For economy's sake, Pelosi needs to push for impeachment now

[kpete]

Source: Detroit Free Press

ROCHELLE RILEY
For economy's sake, Pelosi needs to push for impeachment now

BY ROCHELLE RILEY • FREE PRESS COLUMNIST • November 25, 2008

Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s ineffectiveness became clear the day she became Speaker of the House and immediately announced that there would be no impeachment proceedings against President George W. Bush or Vice President Dick Cheney.

Guided by politics, she said leading investigations into just how much the Bush administration did – and did wrong – would be divisive. What she didn’t express was her worry that too many Democrats faced elimination from the House if they took on the difficult task of proving who knew what, when.

But Congress is running out of time to finally make the Bush administration own up to its actions for eight years. If Congress isn’t careful, the president who already has issued 171 pardons could also pardon every appointee and employee he has ever had – and their dogs. And then Americans will never find out what happened to our country over the past eight years.

Pelosi wouldn’t have to start from scratch: Rep. Dennis Kucinich, the bravest member of Congress, introduced legislation 11 months ago to impeach the president and vice president. Last January, the House gave a first reading of one of those articles of impeachment. Our own Rep. John Conyers, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, joined 38 other representatives to sponsor HR 635, which would form a committee to look into whether there are grounds for impeachment. Revive that effort!

Read more: http://www.freep.com/article/20081125/COL10/81125018

[xultar]

1. Errr Obama says no. He's the head of the party.

[Dr.Phool]

7. Obama ain't got any say in the matter, according to the constitution.

And Pelosi is violating her oath not to impeach.

[Pyrzqxgl]

2. C'mon, There just isn't time.

He'd have to be Impeached by the House, tried in the Senate, and we don't (or they don't) have time for that now.
The new Administration has other fish to fry. Maybe they ought (or someone ought) to take his ass to The World Court.

[grytpype]

5. Sure there's time.

On Monday, the House tries and convicts Cheney and 2/3 of the Senate including Republicans convict him.
On Tuesday, the House tries and convicts Bush and 2/3 of the Senate including Republicans convict him.
On Wednesday, Pelosi appoints Obama as Vice President, he's confirmed by the House and Senate, and she then resigns.

See, it takes three days max.

I'd say one of the benefits of seeing Bush go is shutting up the impeachment trolls, but there's actually some question of whether someone can be impeached once he's out of office, so they'll probably never shut up.

[Skink]

3. bush has all but secured passage to Paraguay.

[grytpype]

4. :eyes:

:eyes:

[lutherj]

6. Impeachment would prevent Bush from using executive privelege and pardons

to protect himself and his minions in the last weeks of his administration. So even if the proceedings don't conclude before the inauguration it could still be useful. Leaving it hanging could help to open investigations in the next term. Perhaps the reason Bush never attacked Iran is due to the threat of impeachment. The democrats may have quietly communicated to Bush that if he attacks Iran they will open impeachment proceedings, thus disallowing Bush the use of pardons to get himself out of trouble.

[atimetocome]

8. Bush would pull too many Dems into this mess. It will not happen.