Conyers Identifies 26 Laws and Regulations Bush Administration May Have Violated

[understandinglife]

Do you remember that press release?

Do you remember that Congressman Conyers and his minority party colleagues have done everything they possibly could to bring attention to the criminality of Bush and his neoconster minions?

That headline appeared on 4 August 2006 - hardly anyone in the corporate media noticed.

Rove may have chuckled.

Cheney likely didn't waste a sneer.

Bush, ... oh forget about it.

4 August 2006, Congressman Conyers was the Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee - meaning he barely could get a closet for a meeting and had zero access to a subpoena.

Well, it's 18 November 2006, and Congressman Conyers is on his way to being Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee - he's in charge because "We the People ...." elected a majority of Democratic Party members to OUR House of Representatives.

So, let's reflect a moment on what Congressman Conyers has been busy doing these past two years as we read his statement on 4 August 2006:

Congressman John Conyers (D-MI), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, today released his long-awaited “Constitution in Crisis” report. The 350-page Conyers report -- supported by more than 1,400 footnotes -- compiles the accumulated evidence of Bush Administration misconduct associated with the run-up to the Iraq war, torture and other abuses, the outing of Valerie Plame and retaliation against Administration critics, and unlawful domestic surveillance.

:

"The situation we find ourselves in today under the administration of George W. Bush is systemically worse than previous scandals such as Watergate and Iran-Contra. The alleged acts of wrongdoing my staff has documented -- which include making misleading statements about the decision to go to war; manipulating intelligence; facilitating and countenancing torture; using classified information to out a CIA agent; and violating federal surveillance and privacy laws -- are quite serious.
"It is tragic that our Nation has invaded another sovereign nation because 'the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy' (in the infamous words of the Downing Street Minutes) and that millions of innocent Americans have been subject to government surveillance outside of proper legal process.

Moreover, it is unforgivable that Congress has been unwilling to examine these matters or take actions to prevent these circumstances from occurring again. Since the Majority Party is unwilling to fulfill their oversight responsibilities, it is incumbent on individual Members of Congress as well as the American public to act to protect our constitutional form of government. It is with that purpose and in that spirit that I am releasing this report."

Congressman Conyers' updated could only be viewed by a sane and literate person as a massive, multi-faceted platform for indictment and prosecution.

Do you think that Congressman Conyers, having been in the much abused minority, and one citizen among all us in the vastly abused American public, will somehow 'move on' on 3 Jan 2007?

I doubt it.

Here's a tad sample why I doubt it:

Conclusion:

My Report has found that the last six years under the presidency of George W. Bush and the GOP-controlled Congress have brought about the constitutionally dangerous circumstances of not only abuse of power, but also unchecked abuse of power.

Unlike scandals such as Watergate and Iran-Contra, where Congress was able to investigate and respond to misconduct, the current Majority Party has shown little inclination to engage in basic oversight, let alone challenge the Administration directly. The courts, while operating as a partial check as the Hamdan case has shown, are slow to act and frequently unable to delve into many of the controversies presented due to limitations on standing, ripeness, and other procedural defenses asserted by the Administration. At the same time, unlike previous threats to civil liberties posed by the Civil War (suspension of habeas corpus and eviction of Jews from portions of the Southern States); World War I (anti-immigrant “Palmer Raids”); World War II (internment of Japanese Americans); and, the Vietnam War (COINTELPRO); the risks to our citizens’ rights today are potentially more grave, as the war on terror has no specific end point.

It is clear to me that our constitutional protections are very precarious in the present day and age. While the Bush Administration continues to believe that our Nation operates best when a few people make decisions in secret, outside the purview of the Courts or Congress, Justice Breyer reminded us in Hamdam that “judicial insistence upon (consultation with Congress) does not weaken our Nation’s ability to deal with danger. To the contrary, that insistence strengthens the Nation’s ability to determine – through democratic means – how best to do so.” While the Administration and its allies operate as if the media needs to be reined in and intimidated, history has shown that the more free our press is, the more vibrant our democracy will be. Perhaps most importantly, while the Bush Administration has warned that “Americans need to be watch what they say”163 and charged that those who question their actions are “giving ammunition to America’s enemies,” Martin Luther King, Jr. warned us “there comes a time when silence is betrayal.” In my judgment, that time has come.

