come up with the findings the U.S. wanted.'"
The Bush Administration clearly is an international outlaw. I am embarrassed to be an American.
Bravo Michael! Your posting is very enlightening. Instead of just spouting insults you actually took the time to show what others (including our former President and Vice President) thought about the ruthless dictator. I stand behind President Bush and mostly in support of our brave and honorable troops. It's unfortunate [for the Iraqi people] that it took war to bring about a change in government, but if we remember anything less proved repeatedly to be inadequate. I believe it's time for the American people to stand united against the demonic forces who are keeping the "conflict" in Iraq going by terrorizing the Iraqi people. Instead of blaming President Bush why can't place the blame on the scum tyrant and his band of thugs that really made this war necessary. Does anybody remember what he was responsible for after the first Gulf War? The environmental disaster of the oil wells burning and the "rape" of Quwait (sp.) that started it all. Our hurtling insults at each other and our President gains nothing. Thank you for putting the historical record in perspective. With regards, graywolf
Richard Aberdeen
www.FreedomTracks.com
You'd like to see the President hanged ? Would that desire include the members of Congress who voted to authorize the war? Just curious. Patriotgal08