Non Impeachment Hearings

Yesterday The House Judiciary Committee held hearings on the limits of executive power... or hosted a three ring circus... whichever you want to call it. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) was up to the old Republican obstructionist tricks. Cindy Sheehan was booted. And John Conyers (D-MI) still reminds me of Droopy Dog.

However, Vincent Bugliosi, author of The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder, was a formidable witness. H/T to Crooks and Liars for the following videos:



In this first video we learn that nobody is allowed to accuse anybody of a crime at these hearings. So all witnesses will be forced into linguistic gymnastics... but who are we kidding? The title of Bugliosi's book says it all.

I believe many of the documents Bugliosi presented were part of last month's Senate report which I duly wrote about.



In this second video, Bugliosi precisely explains the WMD issue: the concern is not over Bush lying about weapons of mass destruction. The real crime is that he lied about Saddam Hussein being an imminent threat.

Conyers, the panel chairman, had to repeatedly note that the sessions were not formal impeachment hearings. Rep. Steve King (R-IA) seemed to think they were. The official purpose was to examine limitations on presidential powers and arguments about what constitute impeachable offenses.

But I, like so many others, demand accountability. This is not about getting revenge on a president we don't like. This is about saying nobody is above the law. This is about telling all future Presidents and Congressmen that they cannot commit these grave injustices while the people sit by silently.

But this Non-Impeachment Hearing is all we get. This is what passes for "working for the people."