r. Speaker:
I come before this body today as a proud American and as
a servant of the American people, sworn to uphold the
Constitution of the United States.
Throughout my tenure, I've always tried to speak the
truth. It's that commitment that brings me here today.
We have a President who has misgoverned and a Congress
that has refused to hold him accountable. It is a grave
situation and I believe the stakes for our country are high.
No American is above the law, and if we allow a
President to violate, at the most basic and fundamental
level, the trust of the people and then continue to govern,
without a process for holding him accountable-what does that
say about our commitment to the truth? To the Constitution?
To our democracy?
The trust of the American people has been broken. And a
process must be undertaken to repair this trust. This
process must begin with honesty and accountability.
Leading up to our invasion of Iraq, the American people
supported this Administration's actions because they
believed in our President. They believed he was acting in
good faith. They believed that American laws and American
values would be respected. That in the weightiness of
everything being considered, two values were rock
solid-trust and truth.
From mushroom clouds to African yellow cake to aluminum
tubes, the American people and this Congress were not
presented the facts, but rather were presented a string of
untruths, to justify the invasion of Iraq.
President Bush, along with Vice President Cheney and
then-National Security Advisor Rice, portrayed to the
Congress and to the American people that Iraq represented an
imminent threat, culminating with President Bush's claim
that Iraq was six months away from developing a nuclear
weapon. Having used false fear to buy consent-the President
then took our country to war.
This has grave consequences for the health of our
democracy, for our standing with our allies, and most of
all, for the lives of our men and women in the military and
their families-who have been asked to make
sacrifices-including the ultimate sacrifice-to keep us safe
Just as we expect our leaders to be truthful, we expect
them to abide by the law and respect our courts and judges.
Here again, the President failed the American people.
When President Bush signed an executive order
authorizing unlawful spying on American citizens, he
circumvented the courts, the law, and he violated the
separation of powers provided by the Constitution. Once the
program was revealed, he then tried to hide the scope of his
offense from the American people by making contradictory,
untrue statements.
President George W. Bush has failed to preserve,
protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States;
he has failed to ensure that senior members of his
administration do the same; and he has betrayed the trust of
the American people.
With a heavy heart and in the deepest spirit of
patriotism, I exercise my duty and responsibility to speak
truthfully about what is before us. To shy away from this
responsibility would be easier. But I have not been one to
travel the easy road. I believe in this country, and in the
power of our democracy. I feel the steely conviction of one
who will not let the country I love descend into shame; for
the fabric of our democracy is at stake.
Some will call this a partisan vendetta, others will say
this is an unimportant distraction to the plans of the
incoming Congress. But this is not about political
gamesmanship.
I am not willing to put any political party before my
principles.
This, instead, is about beginning the long road back to
regaining the high standards of truth and democracy upon
which our great country was founded.
Mr. Speaker:
Under the standards set by the United States
Constitution, President Bush-along with Vice President
Cheney, and Secretary of State Rice-should be subject to the
process of impeachment, and I have filed H. Res. _ in the
House of Representatives.
To my fellow Americans, as I leave this Congress, it is
in your hands-to hold your representatives accountable, and
to show those with the courage to stand for what is right,
that they do not stand alone.
Thank you.
