Thank you for participating in our DFA/Tucson meeting regarding impeachment and for your subsequent note. We sincerely appreciate your willingness, and that of Rep. Giffords,  to address our questions and concerns. Your presentation regarding Rep. Giffords' positions was informative. It advanced the discussion measurably and confirmed our support for the Congresswoman's stance on most issues. However, our most urgent concern is stopping the Bush-Cheney administration's assault on the Constitution, our civil rights, and the rule of law.

We welcome Rep. Giffords' support of hearings to determine if this Administration has overstepped the bounds of the law and the Constitution, and we share her belief that this administration is out of control and in need of the kind of oversight and accountability that only Congress can impose. We strongly urge that the Congresswoman formalize her support for accountability and the rule of law by signing Rep. Wexler's petition to commence Judiciary Committee hearings on possible impeachment.

As you experienced in our meeting, there is a pent-up reservoir of frustration, anger, and disappointment over the lack of definitive action in Congress to stop the illegal actions of the Bush administration. Either we are a nation of laws, or we are not; when the highest officials in the nation do not respect the rule of law, then we truly have a crisis. As citizens learn more about the actions of this administration, their support for decisive action by Congress becomes stronger. We strongly believe that if and when the House Judiciary Committee initiates an open, public investigation of the allegations, then broad and bi-partisan public and Congressional support for impeachment will swiftly follow.

An urgent concern of Bruce Fein, a Reagan administration Justice Department official and a leader in the call for impeachment proceedings, is that a precedent of inaction is being set by the current Congress, and that this precedent may fundamentally and permanently alter the balance of power between the branches of our federal government. This must not be countenanced with silence and neglect. This Congress owes the people of this nation, at minimum, public hearings investigating the extent of these novel uses of executive power so that history will not record that this generation of leaders wandered blindly into autocracy.

The American Lawyers Defending the Constitution, a group of over 1000 attorneys, including many prominent constitutional experts, has stated: "We have all taken an oath obligating us to defend the Constitution and the rule of law. We believe the Bush administration has committed numerous offenses against the Constitution and may have violated federal laws....Moreover, the administration has blatantly defied congressional subpoenas , obstructing constitutional oversight...Thus, we call on House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers and the Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy to launch hearings into the possibility that crimes have been committed by this administration in violation of the Constitution...We call for the investigations to go where they must, including into the offices of the President and the Vice President." Such sentiments are not those of a tiny, disgruntled minority; polling shows that most Americans demand government accountability, transparency, and adherence to the rule of law.

We respect that Rep. Giffords wishes any action on possible articles of impeachment in the House to occur in an orderly and well-considered fashion, and thus will not commit herself to a position on the matter before reviewing the specific evidence supporting articles of impeachment. We appreciate her willingness, which you expressed at our meeting, to support such an investigation taking place in the proper forum, such as the House Judiciary Committee. Therefore, we urge her to make publicly known her enthusiastic support for the Constitution and the rule of law by joining Rep. Wexler's efforts to start such an investigation.  Over 230,000 citizens have already signed petitions in support of Rep. Wexler's initiative. Since 72% of registered Democrats support such hearings (according to a recent Zogby poll), the Congresswoman should feel comfortable in representing this overwhelming sentiment of members of her own party and her Congressional constituency.

We need to protect our democracy by restoring the constitutional balance among the branches of our federal government, and only resolute and principled leadership by each of our Congressional representatives can achieve that goal. We look forward to any response from you or Rep. Giffords, and appreciate your principled consideration of this matter of vital importance to our Republic.

Sincerely,

 Raymond Graap, M.D.; Chair,  DFA/Tucson