Hinchey: censure of Bush, Cheney, Gonzalez

Congressman Maurice Hinchey today called again for Congress for formally censure President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales over the U.S. military involvement in Iraq and other activities, including wire taps and alleged torture.

Hinchey is a Democrat from New York’s 22nd district, which stretches from the central Hudson Valley to the city and town of Ithaca.

In August, he introduced a censure resolution in the House. House Resolution 625 has 23 co-sponsors and was referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.

A similar Senate measure, S. Res 302, was sponsored by Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wisc. It is co-sponsored by Sen. Tom Harkin D-Iowa and referred to the Judiciary Committee.

On Tuesday, the House referred a resolution, introduced by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) to impeach Cheney to committee.

The censure resolutions regarding Iraq, S.Res.302 and H.Res.625, condemn the president and vice president for: misleading the nation about the threat posed by Saddam Hussein’s regime and about Saddam’s links to al Qaeda and 9/11; inadequate planning for military action in Iraq; overstraining the military and undermining homeland security; and Misleading the nation about the strength of the insurgency.

The censure resolutions regarding the rule of law, S.Res.303 and H.Res.626, condemn the president and former attorney general for: authorizing the illegal NSA warrantless wiretapping program; pursuing extreme policies concerning torture and the treatment of detainees; detaining enemy combatants indefinitely without charges, access to a lawyer, or habeas rights; unilaterally authorizing flawed military commissions that were subsequently struck down by the Supreme Court; misleading Congress and the public about, and obstructing investigations into, the firings of U.S. Attorneys; making misleading statements regarding civil liberties abuses under the Patriot Act; and undermining acts of Congress with signing statements based on extreme theories of executive power.

Originally published November 8, 2007