To me, the lesson of the constitutional crisis we find ourselves in today is that if we allow intelligence, military and law enforcement to do their work free of political interference, if we give them requisite resources and modern technologies, if we allow them to “connect the dots” in a straight forward and non-partisan manner, if we fairly exercise our oversight responsibilities, we can protect our citizens and defeat our enemies. We all want to fight terrorism, but we need to fight it the right way, consistent with our Constitution, and in a manner that serves as a model for the rest of the world.

If Congressman Conyers felt on 4 August 2006 that, as did Martin Luther King Jr. on 4 April 1967 "...there comes a time when silence is betrayal.", then do you think he feels any differently now that he shortly will have subpoena power?

"We the People ..." have every right to demand enforcement of the law and we have every justification in insisting that those whom we elect and compensate with our tax dollars do everything in their power to enforce the law.

"We the People ..." will not deny Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Abu Gonzales, Condi Rice, Richard Perle, .... and all the other neoconsters, and their corporate enablers, the right of habeas corpus or any other protection that the accused shall have access in the process of proving them guilty of crimes.

But, "We the People ..." will demand that investigations proceed robustly and, upon reasonable cause for indictment, that any and all offenders of the US Constitution, and any other US or International statute, be rigorously prosecuted.

I have little doubt Congressman Conyers will be out in front of us, because that is where he has been for these past several horrific years, doing all he could to protect each of us and our Republic.

[MannyGoldstein]

1. I Sure Hope That You're Correct

He'll also need to overcome the craven triangulators who need people like him to triangulate off of.

[understandinglife]

2. He's going to kick butt ... and that'll be when he's relaxing.

I think we have ample reason to not doubt Congressman Conyers.

Peace,
Bob


BE AMERICA. ---

[Nite Owl]

8. Do we ever got a bunch of them

but he is chairman, he will have those hearings and so will Waxman. Once they start, once people really start to be aware of just how bad it really is they may not be able to stop them.

[madokie]

34. You got it. Thats why we mustn't taint the inevitable by going in talking Impeachment

Let the process take care of itself and it will take care of us. and that I believe I can take to the bank.

[FogerRox]

63. Well said madokie, well said.

[TexasLawyer]

3. John Conyers kicks

:kick::kick::kick::kick::kick::kick:

Now lets get back to the rule of law!

[Iwasthere]

5. I agree

RULE OF LAW!

[Independent_Liberal]

4. K&R for the the Honorable Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee!

Of course, I'm talking about John Conyers.

understandinglife... :yourock:

[garybeck]

6. dude, yeah, just go through Conyer's website and you'll be amazed... nt

[understandinglife]

13. Let me phrase it this way - "Bush should be praying for Impeachment to join the ...

... salt and pepper shakers on the table."

Not sure whom you mean by "dude." My name is Bob.

Bush is subject to prosecution for violations of laws that extend well beyond US Code.

Think about it.

I do not expect Congressman Conyers or any skilled prosecutor to give Bush even a hint at what they are planning for him and his neoconster buddies, like Cheney, until the 110th US Congress commences.

Why would they do otherwise?

Think about it.

This isn't a game.

The title of Congressman's Conyers report is The Constitution in Crisis. I don't think he chose the title to drive sales at B&N or on Amazon.

I also don't think Congressman Conyers is going to give Bush and the neoconsters a clue what he's going to do to them until he has subpoena power.

[Nite Owl]

7. The very best part of this whole win

the thing that kept me working was 'Chairman Conyers'. It drove me.
Can't wait for the new congress to start to turn on cspan and let those hearing start.

[Generic Brad]

9. Conyers does not bode well for Bush

But he bodes well for democracy!

[fooj]

10. I trust that Conyer's will do the right thing.

He always does.

Remember...he has been to this dance before.:patriot:

[Alamom]

11. Thank you, understandinglife. K&R

Hope is a wonderful feeling in the middle of the night........after waking up (repeatedly)in a 6 year nightmare.

[bleever]

12. My mind is boggled, thinking about the basement hearings of

the DSM Congressional committee (which traditionally would be known as an ad hoc committee when convened by the minority party, but not traditionally relegated to holding hearings in broom closets as a way of teaching them how irrelevant they were supposed to consider themselves).

John Conyers was there. And then there are the volumes of work he and his staff have done on what happened to the 2004 presidential election in Ohio.

But my mind really can't comprehend that his roots as a protector of the Constitution, and its practical and philosophical ideals, actually include over forty years of such work.

