Impeachment Countdown: Are Bush and Cheney Starting to Lose Sleep?

[babylonsister]

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/24593

Impeachment Countdown: Are Bush and Cheney Starting to Lose Sleep?
Submitted by dlindorff on Thu, 2007-07-12 15:51. Impeachment

Now it’s Sen. Barbara Boxer.

The junior senator from California on Wednesday stated publicly on national radio (the Ed Schultz Show) that in her view, impeachment of the president should be “on the table.”

` The reference, of course, was a pointed dig at Boxer’s San Francisco neighbor, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who over a year ago announced that if Democrats were to regain control of the House, impeachment would not even be considered. It would, she famously vowed, be “off the table.”

Of course, since Pelosi made that shameful declaration, brushing aside Bush’s already committed crimes against the Constitution, it has become clear that this president has been refusing to enact dozens, perhaps hundreds, of laws duly passed by the Congress, and that he has ignored the clear will of the people to have the disastrous Iraq War brought to a quick, merciful end As well, proof has mounted of presidential and vice-presidential lying to put the country at war with Iraq. Also, more recently, the vice president pushed for, and the president decided on a commutation of I. “Scooter” Libby’s sentence for perjury and obstruction of justice. Beyond that, news has come of a string of political firings of U.S. Attorneys, primarily because they had not acceded to the filing of harassing election fraud lawsuits designed to help keep Democrats away from the polls.

In short, evidence of outrageous administration lawlessness and abuse of power has been piling up for a year since Pelosi’s statement, and during her six-month stint as Speaker, during which time she has continued not just to block impeachment bills in Congress, but to work hard behind the scenes to undermine a growing grassroots impeachment movement.

Sen. Boxer’s bold statement puts impeachment front and center inside the Beltway, and in the national media. It adds new weight to the bill calling for the impeachment of Dick Cheney which Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) filed in the House on April 24, and which now has 14 additional co-sponsors.

We’re not there yet, but thanks to a growing grassroots campaign, impeachment is being forced into public and Congressional consciousness. It is reaching a point where even the most cowardly or complicit news editors will not be able to push it aside, black it out, or deride it as a “fringe” thing.

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[jgraz]

1. The Senate should be introducing censure motions every week

It's not impeachment, but there's no way that anyone can mount a credible argument against censure.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. That's a good idea

and I hope they do it. Also they should continue to refuse to fund money to the VP's office.

[jgraz]

7. And do it for all of them: Cheney, Condi, Gonzo..everyone.

At least get the Senate on the record as opposing this insanity. Then let's see if Pelosi gets on board.

[19jet54]

2. You have to...

... "give a shit" to loose sleep over something - I doubt it!

[DavidDvorkin]

4. Nah.

They know they have nothing to worry about.

Impeachment is extremely unlikely to happen, and even if it did, the Senate wouldn't vote to convict.

They both really are above the law, and they know it.

[GOTV]

5. Absolutely

Until the people scare enough Senators to support removal from office impeachment is toothless.

Everyone in Washington knows this.

[aquart]

6. I still think Pelosi was right to say it.

Thrilled about Boxer, but I do not believe the Dems should have taken control of Congress with any intention of looking for impeachable offenses.

What is happening now is not of our seeking. It is ALL Bush forcing the issue. And we can say that honestly because of Pelosi's statement.

Right now, we have to ask every single candidate for any office in any corner of the country if the president has the right to order Americans to ignore subpoenas. Ask the question of mayoral candidates, of school board candidates, of dog catcher candidates. The coming election is local. Local is where the theft of our country began. ASK THEM ALL. Put everyone on record.

THIS November should throw every minor office to the Democrats in sheer revulsion of Bush's Washington actions. It should cause sheer terror at the RNC. We CANNOT rid ourselves of Bush without Republican cooperation. THEY have to walk him to the plank and push him over.

[jgraz]

8. They don't have to *look* for impeachable offenses

* confessed to them on national television. He BOASTED about violating the FISA law. In a just world, the impeachment and trial would last about 30 minutes.

[GOTV]

11. Not enough people believe those offenses are serious enough....

....for removal.

[jgraz]

12. How does such a belief develop?

Does it come to people in a dream? A burning bush? A burning cheney?

The reason people have that view (and the reason only a bare majority support impeachment in general) is that no one in the leadership has done anything to make the case. Once (if) that starts happening, you'll see a lot of people slide over to the pro-impeachment side.

[GOTV]

10. Yes she was for the reasons you mentioned. And her statement is not binding so...

... she can put it right back on the table when the conditions warrant it.

[jgraz]

13. Conditions will never warrant it as long as she gives cover to the administration

Not having true impeachment hearings ties the hands of the investigators, and helps to mold public opinion in favor of keeping these thugs in office. The second leaders in Congress start truly working toward impeachment, executive privilege is "off the table" as are most of the national security objections. We can finally see what these criminals have really been up to (well, some of it anyway) and the rest of the public will realize it's time for drastic action.

[GOTV]

15. I don't think I agree with anything you've said.

> Not having true impeachment hearings ties the hands of the investigators

I don't think that's true. 1) we've learned quite a lot since the Dems took congress and 2) I think the president can not cooperate with an impeachment as easily as with any other investigation

> and helps to mold public opinion in favor of keeping these thugs in office.

You can claim this but you've given no evidence and I don't see how people would make this connection. Bad news keeps coming out and that can only make people MORE willing to accept impeachment.

> The second leaders in Congress start truly working toward impeachment,
> executive privilege is "off the table" as are most of the national
> security objections.

I don't think this is true either. Can you give any evidence for this? I don't think anything compells a president to cooperate with his impeachment. He can make all the same claims as he ever makes.

> and the rest of the public will realize it's time for drastic action.

That's pure speculation on what the public MIGHT think about what MIGHT come out.

[jgraz]

16. You need to review the facts

I'm at work (and I really need to do stuff today), but the facts you're asserting re: impeachment and executive privilege are simply wrong. If you're basing your arguments on those assumptions, you're bound to come to an unsupportable conclusion.

[aquart]

17. In one of the recent polls...

I was stunned to read that about 80 percent of Republicans polled had NO OPINION on impeachment. I wish I could remember which one. I'm not sure of the number but it was something staggering like that. They don't want to say it. They don't want to do it. But they ain't got any objections to it, either.

[onehandle]

9. No. Because they won't be impeached. nt

[Swamp Rat]

14. Sen. Barbara Boxer agrees with Cindy Sheehan

:)

[Solly Mack]

18. They sure aren't. They'll get away with it all and laugh about it

[deacon]

19. k + r

[Rosemary2205]

20. More like up all night laughing their asses off.

Even if a miracle happens and they are both impeached they and their friends still walk away with billions upon billions upon billions and a system in place to continue getting billions upon billions for decades to come.

[Yukari Yakumo]

21. No

As long as they have their impenetrable shield in the Senate, why should they worry?