House Committee votes against WHIG investigation (by 2 votes)

H. Res 505 Fails In House I.R. Committee by 2 Votes

Congress H Res 505, introduced by Rep. Dennis Kucinich to require the Bush administration to turn over all documents relating to the White House Iraq Group, failed to be reported out of the House International Relations Committee on a 23-25 vote this morning.

H Res 505, which was co-sponsored by 104 House members, picked up two Republican votes from Rep. Jim Leach and Rep. Ron Paul. Two Democratic committee members failed to appear for the vote: Rep. Eni Faleomavaega of American Samoa and Rep. Howard Berman of California's 28th district.

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/4504

I cant wait for these bastards to burn.

There's no point trying to get anything good done while they're in charge.

I hope they keep trying.

Rep. Eni Faleomavaega of American Samoa and Rep. Howard Berman of California's 28th district.

And the Democrats who couldn't bother to show up need to lose their committees, their office space, and any other privilege the party has.

being that this is not a general vote, and only a committee, I'm not sure what the rules are. but I'd love to see if any DEMs (dinos) voted against this.

Report for a booting (Simpsons-style)

but the fear is still there... WE NEED a dmmocratic house

Please ALSO contact the two Democrats on the committee who failed even to show up for the vote, and ask why this happened:

Rep. Eni Faleomavaega, (202) 225-8577
Rep. Howard Berman, (202) 225-4695

are released from their obligation to vote down anything Democratic so as to have any Democratic absence from voting look like it was critical. I do not believe this go round was any different. The GOP is just trying to make Dems unhappy with other Dems.

Kucinich Uses Resolution Of Inquiry
TEXT OF H RES 505:

RESOLUTION
Requesting the President of the United States and directing the Secretary of State to provide to the House of Representatives certain documents in their possession relating to the White House Iraq Group.
Resolved, That the President of the United States is requested and the Secretary of State is directed to provide to the House of Representatives, not later than 14 days after the date of adoption of this resolution--
(1) all documents from 2003 pertaining to the taskforce organized by Andrew Card, consisting of Karl Rove, Karen Hughes, Mary Matalin, Nicholas E. Calio, James R. Wilkinson, Condoleezza Rice, Stephen Hadley and I. Lewis Libby, known as the White House Iraq Group;
(2) all drafts of all white papers on the topic of Iraq's nuclear threat assembled in 2003 by the White House Iraq Group; and
(3) all documents, including notes from meetings, memos, telephone and electronic mail records, logs and calendars, and records of internal discussions in the possession of the President or the Secretary of State relating to the White House Iraq Group.

A tie vote in committe results in a failure of the motion.

The rep from American Samoa can't vote.

faleomavaega@mail.house.gov <faleomavaega@mail.house.gov>

howard.berman@mail.house.gov <howard.berman@mail.house.gov>

Rs attempting to shield criminal conspiracy. Funny the two big honchos, Delay, and Frist are are under serious criminal investigation themselves.

edit: oh yea, can't forget Hastert!

Any government not accountable for crimes or lies it has committed is a dictatorship (just like Saddam Hussein was). There is a place in hell (if there is one) for dictatorships

ever support any article of impeachment, no matter how compelling the evidence of high crimes.

The party of cover-up.

The Dark Party....can't stand the light.

I think the article is in error. Shouldn't that be DELEGATE Eni Faleomavaega?

After the vote, Kucinich issued the following statement:

"Congress has a Constitutional duty to provide oversight of the Executive Branch. Today the House International Relations Committee, once again, shunned this vital duty.

"We now know that the Administration hyped intelligence and misled the American public and Congress in their effort to 'sell' the war. This group, comprised of the President and Vice President's top aides, was critical in this effort.

"Congress and the American people have a right to these documents, and a right to know the truth.

"This Congress can no longer pass the buck on accountability. With over 2,000 US troops killed in Iraq and tens of thousands more injured, it is long past time that this Congress wakes up and ask the serious questions that the American public is demanding answers to.

"Time after time this Congress has failed its Constitutional duty, and failed the American public. This Congress has become nothing more than a rubber stamp for this Administration and their policies. We owe the American public better. That is what today's resolution was about."

that Jon Corzine now has the power to appoint an anti-war Democrat to the Senate, versus a party insider we're not so sure about. We need all we can get.

Good point.

Why not Kristin Breitweiser for U. S. Senate? More info. on Rush Holt, please!

(from Daily Kos)

"Based on some of the comments, Kristin Breitweiser would be a strong candidate for NJ-12 if Rush Holt is appointed to the Senate.

by Cool Blue Reason on Wed Nov 09, 2005 at 02:34:15 PM PDT"

Excellent choice...imho.

scandal dredged up by the Clinton haters and we can't investigate lies that brought us to illegal invade a sovereign nation who wasn't a threat to us, either imminent or otherwise and has killed untold innocent civilians, not to mention 2000+ US troops? Nice going re:puke:

needs to get themselves on tv by any method, ad state LOUDLY that the repubes are afraid and trying to COVER UP lies, treason and who knows what else..and it's business as usual for them..

They should then start holding town hall meeting with ordinary people and just call the witnesses they wantted to ..

If the press starts picking up on these, the repubes will remain on defense, and might have to rethink their decision..

One this the dems in the house cannot do, is to drop the ball and let this languis until January..

Conyers is probably working on it already :)

Conyers, Maxine Waters, Sheila Jackson-Lee, et al.
Thank god for real patriots who actually do what we elect them to do.
-do what those who have paid the big price deserve from them. It's sad that it's so rare from Democrats.

* will go to hell if there really is one. He has profited by death, in both money and power.

How many times when other outrageous and frustrating situations like this have occurred I have thought the very same thing: why don't the Ds make some publicity -- make a stink -- over this?

Maybe they are worried about the DLC -- James Carville, for instance, who is married to Cheney's former Senior Advisor, Mary Matalin. Matalin has been a key player for ages in the Bush-Cheney Administration and private lives. She was privy to the classified V. Plame information, as was Karen Hughes. I'm still PO'd that NOT EVEN ONE Democrat on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee showed up for the Karen Hughes confirmation hearing when she had to answer questions UNDER OATH!!! The Dems could have asked her what she knew about the classified document that she saw on the airplane to Africa when the memo with Valerie Plame Wilson's name was passed around.

I contacted every member of that committee and asked them why they didn't even bother to show up for that hearing. To date I have received NO replies -- not even one -- from the Democrats on that committee. It's been difficult to "forgive and forget" that one.

We have to defeat the Rs and (as Thom Hartmann says) replace about 1/3 of the Democrats, as well. :kick: :grr: :shrug: :kick:

To be fair to the 2 Democrats who didn't vote, a 25-25 vote is still failing, I believe.

:nuke:

we won't forget