I trust that some things are slow, constant, and inevitable, and that the work Conyers has done for so long belongs in this category.

[understandinglife]

15. "I trust that some things are slow, constant, and inevitable, and that the work Conyers has done ...

... for so long belongs in this category."

As do I.

comes to mind, as I'm sure it does to yours.

Problem this time is that what we really have in our view finder is that both the Executive and the Majority Party in Congress are probable co-defendants in trials ranging from violations of the Constitution, a range of Federal and international statutes and treaties.

It's not like - "lie about blow-job, get impeached" or "coverup breaking and entering, get impeached."

It's the scale of the abuse that so far transcends anything our Republic has confronted, save the Civil War.

It's the scale of abuse that must render folk whose entire life has been "the law" and "the Constitution" perplexed beyond anything I can imagine -- perplexed as in (purely lay person terms) "how in the frigging hell do we resolve this lawlessness."

In other words, just envision how many current members of the Executive and Legislative (and SCOTUS, and the military, and the MI complex, and ...) may actually have already earned time at one of our US Penitentiaries - high school football stadium full of folk, or more ???

Article 8, and, of course, Article 6 of the http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/imt/proc/imtconst.htm|Nuermberg Charter> make it clear how broadly the net is cast for those who plan, let alone, execute war of aggression (preemptive war, or any other euphemism, don't change the reality of US aggression on Iraq, beginning with the PNACers' scheming at their AEI salon in the late '90s).

We're looking at a very big football stadium full of defendants, already.

Those seeking sound bites and quick remedies need to take a ten year nap - even that might not be long enough.

Peace, my friend,
Bob

[DemReadingDU]

26. I am so looking forward to Jan 3, when

the Dems get the gavels, especially Conyers, to investigate the wide abuse of our Constitution.

Thanks for posting these links.


edit to add that Waxman will be investigating abuses into the Halliburton and no-bid contracts.

[CornField]

64. Through the past six years, I've kept this in my head

"I am only one, but still I am one I cannot do everything but still I can do something I will not refuse to do the something I can do." ~ Helen Keller

That task before us might be formidable, but it is in no way insurmountable as long as we take it one bite at a time. And, indeed, we must if we are to repair our country.

[solara]

14. Thank you so much for posting this

reassuring reminder that, although their voices may have been hushed for the last six years, our Democratic Watchers have been tenacious and constant.

"....the accumulated evidence of Bush Administration misconduct." ..beautiful.....

It is only a matter of time.

K&R

[ninkasi]

16. John Conyers is incredible

He has shown remarkable tenacity in investigating the many, many abuses of power Bush and his administration have committed. Conyers is someone to look up to, and to inspire the younger generation, being an excellent example of what a public servant should be. He has been tireless, and has been fighting to preserve our Constitution since day one. We owe him an enormous debt of appreciation. We need far more men and women like him in our country today.

[immerlinks]

17. Only 26?

He must just be getting started.

[Art_from_Ark]

24. 26 down, 724 to go

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0609-23.htm

[leveymg]

18. We need to insist that the netroots are included in the investigations process

We in the progressive netroots are the last honest monitors of government. Large interest groups are often coopted, and the major media can no longer be counted on to honestly cover proceedings.

Congress needs to bring bloggers into the loop, and give us a direct role in research, investigations and posing questions during hearings.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

19. Yet he says impeachment is off the table.

I simply do not get it. :shrug:

[wtmusic]

20. x-actly. WTF.

Mystery to me.

[stepnw1f]

50. yeah.... it would be (nt)

[understandinglife]

21. See comment # 15. And, in_deed, impeachment is "off the table." Whose fault is that?

If I were Congressman Conyers or Speaker-elect Pelosi, I'd say the same thing. Because it's true.

What is Congressman Conyers' central thesis?

Let's dumb it down for the lurkers - Bushco is bad; GOPer Congress didn't spank'um.

In_deed, impeachment, currently is "off the table" for the simple reason that, as of today, -- something Congressman Conyers and Speaker-elect Pelosi have ZERO control since they are STILL the MINORITY party in the 109th US Congress

Beyond that, they are not going to give Bush or any other neoconster war criminal a clue as to what they are preparing to do when they are in the majority in the 110th US Congress.

Why would they.

This is not 'reality teevee' entertainment - we are looking straight down the barrel of a Constitutional Crisis cannon that, if fired, could fission our Nation.

