Kucinich Wants Obama Impeached

Dennis Kucinich

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Glenn Church

Dennis Kucinich wants to impeach Barack Obama. The Ohio Congressman believes that Obama violated the Constitution by attacking Libya. His particular point of contention is that only Congress has the power to declare war. 


In 2009, Kucinich announced his intention to invoke the 1973 War Powers Act and bring the troops home from Afghanistan. That did not go anywhere, which shows how marginalized Kucinich is even within the Democratic Party.

Obama did consult with some members of Congress in what has been described more as a “cattle call” than a consultation. Even House Speaker John Boehner believes that Obama needs to do more with consulting Congress. 

The difference is that Boehner has all his screws tightened, Kucinich, on the other hand, is…well, Kucinich.

With six months to go in George W. Bush’s second term, Dennis Kucinich introduced 35 articles of impeachment. The year before he tried to impeach Dick Cheney. That failed so he moved onto Bush. If Kucinich had succeeded then the man he thought should have been removed as Vice-President would have become President. Kucinich was probably the only person in America who wanted to see Dick Cheney become President.

Onto 2011 and Kucinich is once again discussing impeachment, but this time of a fellow Democrat. 

Kucinich has been a harsh critic of Obama continuing many of the Bush administration policies, but this step sets him permanently into the gadfly hall of fame.

Obama has not done anything different than other Presidents have done for years. In today’s world of fast-changing events and instant communications, it is nearly impossible to follow the procedure to war as defined originally in the Constitution. Part of the reason is that the military actions now undertaken by the United States are beyond any imagined by the Founding Fathers. 

It is a different world with instant communications. The biggest victory of the War of 1812 was fought after a peace treaty was signed. Today, the world can be destroyed within 30 minutes by firing nuclear missiles. Presenting a resolution of war while Gaddafi walks through Bengazi, slaughters his people and the rest of the Libyan rebels is quaint.
As with all other powers defined in the Constitution, this one too has led to modern interpretations.

Congress still has the authority to stop a military action. However, to rely on the War Powers Act to enforce consultations, which is of questionable constitutionality itself, is a weak-legged stool to stand upon. Even drawing upon the Constitution’s language that Congress has the power to declare war is an unsteady argument.

Kucinich revealed his own foreign policy naivety by releasing a press release last week criticizing Obama for not recognizing Muammar Gaddafi’s call for a ceasefire. Gaddafi may have called for that, but he never recognized it himself. It seems the only person who recognized it was Kucinich.

Outside of a handful of other liberals of Kucinich’s ilk and isolationist Republicans like Ron Paul, no one will take Kucinich seriously. 

Like the birthers on the right, Kucinich makes a convenient left-wing foil for Barack Obama. It makes Obama appear moderate, even conservatives rally to support Obama on this one when Kucinich begins to spout off with nonsense of impeachment.

In the end, none of this bluster will amount to anything. This may be posturing by Kucinich who ran for president in 2004 and 2008. It has long been my contention that Obama will face a challenge from the left for his renomination. Bill Clinton is the only Democratic incumbent not to face a significant challenge in his own party, unless one wants to consider Lyndon LaRouche, who is Gaddafi-like crazy, as significant.

This may be the opening bell for another Kucinich presidential campaign.