A good read from U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin

> Thank you for contacting me regarding impeachment of President
> George W. Bush. It is good to hear from you.
>
> The U.S. Constitution reserves to the Congress of the United States
> the power to remove a president from office. Such action is a two
> step process: the House of Representatives has the power to
> impeach (U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 2) and the Senate
> has the power to conduct the trial and remove a president from
> office (U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 3).
>
> Impeachment and removal from office of the President of the
> United States is a matter that cannot and should not be undertaken
> lightly. Routine dissatisfaction or disagreement with a President's
> actions or policies is not sufficient to justify an impeachment
> proceeding. With a limited term of office (four years), the
> American people have the ability to make a judgment about the
> appropriateness of a President's behavior. I did not support the
> impeachment of former President Bill Clinton because I did not
> believe that his actions were serious enough to warrant removal
> from office, thereby overturning the results of the 1996 election.
>
> Some believe that President Bush should be impeached due to his
> actions in going to war with Iraq. Going to war without a plan to
> win the peace was irresponsible. But even if the Administration
> had an effective exit strategy prepared, wrongfully leading the
> country into war is an indefensible abuse of power by the
> president. There is a growing body of evidence that President
> Bush was deceitful in misleading the nation into war with Iraq. On
> the May 1, 2005, the London Times published the "Downing Street
> Memo" indicating that a discussion to attack Iraq was made as
> early as spring 2002. The memo reports, "Bush wanted to remove
> Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of
> terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being
> fixed around the policy."
>
> Congress, the American people, and the press need to put pressure
> on the president to answer questions regarding the evidence used to
> justify the war in Iraq. It is outrageous that the Administration has
> prevented any official inquiry into this matter. I strongly believe
> that Congress must assert itself as an institution to restore a
> balance between the representatives of the people and the
> executive branch. We continue to move in the direction of an
> imperial presidency, less and less accountable for its actions. The
> United States is a vibrant democracy in part because of our system
> of checks and balances. The fact that the Administration has
> repeatedly ignored inquires by Members of Congress, the media,
> and the American people shows a disregard for the openness vital
> to our democracy. It is time for the president to answer these
> questions, because lack of accountability is a serious threat to the
> stability of our republic.
>
> Congress has the power and authority to prevent, stop and reverse
> these presidential actions. If Congress takes these actions and the
> president defies Congress, impeachment is the appropriate action
> and removal from office the appropriate sanction. I am extremely
> disappointed that the majority party in Congress has not challenged
> the questionable actions of this Administration. Many of us have
> been "voices in the wilderness" speaking out in dissent. We must
> continue to do so, and urge our colleagues to do the same.
>
> Again, thank you for sharing your views. Your opinion matters to
> me. If I can be of service to you in any other way, please do not
> hesitate to let me know.
> Sincerely,
>
>
> Tammy Baldwin
> Member of Congress
>
>
> 1022 Longworth House Office Building
> Washington, DC 20515
>
> 10 E. Doty Street
> Suite 405
> Madison, WI 53703
>
> 400 E. Grand Avenue
> Suite 402
> Beloit, WI 53511
>
> www.tammybaldwin.house.gov