We are looking at a Constitutional Crisis that only the Civil War exceeds in the history of our Republic.

I think Congressman Conyers meant what he said when he cited Martin Luther King Jr.


BE AMERICA. ---

[DemReadingDU]

27. I agree that impeachment is 'off the table', for now

But once the investigations start, more people will hear about the abuse of our Constitution, and it will be the People who will demand impeachment. And Conyers will be out in front leading us!

edit to add that Waxman will be leading us into the Halliburton abuses.

[understandinglife]

28. Yes. In_Deed!

Happy Thanksgiving DRDU,
Bob


BE AMERICA. ---

[exlrrp]

36. Off the Table can change to On the Table whenever necessary

I think youre right--I think when the American people understand the magnitude of the Republican Culture of Corruption, the spectacular rip off of the American People, the bumbling, incompetence of the Bush administration in every aspect, I think there's going to be a lot more call for impesachment, although it may be too late by that time.
Pelosi says the first priority should be to end the war http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-nancy-pelosi/bringing-the-war-to-an-en_b_34393.html and I agree with her 100%. Taking care of BUsh should take a back seat to that, although the sooner the better works for me.
End the war NOW!! End this senseless war against humanity!!Everything else stands behind that.

[DoYouEverWonder]

30. It just means it's still in the file cabinet

waiting for the DEMS to take back control in January.

[Nite Owl]

47. If there is one person in the world to

trust it is Conyers. He 'gets it', he knows what he is doing. There is no case for impeachment. There have been no hearings, no oversight. The public is not ready, they are not aware of the offenses of this administration, they know that there have been wrongdoings, corruption but not the stuff we know. When they know the facts the people will be the ones demanding accountability. It must come from the people. Next year this time things could be very different.

[stepnw1f]

49. No... I Guess You Don't Get It

And that's unfortunate because this topic has been rehashed quite often here on DU. Impeachment won't happen until the investigation(s) prove to the majority of this country that there needs to be one. This will unify the nation instead of further dividing it.... It's not only politically sound but it is the ONLY way to successfully impeach this President.

[wtmusic]

54. There is no need to state that "impeachment is off the table".

Here is the way to address that: "I'm not aware, at this time, of any impeachable offenses which have been committed." Leaves the door wide open.

Here's another way: "Impeachment is off the table, for now."

Here's a lousy way: "Impeachment is off the table." What that says to most of America is that it's not an option. That it won't happen, based on everything that has happened to date. If impeachment does go back on the table, Republicans and moderates will call both Pelosi and Conyers liars, and not be far off the mark.

What is it about that YOU don't get? :eyes:

[FogerRox]

66. #6, reach beyond the comfort of your confines

Conyers served in the Korean War, US Army, First elected to COngress in 1964, stood with Martin Luther King, RFK, founded the COngressional BLack Caucus, is considered the Dean of the CBC, wrote the Articles of Impeachment for Nixon, as a member of the Judiciary COmittee, hes been there for Iran Contra, & BCCI. COnyers wrote the pre-eminent piece on the Stolen Election of 2004, the pre-eminent piece on the Downing St Memos.

John COnyers has been tireless in his approach to Justice, he has dedicated his ENTIRE LIFE to justice, for blacks & whites, for all.

Do you think he will sit on his hands for the first time in his life, because thats what you are telling me by saying you don't get it. From my view point you are saying you don't get John Conyers whole life.

Ok, let me ask you this, would it be smart for Conyers to telegraph his plan of attack to the world? That would be stupid, wouldn't it? It would be much smarter to LIE.... and say Impeachment is off the table.

But what hapens if thru the investigations/hearings on C-span.... it reaches critical mass, & the public is screaming for impeachment and removal, bipartisain Screaming.... do you think at that point that Its off the table... ?

[understandinglife]

75. "Do you think he will sit on his hands for the first time in his life ...."

Dang you write excellent posts, FR!

Thank you,
Bob


BE AMERICA. ---

[FogerRox]

78. Bob, its Roger. And writing an excellent post about John Conyers is easy

Why you might ask?

Cause Conyers is SO EXCELLENT, his excellence just rubs of on ya. Just try this: post just the name, "John Conyers". ANd what do get? An excellent post. Its that freakin easy... LOL.

[puebloknot]

22. "We the People ...will demand that investigations proceed robustly"

Yes, robustly, as with speed and vigor. And with forward movement, and no back-pedaling in service to "bipartisan harmony." And with frequent progress reports to the people!

