One of the more depressing aspects of George W Bush's two terms has been the damage done to the whole idea of democracy. Two countries have been invaded, domestic civil liberties have been eroded and America's relationships with countless foreign countries have been set back by years. It's ironic that Bush and Cheney are turning the democracy they pretend to promote into something that no sane person would be interested in.

There is now credible evidence that Vice President Cheney manipulated intelligence to bolster the case for an invasion of Iraq, and that he was either deeply involved in or directly responsible for revealing the identity of a serving covert CIA officer, a criminal offence. Cheney's disdain for the legal process is evidenced by his response to requests for information from Congressional oversight committees. He claims the office of the Vice President isn't a part of the executive branch, but nevertheless invokes executive privilege to avoid investigation.

Finally someone in Congress has decided that this abuse of power should not go unpunished, as a reminder to future presidents that their power does have limits. Representative Robert Wexler has issued a demand for impeachment hearings for vice-president Cheney, and to date over 140,000 members of the public have responded by signing up. Wexler has posted an hour of audio on this topic on Blog Talk Radio, and plans to approach the members of the Judiciary Committee early in the New Year.

So far it hasn't made national headlines, but with articles in the Miami Herald and the Philadelphia Inquirer plus video coverage from CBS4 in Miami this issue can no longer be dismissed as only of interest to the liberal left.

If the Republicans could justify attempts to impeach President Clinton for a sexual peccadillo that had little or no effect on the execution of his duties or on America's international relationships, how much more appropriate that the current vice president be called to account for his abuse of executive power. Visit WexlerWantsHearings now, and add your support to show that not all American citizens are happy to see their country become an international disgrace.