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Dead Constitution See other Dead Constitution Articles Title: Kucinich: 'Impeachment may well be the only remedy which remains to stop a war of aggression against Iran' During a speech on the House floor on Thursday, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) declared that "impeachment may well be the only remedy which remains to stop a war of aggression against Iran." The 2004 presidential candidate, who is running again in 2008, told RAW STORY that his House floor statement "speaks for itself." "This House cannot avoid its constitutionally authorized responsibility to restrain the abuse of Executive power," Kucinich said on the floor today. "The Administration has been preparing for an aggressive war against Iran. There is no solid, direct evidence that Iran has the intention of attacking the United States or its allies." Kucinich noted that since the US "is a signatory to the U.N. Charter, a constituent treaty among the nations of the world," and Article II states that "all members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state," then "even the threat of a war of aggression is illegal." "Article VI of the U.S. Constitution makes such treaties the Supreme Law of the Land," Kucinich continued. "This Administration, has openly threatened aggression against Iran in violation of the U.S. Constitution and the U.N. Charter." Kucinich added, "This week the House Appropriations Committee removed language from the Iraq war funding bill requiring the Administration, under Article 1, Section 8, Clause 11 of the Constitution, to seek permission before it launched an attack against Iran." According to the Associated Press, "Conservative Democrats as well as lawmakers concerned about the possible impact on Israel had argued for the change in strategy." "The Iran-related proposal stemmed from a desire to make sure Bush did not launch an attack without going to Congress for approval, but drew opposition from numerous members of the rank and file in a series of closed-door sessions last week," David Espo reported for the AP. "Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said in an interview there is widespread fear in Israel about Iran, which is believed to be seeking nuclear weapons and has expressed unremitting hostility about the Jewish state." "It would take away perhaps the most important negotiating tool that the U.S. has when it comes to Iran," Berkley told the AP, while Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY) added, "I didn't think it was a very wise idea to take things off the table if you're trying to get people to modify their behavior and normalize it in a civilized way." The AP article continued, "Several officials said there was widespread opposition to the proposal at a closed-door meeting last week of conservative and moderate Democrats, who said they feared tying the hands of the administration when dealing with an unpredictable and potentially hostile regime in Tehran. " With the language on Iran removed from the Iraq funding bill, Kucinich now believes that impeaching Bush may be the "only remedy" left to prevent him from mounting an aggressive military campaign against Iran. "Since war with Iran is an option of this Administration and since such war is patently illegal, then impeachment may well be the only remedy which remains to stop a war of aggression against Iran," Kucinich said today. A press release sent to RAW STORY by Kucinich's office notes that the Congressman "has consistently spoken out on the House floor and been an advocate for bringing to light the war this Administration is appearing to prepare against Iran," but this is the first time that he's raised the specter of "impeachment" there. Many Democrats insisted before and after last year's midterm elections that impeachment was "off the table." In January, RAW STORY first reported that while making an unannounced appearance at a media reform conference, Kucinich was pressed by bloggers in attendance about impeachment. "Telling the crowd that while he didn't think immediate action was wise, due to fears that Bush might 'accelerate the war even more,' the congressman warned that 'if Bush attacks Iran, all bets are off,'" Miriam Raftery reported. "'The President is clearly trying to provoke Iran,'" he said, adding that the Bush administration is 'treading on the thinnest ice it has ever been on.'"
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