The Constitution in Crisis

The High Crimes of the Bush Administration and a Blueprint for Impeachment

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• Publisher: Skyhorse
• Year: 2007
• Print ISBN: 9781602390096
• eBook ISBN: 9781626368002
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

The Republican-led Congress has been notoriously slow to investigate the current Republican administration. For that reason, Representative Conyers of Michigan commissioned his staff to put together the report that became The Constitution in Crisis. It chronicles the deceptions, manipulations, and retributions of President George W. Bush and his administration. Did the President mislead the country in order to invade Iraq? Have suspected "evil-doers" been tortured in violation of U.S. and international laws? Has the National Security Agency eaves-dropped on American citizens in violation of wire tapping laws? This report is a must-read for anyone concerned about the direction of our nation!Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Endnotes

1

Larry King Live: “Interview with Dick Cheney and Lynne Cheney” (CNN television broadcast, May 30, 2005) (emphasis added), available at http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0505/30/lkl.01.html.

2

Texas Governor George W. Bush’s campaign focused on issues of “compassionate conservatism,” his stated view that conservative policies could be brought to bear to address social ills. Another focus of his campaign was the perceived ethical transgressions of the Clinton Administration, and the Starr Investigation in particular. Governor Bush promised to restore “honor and dignity to the White House.” “Capital Gang: Lieberman Takes the Heat; Bush, McCain Meet in Arizona; Are the Democrats Getting Tough on Hollywood?” (CNN television broadcast, Aug. 13, 2000) available at http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0008/13/cg.00.html.

3

See Commission on Presidential Debates, Unofficial Debate Transcript, Oct. 3, 2000, available at http://www.debates.org/pages/trans2000a.html. Vice President Cheney also stated in an interview, in the midst the 2000 presidential campaign, that the U.S. should not act as though “we were an imperialist power, willy-nilly moving into capitals in that part of the world, taking down governments.” Meet the Press: “Interview with Vice President Dick Cheney” (NBC television broadcast, Aug. 27, 2000).

4

Bryan Burrough, Evgenia Peretz, David Rose, & David Wise, “The Path to War,” Vanity Fair, May 1, 2004, at 228, 232.

5

President George W. Bush, State of the Union Address (Jan. 29, 2002), available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020129-11.html.

6

President George W. Bush, Graduation Speech at West Point (June 1, 2002), available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/06/20020601-3.html. He further noted that “[t]he war on terror will not be won on the defensive. We must take the battle to the enemy.... And this nation will act.” Ibid.

7

On “multiple” occasions, Cheney and Libby questioned analysts studying alleged Iraq’s weapons programs and links to Al Qaeda.. Walter Pincus, “Some Iraq Analysts Felt Pressure From Cheney,” The Washington Post, June 5, 2003, at A1

8

For example, on August 22, 2002, the President stated that he was willing to “look at all options.” Adam Nagourney & Thom Shanker, “A ‘Patient’ Bush Says He’ll Weigh All Iraq Options”, the New York Times, Aug. 22, 2002, at A1. Later that year, he stated, “Of course, I haven’t made up my mind we’re going to war with Iraq.” President George W. Bush, Remarks on Terrorism Insurance (Oct. 1, 2002), available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/10/20021001-1.html.

9

Frank Rich, “It’s Bush-Cheney, Not Rove-Libby”, the New York Times, Oct. 16, 2005, at 12.

10

The President stated that Iraq was a “grave and gathering danger.” President George W. Bush, Remarks at the U.N. General Bssembly (Sept. 12, 2002), available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/09/20020912-1.html. He also said that the U.S. would “not allow any terrorist or tyrant to threaten civilization with weapons of mass murder.” President George W. Bush, Remarks to the Nation on the Anniversary of Terrorist Attacks (Sept. 11, 2002), available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/09/20020911-3.html.

11

Letter from Dr. Naji Sabri, Iraq Minister of Foreign Affairs, to Kofi Annan, U.N. Secretary-General (Sept. 16, 2002), available at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2002/09/16/international1954EDT0706.DTL.

12

President George W. Bush, President Discusses Iraq, Domestic Agenda with Congressional Leaders (Sept. 18, 2002), available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/09/20020918-1.html. The next day, the President stated how important it was that Congress pass a resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq. President George W. Bush, President Bush to Send Iraq Resolution to Congress Today (Sept. 19, 2002), available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/09/20020919-1.html.

13

On October 7, 2002, President Bush warned that the final proof of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) could come in the form of a “mushroom cloud” and subsequently requested Congressional authorization for war. President George W. Bush, Remarks on Iraq (Oct. 7, 2002), available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/10/20021007-8.html.

14

H.J. Res. 114, 107th Cong. 2d Sess. (2002) (enacted as Authorization for Use of Military Force Bgainst Iraq Resolution of 2002, Pub. L. No. 107-243, 116 Stat. 1498 (2002)). Several Members of Congress, including Ranking Member Conyers, filed suit in Federal court arguing the resolution was Constitutionally deficient. Among other things, the suit alleged that the text of the resolution did not explicitly invoke the War Powers Act and unconstitutionally delegated the Congressional power to declare war to the Executive Branch. The suit was ultimately unsuccessful [Doe v. Bush, 323 F.3d 133 (1st Cir. 2003).] While substantial questions remain about whether this resolution appropriately authorized the use of force in Iraq, it has come to be known as a joint resolution “for the use of force” and will be referred to as such in this report.

15

See Ibid.

16

President George W. Bush, Remarks at the Signing of the Iraq Resolution (Oct.16, 2002), available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/10/20021016-1.html

17

S.C. Res 1441, U.N. SCOR, 4644th mtg., S/2002/1198 (2002), available at http://www.un.int/usa/sresiraq.htm. The resolution made clear that only the United Nations Security Council had the right to take punitive action against Iraq in ...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• Introduction
• Summary
• I - The Downing Street Minutes and Deception, Manipulation, Torture, Retribution, and Coverups in the Iraq War
• II - Unlawful Domestic Surveillance and the Decline of Civil Liberties Under the Administration of George W. Bush
• Addendum
• Analysis
• Recommendations
• Conclusion
• Endnotes
• Legal Standards and Authorities
• Major Reports