I cannot help but wonder why John Conyers joined in Ms. Pelosi's "off the table" comments, and I cannot help entertaining the possibility that there is pressure, coming from somewhere, to back off.

There has never been a wish more fervent in all of time than mine now that my niggling little fears are just the result of extreme fatigue, after six years of wondering where the country is headed. There is no one who has impressed me more than Mr. Conyers.

Six more weeks will take us to the moment when we can begin to find out the truth about what the intentions of our new leaders are. I yield to your instincts which say Conyers is already making plans to mount his white steed and fight for justice! :)

[understandinglife]

53. "Six more weeks will take us to the moment when we can begin to find out the truth about what ...

... what the intentions of our new leaders are."

Yes.

And, six more weeks for all of us to finish our preparations as to how we are going to hold them accountable, each and every day.

We may actually have a Congress, in the 110th, that's already populated by a majority cognizant of the fact that they work for us.

If not, let's all be prepared to school them in that reality.

Thank you, my friend,
Bob

[valerief]

23. New tactic: if Dem members of Congress want press coverage,

they need to announce their news nude. Or maybe in banana hammocks.

Let's see the MSM ignore that. At least, C-SPAN will continue to cover them.

[understandinglife]

29. "At least, C-SPAN will continue to cover them." Though they'd need ...

... to be "covering them up" if your clever strategy is adopted! :evilgrin:

Good one! :toast: and Happy Thanksgiving,
Bob


BE AMERICA. ---

[malaise]

25. Start the investgations Dems

John Conyers has the evidence.

[Judi Lynn]

31. Wishing Congressman Conyers a long and murder-free, "accident"-free life.

We've already seen _Bush people attempt laughable smears on him which went right into the dumper, and they won't like his leading the way to some long overdue oversight. I expect they'll be back to make trouble for him all over again, and I'm praying whatever it is will FAIL big-time.

It would be sheer heaven to see Conyers making up for these lost 6 years of abuse to Democrats from the hogs who stole our government. He has never wavered, and has conducted himself with honor. I'm so proud he's still hanging right in there. Looking forward to his leadership.

[stellanoir]

32. Conyers is just . . .so. . .so. . .so

REASONABLE.

thanks for posting understandinglife. . .dude LOL

[Laelth]

33. K&R for the Honorable John Conyers

n/t

:headbang:

:dem:

-Laelth

[DemonFighterLives]

35. You mean we won't have this guy obstructing?

James Gavel Em Down Sensenbrenner

[Time for change]

37. What a great report!

There is no one at this time whom I would rather see in the powerful position of Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. I have no doubt that John Conyers will do the right thing, and he will do it vigorously. I hate to say it, but I just hope that he doesn't get Wellstoned. I kind of doubt that he will, because Bush World seems to be disintegrating at this time.

[puebloknot]

77. "Wellstoned"

I have hesitated to post that sentiment here, but I share it. When I heard that Conyers seemed to be pack pedaling (some people think that, and I was left to wonder when I first heard it), thoughts of Paul Wellstone came to mind. I wondered if someone was threatening Conyers and/or his family.

This is a very real concern. I think both the Mel Carnahan plane crash and the Wellstone one are highly suspicious. I've seen reports from pilots saying it's not hard to electronically jam radar, or somehow affect a plane's controls. So that kind of reporting is not just "conspiracy theory." It's speculation based on known technical possibilities!

Let's just hope that the wounded Bush Beast doesn't wreak any more harm before it's put to rest.

[mod mom]

38. I am anxiously awaiting my signed copy to go with the previously signed

"What Went Wrong In Ohio". Sue to be collectors items and make lovely and meaningful holiday gifts (not to mention helping to support one of the best Congressmen of all times!)

[DemReadingDU]

39. I recently received my signed copy

of Conyers: Constitution in Crisis.

It won't be long till you get yours!

[understandinglife]

41. Recently received mine. I would not want Rep Conyers investigating me.

:hi:


BE AMERICA. ---

[mod mom]

80. Don't think you need to worry friend, but you are correct in that his leadership

in the investigation will be thorough.

[Exultant Democracy]

40. The Conyers report is a play by play guide to the Bush impeachment

[troubleinwinter]

42. John Conyers is a TRUE PATRIOT. Thank you, UL, for this post.

To worry about impeachment being "off the table" at this time seems to me to be like fretting that "the cart is still in the barn"... yet the horse is being groomed, harnessed and warmed up to pull that cart out of the barn and go to town!

