A Waxman form letter to a constituent:
Thank you for contacting me to express your strong
opposition to the policies of the Bush White House and your
support for impeachment. I appreciate having the benefit of your
view on this issue and the opportunity to share my thinking with
you.
As you know, on November 6, 2007, Representative
Dennis Kucinich offered a privileged resolution on the House
floor to bring up H.Res. 333, which would impeach Vice
President Cheney. I joined a majority of the House in a 218-194
vote to refer the privileged resolution to the Judiciary Committee,
which is the committee of jurisdiction.
to the House in 1974 on the heels of the resignation of President
Nixon, I fully understand the gravity of the impeachment process.
And having served in the House during the partisan and political
campaign that pursued the impeachment of President Clinton, I
have seen the detriment of its abuse.
While I recognize the eagerness of Representative
Kucinich and other supporters of impeachment to move this
resolution swiftly, I believe the House has a constitutional and
institutional responsibility to handle such resolutions and their
underlying accusations with due process and regular order. That
is why I voted to refer the measure back to the House Judiciary
Committee for its evaluation and consideration.
In addition to concerns about process, I personally believe
that impeachment is not a successful strategy for challenging the
Bush Administration. On a practical level there aren't enough
votes in the House or the Senate to reach the 2/3 threshold for
impeachment or conviction. Furthermore, pursuing impeachment
would polarize our country at a time when Americans are
unifying across party lines to oppose the President's policies in
Iraq. It does not make sense to divert attention and focus on a
losing strategy against an administration that will be out of office
next year.
As Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform I am committed to holding this
Administration accountable for its actions. I believe the best way
to do so is by restoring the essential checks and balances that
languished during previous congresses. I am determined to fully
investigate acts of misconduct and misjudgment and learn from
the Administration's mistakes so that we can fix our policies and
prevent future abuses.
For more about my work in Congress, or to sign up for
periodic e-mail updates, please visit http://oversight.house.gov and
