Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, On Foot

Vermonter Who Walks 480 Miles to Deliver Message Of Impeachment Finds Dismay In D.C.

(CBS)  But impeachment proceedings could actually curtail obstructionist behavior on the part of the Bush administration. Although the White House has repeatedly refused to answer subpoenas for documents or allow testimony by officials in a number of high-profile cases, claiming executive privilege, such privilege cannot be used in matters of impeachment.

So House and Senate Committees that have been refused access to documents about the U.S. attorneys firings, the Valerie Plame outing, the destruction of CIA torture tapes, the loss of millions of White House e-mails, Cheney's secret energy meetings, the EPA's rejection of California's greenhouse gas emissions law, or other topics of more than academic interest, have a means to finally get them: call an impeachment hearing.

But Nirenberg says even that objective isn’t likely to occur. He thinks the Democrats dread any possibility of opening up the topic with Republicans: "They think that would add to the divisiveness and they would be the ones responsible for it - not the criminals, but the prosecutors. It’s laughable how I think they’ve miscalculated, because people see them as spineless."

And if you think Democrats' ears burn when Nirenberg speaks, you can imagine what he has to say about Republicans.

"Obviously I've got my biases, but [lawmakers] are so ideological they don’t even see the point of the Constitution - it's all a matter of whose party is winning and got the power?

"I think they could feel that way only as long as they believe that the public doesn’t really care that much. They believe the public would see it as distracting or as political, and I think they're wrong. I think the crimes are so egregious the public would instantly appreciate the fact that nobody is above the law and that something is done about it.

"And Congress is the only body that can do anything."

So what did he learn about himself from his journey?

"I shouldn't have delegated my citizenship to special interests, let's say, or even the usual activists," he said. "Everybody's got to get involved here, and that's what makes the difference."

"So it's been an interesting experience, from my complacency (which I really am ashamed of) to doing something this extraordinary - to be walking 500 miles to see somebody who has an extraordinary power of denial, claiming to be holding this administration accountable.

"And the other thing is, that even if you are in a minority, when it comes to sensitivity about human rights and constitutional issues, you can't be too sensitive.

"With a name like Nirenberg it's not a great leap of imagination to see how I'm also very conscious about what happened at the Nuremberg trials, and what it meant for Americans - so proud of having fought back tyranny and having established principles that Americans don't torture, even in the most horrifying war then known to Man. And now the president talks about it openly, basically saying he has the right to decide. So if we're not sensitive now to such things, then when it's time it touches us directly, it’s much too late.

"So I guess I learned that I have a lot more courage than I imagine."


By CBSNews.com producer David Morgan.

[gunownerdan]

"Today we need a nation of minute men; citizens who are not only prepared to take up arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as a basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom.
The cause of liberty, the cause of American, cannot succeed with any lesser effort."
- President John F. Kennedy, January 29, 1961

www.A-HUMAN-RIGHT.com

[ov442]

Not that there are THAT many darlings to go around. Kucinich''s Cheney resolution has 24 co-sponsors (out of 435 representatives). There were twice as many co-sponsors on a resolution honoring the late winemaker Ernest Gallo....

hahaaa, thats cuz these congressional boozers drink gallo like breathing air.

[brianbwb-2009]

"TERM LIMITS are the ONLY way to stop this slide to self-destruction. Vote them in while they''''re idealistic and fired up - and get them the H3LL out when they become cynical and self-serving." Posted by oleander8

This might backfire, and cause these people to grab all they can, they know they only have a certain alloted time to do so, and those who are doing actual good will be cut off from continuing to do good.

I posit that hard prison time and fines totaling more than the amounts stolen, (steal 10, will cost you 20) even including capital punishment for the worst offenders, without judges'' discretion, as well as the impeachment and legal sanction, according to the crimes committed, of the current administration as an example and precedent, would do more to put the fear of the people into our elected officials.

[brianbwb-2009]

Posted by STDdating

You will learn, as others have, not to spam these threads with off topic spam to your porn sites.

You have been reported.

[popstom1]

The Sentate and The House of Representatives are forgetting what there job is. It is to uphold. The Constitution of The United States Of America and it''s Laws and when thay do not do the job thay were hired too do. We the People who vote have to fire them. and find some who will do the job there hired to do.

[oleander8]

The only thing the career politicians think about is the next election - not the people and certainly not the country.

TERM LIMITS are the ONLY way to stop this slide to self-destruction. Vote them in while they''re idealistic and fired up - and get them the H3LL out when they become cynical and self-serving.

[walt1944-2009]

We may as well all face the inescapable fact that there will be no impeachment of the Great Emperor Bush II, Darth Vader VP Cheney, or anyone else in the Great Emperor''s court.

