The House sent articles of impeachment against President Bush to the Judiciary Committee Wednesday on a mostly party-line vote: 251-166.

Dennis J. Kucinich, D-Ohio, said he introduced the measure (H Res 1258) because he believes there had been “abuses of power” during the run-up to the Iraq War.

Kucinich previously introduced impeachment measures against Vice President Dick Cheney (H Res 333, H Res 799).

The Judiciary Committee has allowed those to languish without any committee consideration.

Judiciary Chairman John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., has not said whether he will convene hearings on the latest impeachment effort, which Democratic leaders consider an unnecessary election year distraction.

Kucinich said that if the Judiciary Committee does not act within 30 days, he intends to introduce another, longer version of the articles of impeachment, with 60 counts instead of 35.

“I am not going to let this go. I am not going to let it go. I’ll just keep coming back and they can pile these things up in committee but I’ll keep coming back,” Kucinich said. “I’ll bring it up again, and there will be more. There will be more.”

Though Conyers was careful not to comment on Kucinich’s threat or his own intentions, he did say Kucinich had asked for a meeting with the Judiciary chairman. “I’d be happy to do that,” Conyers said.

There was no debate before Wednesday’s vote, but the issue did get some floor time.

The entire 58-page text was read out loud on the floor by the clerk, which took three hours and 45 minutes Tuesday night. On Monday night, Kucinich read the text on the House floor. It took him an hour longer.

Michael Steel, spokesman for House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, said that most Republicans voted against referring the resolution to committee to make a point about wasted time.

“This is just another example of the Democratic leadership in the House indulging trivial and silly conspiracy theories, rather than working with Republicans to deal with the real issues facing the American people,” he said.