Conyers and his wonderful staff have done the groundwork and made an organized outline upon which the investigations with subpoenas can proceed.

I am grateful for patriots such as The Honorable John Conyers, Jr., his staff and so many DUers like UnderstandingLife.

[understandinglife]

73. "... yet the horse is being groomed, harnessed and warmed up to pull that cart out of the barn ...

... and go to town!"

Excellent! :thumbsup:

And, thank you,
Bob


BE AMERICA. ---

[femrap]

43. John Conyers with Subpoena Power.....

this is what this past election was all about for me. The Hearings are going to be a sight to behold...Stock up on popcorn, this is gonna be so much FUN!

[Lena inRI]

44. NO MORE BASEMENTS, Congressman Conyers!

. . .the downstairs coming upstairs!

Com'on up. . .uP. . .UP!

:toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast:
:kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick:

[annabanana]

45. We must wage war on "Conventional Wisdom"

Let us "out" this monster, created by the 24/7 channel media meisters, operated by the CEO's and Chairmen of Board.

This very afternoon I have heard Conyers attacked as "vindictive" and "radical".... for daring to prepare to do the job he was hired to do.

[pacalo]

46. Beautiful!

I have little doubt Congressman Conyers will be out in front of us, because that is where he has been for these past several horrific years, doing all he could to protect each of us and our Republic.

And Conyers knows more than anyone else that if the crimes of Bush are ignored, we will have provided an open door for another corrupt presidency in the future, that we will have turned our backs on the Constitution & welcomed another tyranny to further corrode our country's principles.

[Land Shark]

48. K&R and good to see understandlinglife back on top of Greatest page!

[understandinglife]

52. Thank you, my friend.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Paul
Bob

[stepnw1f]

51. Awesome News

look who is bitching though..... weird.

[Celica Toyota]

55. But Conyers don't care enough about law to impeach?

That makes him an accomplice after the fact. John, please do the right thing and stand up for the Constitution. Get rid of Bush, now.

[KoKo]

56. Kick...gotta read this later...but it's interesting.......... n/t

[nam78_two]

57. k&r - Michigan Dems rock/nt

[moodforaday]

58. kick for Conyers (NT)

[williesgirl]

59. k&r

[understandinglife]

60. "No, no - you go on ahead; we'll catch up with you!"

<clip>

So - I would just like to say to Speaker-elect Pelosi, and chairmen-elect Waxman and Conyers:

Don't worry about what some of the American people, or the media, or the squeamish among your own party might say or think, or fervently wish -

your sworn job is to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. We understand: you can't hang around here; you've got work to do. It's OK -

You go on ahead - we'll catch up with you.

dKos post is currently at the top of the recommend list ;)

Yes, just lead.

[Irishonly]

61. Thanks

The MSM buried the Crisis in the Constitution Report. I have always thought Pelosi and Conyers were playing smart. If either of them had said impeachment we would be reading nothing except the democrats are out for revenge. As more people are aware of how our Constitution has been violated and all the laws that have been broken, impeachment may become a rallying cry for all good Americans.

[understandinglife]

62. Weclome to DU! And, I agree.

Thank you.

[IWantAChange]

65. Oversight hearings, Congressional Investigations - IF, and its a big IF

imo - the MSM covers it as they should millions and millions of decent Americans are going to come out of their self-induced hibernation and realize just how badly they have been misinformed and misled by the Administration. Hate radio and Faux will do their best to to refute and 'turn it' but it could develop into a tsunami that simply cant be stopped.

[BigBearJohn]

67. Go Conyers GO!!! K/R K/R K/R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Wiley50]

68. Totally Trust Conyers, Yet Fear a "Massive Distraction"

I agree wholeheartedly with all the stuff in this thread

But Still

The Bushies know the score too

Yes they have the media and can cause trouble that way

But, I fear even more

like an attack on Iran
that will throw the whole deck of cards in the air

[understandinglife]

69. "United States v. George W. Bush et al."

from Tomdispatch.com in association with Seven Stories Press

Elizabeth de la Vega

What if there were a fraud worse than Enron and no one did anything about it?


In United States v. George W. Bush et. al., former federal prosecutor Elizabeth de la Vega brings her twenty years of experience and her passion for justice to the most important case of her career. The defendants are George W Bush, Richard Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice, and Colin Powell. The crime is tricking the nation into war, or, in legal terms, conspiracy to defraud the United States.


