Conyers to start hearings into Bush conduct in office

Deb Price, Detroit News

WASHINGTON -- Rep. John Conyers announced Thursday that he will hold Judiciary Committee hearings next week on the "imperial" Bush presidency -- a step the Detroit Democrat's allies on the political left quickly trumpeted as "impeachment begins."

Conyers, however, was careful in his news releases not to use the word "impeachment," which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other House leaders have repeatedly said is off the table.

Instead, Conyers said the hearing next Friday will look at "credible allegations of serious misconduct" by Bush administration officials and "what many would describe as a radical view" of power.

White House spokeswoman Jeanie Mamo dismissed the hearing.

"Perhaps this is why Congress' approval rating is at 14 percent," Mamo said. "That won't do anything to address the problems of Americans, like high gas prices."

But Pelosi's spokesman said she supports Conyers.

"The speaker supports this hearing and appreciates Chairman Conyers' strong leadership to ensure proper oversight and accountability," said Drew Hammill.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, who was a Democratic presidential candidate, has introduced 35 articles of impeachment against Bush, largely around his handling of the Iraq war. On June 11, the U.S. House voted 251-166 to send Kucinich's bill to Conyers' committee in what was seen as a way to kill it.

But Democrats.com -- one of several left-wing activist groups pushing for Bush's impeachment -- sent out an e-mail before Conyers' announcement Thursday titled, "Impeachment begins July 25."

The Web-based activist group's Washington director, David Swanson, said the hearing doesn't go far enough.

"Chairman Conyers wants to advertise Bush and (Vice President) Cheney's impeachable offenses but not act on them," Swanson said. "But that advertises the Democrats' unwillingness to stand up for our Constitution."

Conyers has held several hearings looking into whether Bush has overstepped his constitutional powers, leading two veteran political analysts to conclude that the hearings will be a sideshow to appease the powerful left wing of the Democratic Party, which through the Internet has become a formidable mobilizing and fundraising force.

Michael Franc, a political analyst at the Heritage Foundation, said the Internet-based left wing of the Democratic Party "can't be dismissed as the crazy uncle in the attic. They are a powerful force in Democratic politics."

But Franc said the Democratic left "tends to criminalize differences of opinion on policy, vision and the use of power." As a result, Franc said, Conyers' hearing -- part of a larger spotlight on the Bush White House -- could backfire if a Democrat is elected president.

David Bositis, a political analyst at the Joint Center for Economic and Political Studies, said impeachment hearings could make voters sympathize with Bush at the very time his record-low poll ratings make him useful to Democrats in the upcoming high-stakes presidential and congressional elections.

"Bush serves a great use, because the Democrats are going to wrap George Bush around every Republican in the country," he said. "Why risk a good thing?"