A US congressman and former presidential candidate has vowed not to give up his fight to impeach the president over going to war in Iraq, after the House of Representatives sidelined his bill, possibly until after George Bush leaves office.

Dennis Kucinich said if hearings on the issue were not held within 30 days, he would introduce more articles of impeachment against Bush to the US congress.

 

The House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to send Kucinich's impeachment bill to a committee in what has been seen as a delay tactic.

 

Kucinich, a Democrat, told Al Jazeera that the impeachment attempt was not just about the past, but also about the future.

 

The bill also says Bush mishandled the response to Hurricane Katrina [EPA]

"If we do not establish that the rule of law must apply to the president of the US now, what we are doing is through our inaction creating a precedent that would let the next president know that he could go ahead and wage war without congressional approval.

 

"That he could approve of wiretapping, rendition, spying, torture or anything because congress wouldn't act.

 

"We need to take a stand now not just for justice for what's happened over the last six, seven years but also to restrain any abuse of power in the next administration."

 

Kucinich's articles of impeachment include charges that Bush manufactured a false case for going to war against Iraq.

 

They also charge Bush with failing to provide troops with vehicle armour, illegally detaining both foreign nationals and Americans, condoning torture, mishandling the government's response to Hurricane Katrina and undermining efforts to address global warning.

 

"It is imperative that members of congress have a thorough opportunity to read the articles of impeachment and study the documentation," Kucinich said in a statement.

 

 

But an election looms in which every House seat, a third of those in the senate and the presidency are up for grabs.

 

Consequently, with the legislative schedule shortened, House leaders are against spending the remaining time on impeachment proceedings.

 

Republicans, seeing a chance to force Democrats into an embarrassing debate, voted to bring up the resolution, but the Democrats countered by pushing through a motion to scuttle the bill from the floor.

 

Kucinich has tried before to impeach members of the Bush administration.

 

Last year, he introduced a resolution to have Dick Cheney, US vice-president, removed from office.

 

Republicans were forced to vote in favour of taking up the measure to force a debate, where the resolution was eventually killed.