David Swanson: Impeach07 Campaign Launched

There is movement in the impeachment movement. And it's motivated by a strange sensation: hope. In Olympia, Wa., on Tuesday, over 800 people crammed in for a forum on impeachment with Ray McGovern, Elizabeth de la Vega, and Dave Lindorff. Why?

Not, I think, because of those three people, each of whom I consider a friend and a brilliant speaker. Rather, the excitement was focused on Eric Oemig, a state senator, who was there to discuss his resolution to petition the U.S. House to begin impeachment proceedings. The first committee hearing on this bill is scheduled for March 1, and -- according to the Jefferson Manual (rule book for the House) -- it can begin impeachment as long as one Congress Member accepts the state's petition. Video right, details HERE.

A similar bill in New Mexico has already cleared the Senate Rules Committee with a unanimous vote of Democrats, and every Republican skipping the meeting so as not to have to defend Bush or Cheney HERE.

Vermont has a bill making its way through the legislature as well and more states are in the works.

But the big news is in national organizing. The organizations that have had the nerve to step out for impeachment have been somewhat isolated from each other until now, as a result of various disagreements. One problem is that there are so many grounds for impeaching Cheney and Bush that no two people can agree on what the best ones are. But a new campaign has just been formed uniting all the major organizations under one umbrella: Impeach07.org.

Newsweek reported in October that a majority of Americans favor impeachment, and in January that 58% said they wished the Bush administration were over. We have new evidence from the Libby trial of the highest of crimes by Cheney. And we have yet another war threatened -- one that impeachment could prevent. At least two Congress Members say they'll impeach if Bush bombs Iran: John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio). We want to impeach in order to PREVENT bombing Iran.

To see the list of projects we think can achieve this, and to get involved, go to Impeach07.org.

Finally, when people ask whether this group is united with that group on impeachment, we can all say yes. Or so I thought until I received this misguided Email this morning:

"Are you planning to collaborate with moveon and various other impeachment groups?"

No comment.

Evan Derkacz is an AlterNet editor. He writes and edits PEEK, the blog of blogs.

© 2007 Independent Media Institute. All rights reserved.
View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/bloggers/evan/48359/

© Scoop Media