Dennis Kucinich Calls for the Impeachment of Dick Cheney - New Hampshire Primary Coverage

Dennis Kucinich held a copy of the Declaration of Independence in hand as he stood before a group of students at the University of New Hampshire on Wednesday. In the Declaration, Thomas Jefferson documented the list of grievances facing Britain’s ruler, King George. Kucinich read some of these charges aloud, and compared them to what the crimes of a new George – the current president of the United States.

 “He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good," read the veteran Congressman and Democratic candidate for president. He then noted a recent series of Bush vetoes that have negated key pieces of Democratic legislation.

The focus of the Town Hall style meeting, which was attended by about 60 UNH students and a handful of local residents, was the issue of impeachment. Earlier this month Kucinich sought to brought the idea of impeaching vice president Dick Cheney up before the House of Representatives. The proposal was quickly stifled by the Democratic leadership in Congress. During the event, Kucinich also criticized what he called the "corporatized" nature of the Democratic National Committee, and that group’s undue influence over his party.

Impeachment, Kucinich said, is a key part of our democratic system of checks and balances. Kucinich cited the diminishing power of the Congress as evidence that the system was already in danger. Kucinich pointed out that the Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the right to declare war. But according to Kucinich, Congress never issued a declaration of war against Iraq, making the war unconstitutional.

"This is not just about impeachment. This is about whether or not the constitution is a real, viable document or just a piece of paper," he declared.

"Congress has no right to say impeachment is off the table," said Kucinich. He expressed his belief that by ignoring the impeachment option, Congress would be licensing future crimes by executive branch officials. He went on to depict the process of impeachment as a legal process where evidence would be presented, and any decision of guilt or innocence would be based upon the facts of the case.

"Vice President Cheney violated his oath of office by claiming Iraq had weapons of mass destruction," Kucinich told the crowd of young faces. He emphasized his belief that the case against Cheney was based on a mountain of evidence that had been built out of the vice president's own lies to the American people. These lies were used to make the case for the invasion of Iraq, according to Kucinich.

Kucinich speculated what might happen if Cheney were put on the stand under oath. He stated that it would give the country the chance to ask the vice president some important questions that have so far gone unanswered. Kucinich said that he would like to know what role oil company executives played in making the decision to go to war in Iraq. That statement drew applause from the crowd.

The Democratic leadership's decision to stifle debate on impeachment in Congress will not end Kucinich's quest. He told that crowd that, "All around the country we will be holding these town hall meetings to talk about impeachment." According to Kucinich, everyday citizens could help by writing to their representatives in Congress, talking to friends and neighbors, and using the internet to organize support for the impeachment of Dick Cheney.

The Congressman also took questions during the event. One voter asked him why the new Democratic Congress has been so ineffective. Kucinich siezed the opportunity to criticize his own party. "The Democratic Congress is failing the American people in a way that is disgraceful," Kucinich said.

He went on to say that Democrats had worked to make the war in Iraq the centerpiece of the 2006 elections, and had won big by promising the American people that they would end the war. He lamented the Democratic leadership's "unwillingness to keep our promise to the American people to get out of Iraq."

The failure to end the war by cutting off funding was indicative of a climate of passivity in Congress, according to the progressive Congressman. He claimed that most members of Congress who had voted for the controversial Patriot Act had not seen the final version of the bill because of changes made at the last moment. "But they voted for it because it was called ‘the Patriot Act’," he said, drawing laughter from the crowd.

The result of that passivity was the empowerment of the Bush administration and the ease with which it had led the country to war after 9/11, Kucinich stated. "We are less secure because of way we responded to the 9/11 attacks," he claimed.

When asked why he was being given so little time during the debates, Kucinich said this was inevitable because, "I have something different to say." He joked that the other candidates wanted the debates to be a "happy family reunion."

"I am not into that," he said.

The Congressman added that interest groups and corporations own the government, but that power could be returned to the people if they are willing to work for it. "A lot of power concentrated in the hands of one or a few people - that is the antithesis of democracy," he said. Kucinich called for the creation of a publicly financed election system that would eliminate the influence of private money over politics.

Kucinich was also asked to address the fact the media was largely ignoring his campaign. He cited polling statistics that showed his campaign was making progress despite the lack of media coverage. He also pointed out that the internet had created new opportunities for his supporters and his campaign.

"We are all mediums. We all carry messages. We all have the ability to effect opinion," he said. Kucinich pointed out that activists in Russia had brought down the Soviet Union by communicating over fax machines, not through the media. He said this was evidence that technology that gives people a voice can help speed up the process of change.

The Congressman also attacked the media as uncritical. He stated that the media had acted as a loudspeaker for government propaganda since the Cold War. But the media does not control the public, according to Kucinich. "Just because someone is trying to get us to swallow an elephant, doesn't mean we have to swallow it," he remarked. It is often forgotten that the public owns the airwaves, and therefore has a right to say what should be shown on them, Kucinich told the crowd.

A non-student attendee brought up Republican candidate Ron Paul, who many have called the Kucinich of the Republican party because of his anti-establishment views and his anti-war platform. Kucinich said that he was friends with Paul and that the two share similar views on many issues. He joked that votes in the House often came down to 430 something to 2 - with the names Kucinich and Paul falling on the losing side. "Ron Paul is someone who needs to be heard," he said.

The author, David Anderson, is covering the New Hampshire Primary for Gather.com

He is also a graduate student at the University of New Hampshire.