Progressives -- who adore beating up Democratic politicians, and who find dishonor in the tactical assessment of any situation -- have long castigated Nancy Pelosi for placing impeachment "off the table." Some of you may recall my own feelings. Had she said anything else before the 2006 elections, she would not be Speaker now. Precisely because she is Speaker now, she must be the -- and I mean THE -- very last to say the words that so many of you short-sighted ones want her to say.
Her position places her next in line to the Presidency. The moment she says "Impeach!" the national storyline switches from "Bush: What a Moron" to "Nancy: Ambition Run Amuck."
Rush and Karl and Rupert are all dying to go with the N:ARA scenario -- and I suspect that many of you are dying to give those guys precisely what they most desire. Me? I want to keep the "Bush as Moron" dialog going -- and I think everyone in this country except Nancy Pelosi should scream "impeachment" every damn day.
Look at how she words her rejection of impeachment:
"We have to use our energies to end this war. I don't think the popular support is there for such a move, I don't think we can get any Republican votes to move forward."
Nothing here about impeachment being wrong or unfair. She simply thinks that the support is lacking, which means that we must generate a public outcry. She needs to be carried by gale-force winds, so it's up to us to huff and to puff and blow the Bush/Cheney house in.
By the way, does anyone know what the polls now say? I'm not talking about questions that read: "Should Bush be impeached if he..." Any such poll is meaningless. No, the question must be: "Should Bush be impeached?" Plain, simple, nothing added.
Pelosi goes wrong when she suggests that a failed impeachment would set back the Democrats' chances in 2008. That's not how history played out in 1998-2000.
2 comments:
That is absolutely right.
Impeachment needs a 2/3 vote in the Senate and we will likely never achieve that even if every single person in the country demanded it.
But that's why we need to try, we need to try louder and longer than the next campaign season.
I think that’s fairly accurate, but you know what, I DON”T CARE.
Does anyone think that Congress will be able to get Bush to withdraw from Iraq? He has made it pretty clear he will take all actions necessary, legal or not, to stay in Iraq.
He has, and will continue to, set new presidents for executive overreach. These are likely to get worse as Congress pushes back against his policies. He is very likely to get away with it. Such actions are also very likely to destroy his party in the eyes of the American people, as he tosses ever more of our constitution out the window. Democrats seem fine with this as long as Bush gets blamed for it. The Republican party is self-destructing right in front of their eyes and they are loving it.
I have to admit, I too was loving it for a period of time. (This will show people! Americans will finally understand!!) I’m past that now. As I start to see more of the long range effects of his regime on America and the world, I am less concerned with short term gains Democrats can make against his rhetoric and policy gaff of the day. I am now more concerned with the long term effects of the precedents he is setting that will be used by subsequent administrations, Republican and Democrat.
The only deterrent to be had against the long term expansion in executive powers that Bush has kicked into high hear, and future presidents will run with (at best downshifting at times), is Impeachment. Impeachment is the only viable strategy that will check a trend that pre-dated and will far outlast Bush’s regime.
Even a failed attempt at impeachment will do more than Congress is likely to before Bush leaves office. The Democrat’s strategy makes a lot of sense, for Democrats. I’ll even admit it makes sense for America, if you trust Democrats with the powers Bush has assumed. I DON”T. Not Republicans, not Democrats, not ANYONE.
This is not spite. It’s not an irrational or emotional race to impeachment at all costs. This is a calculated opinion on what course of action is most likely to lead to a long term trend in executive accountability and respect for America’s laws, treaties, and honour, by all parties and branches of government.
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