Echoes of Dennis Kucinich? A South Florida congressman called for impeachment hearings on the vice president.

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Robert Wexler is taking on the Bush administration -- in cyberspace.

The Boca Raton Democrat has launched a website -- wexlerwantshearings.com -- and is gathering signatures calling for impeachment hearings against Vice President Dick Cheney.

''Our Constitution mandates that the House of Representatives hold presidents and vice presidents accountable when they commit high crimes,'' Wexler says in a video on the site, which suggests, among other things, that Cheney manipulated intelligence to boost the case for war against Iraq and was involved in the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame.

Within two days of posting, Wexler said he had surpassed his goal of 50,000 signatures and is aiming for 250,000. He's written an op-ed article with two fellow members of the House Judiciary committee, calling for hearings into whether Cheney violated the Constitution.

Though the push is, as Wexler acknowledges, a ''huge uphill battle,'' because House leadership has not been interested, the quest has made him a favorite of left-leaning activists.

''It's phenomenal. I think he's a very brave person to go against the Democratic leadership,'' said Diane Lawrence, a Kendall woman and member of the South Florida Impeachment Coalition, which began calling for impeachment hearings last August. ``He's gaining momentum, this is what people around the country were waiting for.''

Wexler, a veteran member of the House Judiciary Committee, hopes to deliver the signatures to the committee in January when Congress returns to Washington.

PRIOR BIDS

Democratic House leaders, however, have sought to quash earlier efforts, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying before Democrats even took control of Congress that impeachment was ``off the table.''

Rep. Dennis Kucinich, a Democratic contender for president, introduced a resolution earlier this year calling for Cheney's impeachment. It was referred to the judiciary committee.

Megan Mitchell, a spokeswoman for Cheney said the vice president ``is focused on the serious issues facing this country.''

Wexler, who now calls his 2002 vote to authorize Bush to attack Iraq a ''mistake,'' told listeners of Florida Progressive Radio last week that Congress ``is way behind the rest of the country on the [impeachment] issue.''

But he suggested that he had to be convinced.

ISSUE IN DISTRICT

''When I first heard about the effort I did not fully appreciate that the beliefs being expressed were not simply beliefs of people on the fringe,'' he said. ``But the last two times talking to people in my district, I was convinced that this, in fact, is a mainstream issue.''

His 19th congressional district, which is heavily Democratic, stretches along the South Florida coast and includes parts of Palm Beach and Broward counties.

Wexler said the hearings wouldn't prevent the House from conducting other business.

''We can hold hearings and implement children's healthcare,'' he said.

BY LESLEY CLARK

lclark@MiamiHerald.com 
Posted on Tue, Dec. 25, 2007

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