Impeachment is "off the table", and won''t go back on the table, even if the Great Emperor Bush II physically tore up the Constitution as a part of his State of the Union speech tomorrow in front of Congress and the TV networks.

The only hope anyone has of having these Nazis criminals answer to any court is to have them up in front of an international tribunal being tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Rumsfeld is already on the run he can''t travel in Europe anymore, we can only hope that will extend to Bush and Cheney too.

SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!

[crick1452]

Yep. The Grapes of Wrath. Fahrenheit 451. Brave New World. Heck, Moby ***!

[slim1h2o]

Many of the greatest novels and poems are written about the hardships man endures.

Posted by crick1452 at 06:56 PM : Jan 27, 2008

Yup, like death,, poverty,,war,,,injustice, the list can go on. All hardships that we endure everyday, in these times. About like the "Great Depression" and WWII.

[crick1452]

Many of the greatest novels and poems are written about the hardships man endures.

[crick1452]

I never said that poetry was going to save anybody. And also, I''''m not a defeatist, either. The only thing I said was, "When times are hard, some of the best poets come out of those times". And not exclude anybody, some of the best novelists come from hard times.
=================
True. Hemingway wrote some of his best in times of war.

[slim1h2o]

slim 1h20 your defeatist attitude that everything is bad and will also be and that poetry can save us is... well what is it...nothing!

Do something stand behind Dr. Nirenberg and support impeachment. The death of all we stand for is occurring before our eyes.

Posted by tonic1661 at 03:42 PM : Jan 27, 2008

I never said that poetry was going to save anybody. And also, I''m not a defeatist, either. The only thing I said was, "When times are hard, some of the best poets come out of those times". And not exclude anybody, some of the best novelists come from hard times.

[cdfoxtrot]

The fact that Americans have put up with Bush all these years is pathetic. There should have been a major revolt years ago.

Posted by erasmus6

Yup, and there was an opportunity to do that at the ballot box four years ago. Knowing the moron-in-chief had dragged us into an illegal war and all for no good reason, people still voted for him. I can''t fault people for voting for him the first time round -- no one knew what a disaster he was going to be. But second time round, there''s no excuse. Anyone who voted Bush in ''04 is partially to blame for the low standing we have in the world today.

[toolmangler-2009]

Posted by george2221 at 01:35 PM : Jan 27, 2008



And this ''amazing'' discovery means what?????
I bought the yard beside me also so no one could build without my permission

[feelfree1]

Re: "But John Nirenberg, who has called for hearings into the conduct of President George W. Bush and Vice President *** Cheney, with the possibility of impeachment, says rescuing America''s standing in the world demands it."

Thank you so much, Mr. Nirenberg!

(Ironic that his name is so similar to Nuremberg, as in the "Nuremberg Trials". How appropriate.)

This demonstrates that one determined individual really can make a difference.

[rowdytexan2]

Posted by MainClown at 03:09 PM : Jan 27, 2008

Men that wish to defend their families while killing other peoples families is a disgusting ideology.

Our march off to an illegal war has done nothing but brew more hatred against our country. Is this what your demand to protect your family is all about? You would go over and kill the families of of thousands of other people who were ABSOLUTELY no threat to yours?

[ssm9451]

Finally someone who has the guts and b*a*l*l*s to go to Washington and raise some h*e*l*l. Hope he gets some followers along the way. If I could, I''d go with him.

[erasmus6]

My question is, why did John Nirenberg have to go to Washington by himself? Who is going to listen to one man, petition or no petition? Are they going to take it seriously when only one person could be bothered to come? There must be millions of Americans who are against Bush, yet nobody got off their fat a-s-s to go with him. Everyday on this site, people are whimping and whining about Bush. It is time to put up or shut up!

The fact that Americans have put up with Bush all these years is pathetic. There should have been a major revolt years ago.

[tonic1661]

slim 1h20 your defeatist attitude that everything is bad and will also be and that poetry can save us is... well what is it...nothing!

Do something stand behind Dr. Nirenberg and support impeachment. The death of all we stand for is occurring before our eyes.

[mainclown]

This article and the comments are the sad last gasps of the New Deal. The alternative new media are rendering this sort of juvenile world view irrelevant and self damning. The fool who would impeach George Bush (no successful terorist attacks since inital sucker punch) is a de facto straw man for the liberal who gave the go-ahead to this article. This guy or gals worldview is so embarassing to those of us who actually have to work and endure our childrens childhood flirtation with socialism. Your philosophy requires the rejection of logic- the most powerful mental tool created by western thought. The thought that becoming in-offensive to our enemys is the way to protect American lives scares the hell out of serious men that wish to protect their families.