http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docid=news-000002893985

June 11th, 2008 1:52 am

House to Vote on Sending Impeachment Articles to Committee

By Molly K. Hooper / CQ Politics

House members are set to vote Wednesday on sending articles of impeachment against President Bush to the Judiciary Committee.
The 35 articles were offered by Dennis J. Kucinich , D-Ohio, who has pushed his caucus to do more to challenge the White House regarding the run-up to the Iraq War.
Democratic Party leaders have spent nearly a year and a half reining in their caucus on this topic, determined to show that the party is more focused on getting out of Iraq than on how the nation got into Iraq.
Kucinich argues Bush abused his power “to manufacture a false case for war against Iraq.”
On Monday, Kucinich spent about four and a half hours reading the full impeachment text into the Congressional Record.
Under House rules, the chamber must act on the measure within two days.
Judiciary Chairman John Conyers Jr. , D-Mich., declined to say whether his committee would consider the articles.
Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer , questioning whether impeachment hearings were the right use of time remaining on this year’s election-shortened calendar, defended Congress’ record on confronting Bush.
“This Congress, for the first time since this president has been in office, is holding him accountable, doing oversight in terms of Iraq and Afghanistan, domestic policy, and international civil liberties and civil rights,” said Hoyer, D-Md.
Although many view a referral to committee as a burial for the resolution, Kucinich insisted that “referring it to committee indicates that there should be hearings on this.”
He said the record to support impeachment is “so voluminous and well-documented” that hearings ought to be held.
Kucinich said he and his staff originally put together 60 articles of impeachment but cut that list to what he described as the “most powerful” allegations.