Ms. de la Vega has reviewed the evidence, researched the law, drafted an indictment, and in this lively, accessible book, presented it to a grand jury. If the indictment and grand jury are both hypothetical, the facts are tragically real: Over half of all Americans believe the President misled the country into a war that has left 2,500 hundred American soldiers and countless Iraqis dead. The cost is $350 billion -- and counting.


The legal question is: Did the president and his team use the same techniques as those used by Enron’s Ken Lay, Jeffrey Skilling, and fraudsters everywhere -- false pretenses, half-truths, deliberate omissions -- in order to deceive Congress and the American public?


Take advantage of this rare opportunity to “sit” with the grand jurors as de la Vega presents a case of prewar fraud that should persuade any fair-minded person who loves this country as much as she so obviously does. Faced with an ongoing crime of such magnitude, she argues, we can not simply shrug our shoulders and walk away.


Elizabeth de la Vega, a former federal prosecutor, was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Minneapolis as well as a member of the Organized Crime Strike Force and Branch Chief in San Jose, California. Since her retirement in 2004, she has been a regular contributor to Tomdispatch. Her articles have also appeared in the Nation, the LA Times, Salon and Mother Jones. She is not in the Witness Protection Program.

ISBN-10 1-58322-756-3
ISBN-13 978-1-58322-756-5
Publication Date 2006

I have read US Attorney-retired de la Vega's writings and have posted, more than once, at DU extensive quotes from her work, particularly from her seminal TomDispatch.com article that appeared in The Nation one year ago, November, 2005.

I suggest you all read it, and here is an example, why:

by ELIZABETH DE LA VEGA

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Ironically, Bush's key defense against charges of intentional misrepresentation actually incriminates him further. As Bob Woodward reported in his book Plan of Attack, Tenet said that the case for Iraq's possession of nuclear weapons was a "slam dunk" in response to Bush's question, "This is the best we've got?" Obviously, then, Bush himself thought the evidence was weak. But he did not investigate further or correct past misstatements. Instead, knowing that his claims were unsupported, he continued to assert that Iraq posed an urgent threat and was aggressively pursuing nuclear weapons. That is fraud.

It can hardly be disputed, finally, that the Bush Administration's intentional misrepresentations were designed to interfere with the lawful governmental function of Congress. They presented a complex deceit about Iraq to both the public and to Congress in order to manipulate Congress into authorizing foreign action. Legally, it doesn't matter whether anyone was deceived, although many were. The focus is on the perpetrators' state of mind, not that of those they intentionally set about to mislead.

The evidence shows, then, that from early 2002 to at least March 2003, the President and his aides conspired to defraud the United States by intentionally misrepresenting intelligence about Iraq to persuade Congress to authorize force, thereby interfering with Congress's lawful functions of overseeing foreign affairs and making appropriations, all of which violates Title 18, United States Code, Section 371.

To what standards should we hold our government officials? Certainly standards as high as those Bush articulated for corporate officials. Higher, one would think. The President and Vice President and their appointees take an oath to defend the Constitution and the laws of the United States. If they fail to leave their campaign tactics and deceits behind -- if they use the Oval Office to trick the public and Congress into supporting a war -- we must hold them accountable. It's not a question of politics. It's a question of law.

In that same essay, US Attorney-retired de la Vega noted the step barrier to each of us in our attempts to hold Bush and his neoconster minions accountable - that being Republican control of both the House and Senate in the 109th Congress.

That barrier has been decimated - step one accomplished. And, evidence of just how "We the People ..." take charge and begin an orderly, lawful process of bringing the neoconsters and fraudster-in-Chief Bush to justice.


BE AMERICA. ---

[bridgit]

70. and if i may hasten to add we are a nation of laws & not bfee members...

:thumbsup:

[autorank]

71. ChairmanConyers ChairmanWaxman ChairmanConyers ChairmanWaxman

Most important post of the year!!!!!

[understandinglife]

72. Thank you very much.

Means a great deal to me, coming from you.

Peace, my friend,
Bob


BE AMERICA. ---

[puebloknot]

76. Play it again, AutoSam!!! nt

[nebenaube]

74. ya know...

Letting them set up a shadow goverment "for continuity" might have been a really, really bad idea...

[The Straight Story]

79. Kicking (nt)