Dem challengers applaud impeachment

Two insurgent Democratic challengers have expressed strong support for Rep. Dennis Kucinich's (D-Ohio) idea to introduce articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush Monday night. Paul Richmond (D-Port Townsend), who is seeking the seat of party mate Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Belfair), and Cheryl Crist (D-Olympia), who is running against Rep. Brian Baird (D-Vancouver), both issued press releases welcoming the impeachment and urging their fellow candidates to support the movement.

"I am thrilled that Congressman Kucinich has moved forward with enumerating the grave crimes and malfeasance in office of George W. Bush. There is ample evidence that warrants impeachment and removal from office of both Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney," said Crist. "I strongly wish that I were in Congress today so that I could co-sponsor this historic impeachment resolution."

Richmond was similarly eager to push forward with impeachment.

"The Bush and Cheney administration needs to be held accountable for what it has done to this country, before it, or a future administration does even worse," he said in a press release. "As the U.S. Supreme Court has noted, the process to do this is Impeachment."

Richmond cited a Zogby poll of January 16, 2006 which showed a majority of Americans in support of impeachment for offenses relating to illegal wiretapping, and reassured doubters that there would be plenty of time to let the process go through.

"The impeachment of Clinton took four months," Richmond said. "Once it gathered momentum, it took five months to press Nixon to resign. Prior to the start of these five months as many Republican representatives ‘supported' President Nixon as now ‘support' this administration. The most famous question that brought Nixon down, ‘what did the President know and when did he know it,' was asked by Howard Baker (R. Tenn.) who began as one of these supporters."