Gonzales Only Goes If You Impeach Him

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/23544

Gonzales Only Goes If You Impeach Him
Submitted by davidswanson on Mon, 2007-06-11 23:39. Congress

GOP Blocks Gonzales No-Confidence Vote
Senators Blister Gonzales With Criticism, but GOP Blocks No-Confidence Vote
By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press

Republicans blocked the Senate's no-confidence vote on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales Monday, rejecting a symbolic Democratic effort to prod him from office despite blistering criticism from lawmakers in both parties.

The 53-38 vote to move the resolution to full debate fell seven short of the 60 required. In bringing the matter up, Democrats dared Republicans to vote their true feelings about an attorney general who has alienated even the White House's strongest defenders by bungling the firings of federal prosecutors and claiming not to recall the details.

Republicans did not defend him, but most voted against moving the resolution ahead.

Short of impeachment, Congress has no authority to oust a Cabinet member, but Democrats were trying anew to give him a push. Gonzales dismissed the rhetorical ruckus on Capitol Hill, and President Bush continued to stand by his longtime friend and legal adviser.

more...

I suspect this'll be the end of this issue as far as congress is concerned, though.

Sitting around with thumb ensconced firmly in butt whimpering "got votes?" is, to say the least, not what this congress was elected to do.

You can't abort a fetus before fucking. Stop trying to. It's ignorant at best.

Since it doesn't need votes. Like in committee or anything.

However, you might want to educate yourself about how impeachment works so you don't look like a fool in the future.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impeachment>

wikipedia-impeachment:


"Jefferson's Manual, which is integral to the House rules, states that impeachment is set in motion by: charges made on the floor; charges preferred by a memorial; a Member's resolution referred to a committee; a message from the President; charges transmitted from the legislature of a State or territory or from a grand jury; or from facts developed and reported by an investigating committee of the House. It further states that a proposition to impeach is a question of high privilege in the House and at once supersedes business otherwise in order under the rules governing the order of business.

The impeachment procedure is in two steps. The House of Representatives must first pass "articles of impeachment" by a simple majority. (All fifty state legislatures as well as the District of Columbia city council may also pass articles of impeachment against their own executives.) The articles of impeachment constitute the formal allegations. Upon their passage, the defendant has been "impeached.""

"The articles of impeachment constitute the formal allegations. Upon their passage, the defendant has been "impeached.""

You can't read what you copied and pasted? That's sad.

And it doesn't need to go thru a committee?

So why hasn't your congressman done it? If it's so damn simple? Could it be he doesn't have the VOTES?

(BTW, being snide with me only relegates you to the Under 18 category. It's a very amateur snide.)

The votes, and read this carefully, come AFTER THE ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT, NOT BEFORE. The votes occur, as you don't seem to know, in the Senate AFTERWARDS. For fuck's sake, you didn't even quote that part. Learn English.

OCD is treatable with therapy and medication. Get some.

Schumer was attempting to see if they had the votes for impeachment.

They don't.

Looks like it's time to clean house, and I'd start with Joe Lieberman.

Julie

It had nothing to do with impeachment. You're right about cleaning house, though.

they're not going forward with impeachment, unfortunately.

Julie

This is why we are where we are.

Too many wimps.

if they can't get 60 votes to symbolically criticize him?

AMAZING how many critics we have here tonight.

who really couldn't care less what we think or how we are affected by their shenanigans, or even if we live or die.

I have been screaming this for a while now. IMPEACH!

It's good therapy if it makes you feel better, but it will not bring impeachment.

I will give up on congress long before then. Like now.

How in the hell do you expect them to impeach?

These MF'rs have us by the short ones and there is nothing we can do at this point but scream.

they've been assisted by some of our own. ReThugs will ALWAYS win if the Dems can't get their fuckin acts together to pull off a no-brainer no-confidence vote on Gonzo. Lookin better for the Pukes in '08 if they can keep making the Dems look like asshats!!

for a debate on a no-confidence motion?

I needed that!

Although if Bush & Co actually had sense Gonzales could announce that he had been vindicated and then resign to "allow the president and country to move forward." But that would require some political wisdom, which these guys seem to lack.

Impeachment would show the American public the various crimes of this AG. If the Senate Rethugs refuse to find him guilty that is on them. At least it will show his crimes and that the Congress is not neutered by Rethugs.

Gonzales stays or goes.

That's the sorry truth.

Personally, I am one of the American public and I care very much. Maybe you meant a different American public.

A large number of Americans don't even vote. They don't pay attention to politics, and Gonzales probably doesn't even register on their radar screens.

Add to this, all the Americans who still actually support Bush, and you have a majority who either support Gonzales or don't care one way or another.

There were very historically significant comments by Dems on the Senate Floor yesterday. Where are the videos?

I thought there couldn't be anyone worse than Ashcroft, but my imagination turned out to be limited.