[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 142 (Tuesday, September 9, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H7865]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             WITHOUT ACCOUNTABILITY, A DEMOCRACY WILL FAIL

  (Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, for the last 2 years I have struggled 
with the issue of whether the House should impeach a sitting President. 
Next to declaring war, impeachment is the gravest matter the House of 
Representatives must consider. I fully understand the gut-wrenching 
consequences of such a national debate that could precipitate.
  Yet there is one fact we cannot overlook or escape. America cannot 
regain its moral leadership in the world if America cannot hold its 
leaders accountable for their actions at home.
  The allegations that could warrant impeachment keep growing. They 
have been illuminated in recent books, including ``The Way of the 
World'' by Ron Suskind; the book by Vincent Bugliosi; and the new book 
by Bob Woodward, ``The War Within.''
  Over 5 years ago, I tried to place asterisks in the Congressional 
Record next to the statements about Iraq the President made to 
Congress. I was attacked for saying the President would mislead us into 
the war. But the American people ultimately learned the truth. There 
seems to be no end to the allegations, and we have a responsibility to 
investigate their authenticity. That's why I am signing onto a 
resolution to consider impeachment of the President. Without 
accountability, a democracy will fail.

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