Kucinich/Edwards or Kucinich/Obama would make a great ticket but, to be realistic, Dennis has been (intentionally) ignored and dubbed a sure loser by the Big Media (BM) so I don't think he has a chance. Still, he's trying to collect $10 million and that would be enough to buy paid media in some of the early primary states, unless the BM refuse to run his ads. So far, it looks like the DLC Dems are going to do everything they can to keep him out of future debates.

That said, the strongest Dem ticket with a good chance of winning the general election is either Obama/Edwards or Edwards/Obama, although I don't think Edwards would be Obama's VP.

Dave I went to wexlerwantshearings and my conputer froze bummer Vote for Dennis in the primaries. Vote for Dennis in the general election!!!

what we need to be doing, people, is working extremely hard to get dennis kucinich elected in all the primaries!!!! PS ron paul makes NO "SENSE" AT ALL except for people who have no compassion for those who might need a teeny safety net if they hit a slippery slope at some point in their lives. I'm not talking about ME> i'm fine, but i care about people who AREN'T !!!! For those of us who do, it's dennis all the way.so let's get him elected !

SEQUOIABISON > Frankly, I take offense to being called flotsam by JETSAM. Go clean out your purse.

Pelosi is a huge disappointment, saying that "impeachment is off the table" right from the start of her reign as Speaker. She doesn't speak for me, nor for a majority of Americans.
Wouldn't it have been great if she used the Bu$h line that "all options are on the table"?
Congress has the right to declare war, but they gave that up long ago. They have a duty to impeach, but won't be doing that either.
Sad to say, the Republicans and Democrats are filp sides of the same bad coin. Time to trash both parties.
I am so disgusted with the invertebrates the Dems have become. Kucinich and Ron Paul are about the only candidates making any sense.

MIKE -- Sorry, not registering - but not to worry.

Although I'm not sorry to admit that I can neither pull myself far enough toward the "right" nor along that greased shaft of being homophobic, to make sense of this.

nspire,
It's an allusion to the homophobes on the right that might react to those situations in the same manner, with equal condemnation.

For the CAUGHT case of the boy, would that be "leave no child's behind"?

¿Why the difference: a live girl or a dead boy?

Mike,

You are probably right. Especially when you remember that there are millions in the US who admire the two petrocriminals for getting away with murder.

Sometimes you Do get the government you deserve....

moonraven,
I think it's going to take George or Dick or both to be caught with a dead girl or a live boy on national tv to start impeachment hearings, and even then. they and the corporate media would probably spin it as some kind of sick "Leave No Child Behind" strategy!

What does this archcriminal have to do before the gutless gringos impeach his fat ass--eat a congressperson's child?

If not now, when?

Lobo Gris wrote:

"I don't believe that there would be any advantage for Cindy to run as a Democrat. All you would see would be a replay of Connecticut in 2006 when Joe Lieberman was defeated in the primary, ran as an independent and was elected by Republicans who voted for him rather than their own candidate. Cindy is better off IMO to stick to her principles and run as an independent from the git go. Besides when she wins she won't be beholden to the Democratic party for her election."

Abbybwood wrote:

"Look at what Lieberman did in Connecticut as an Independent!

Look at what the wrestling Governor of Minnesota did! Remember that race?"

Cindy Sheehan is more comparable to Jesse Ventura than Joe Lieberman, who had been a Connecticut Senator for a long time, and was trusted by conservative voters. It was Republican votes that made up for the majority of Democrats which had rejected the Liebermaggot. Sheehan is not going to get many Republican votes. She also does not have the advantage of incumbency and long-term familiarity. A lot of people regard her as a flake, even among those who sympathize with her position. If I lived in San Francisco, and if Sheehan ran as a Democrat, I'd happily vote for her. But things being what they are, she will lose, and instead of a victory for the peace movement, she will give us a defeat.

What Lobo Gris doesn't explain is what being "beholden to the Democratic party for her election" would mean. Because, actually, it wouldn't mean a damn thing.

"believes in the reasons for impeachment and yet has Nancy Pelosi to contend with."

If a Pelosi had been Speaker of the House in 1973-74, Nixon would never have been impeached & the Vitenam Warwould have continued into my high school & possibly college years.

An article today says that "Rep. Pelosi was surprised by the intransigence of Republicans" -- the Bushits have had no more valuable ally than the Pelosicrats.

The case for impeachment of our Black House thugs has been made by many people over the last two or three years, and more thoroughly (there are numerous grounds for impeachment) than the above article makes it. However, if these folks can get the process rolling in a serious way, then let them get it rolling. It is high time to get these proceedings in gear, before undermining the Constitution and other crimes become, well, accepted and acceptable behavior on the part of the members of the executive branch.

Good ideas and info from both MikeBinSC and Quirkygrrlny. If we can nudge Conyers, the Cheney investigation can proceed and it will lead to impeachable offenses that the House can't ignore. The Senate is another problem, but we can work on that when we come to it. The House is first. Even if there is no impeachment, the investigation is sure to bring out some truth about what Bush and Cheney have been up to, and that will affect the elections in 2008.

As we saw in 1973 and Watergate, no one in the early part of that year thought that Nixon nor any of his top people would be caught up in the investigation, and then, by 1974, most of the president's men were gone and Nixon himself was feeling the heat. (He resigned in August of 1974.)

I looked into this a little bit and discovered that this is all in response to Kucinich's actions. Representative Kucinich introduced HR 333, Articles of Impeachment Relating to Vice President Richard B. Cheney in April of 2007, and when he finally forced consideration of his resolution on November 7th, Nancy Pelosi used procedural maneuvers to get it sent to the Judiciary Committee for consideration. She was hoping it would wilt and die there. But instead, Wexler, Baldwin and Gutierrez of the Judiciary Committee took on Kucinich's resolution and stepped forward to put impeachment back on the table.

Representative Conyers (chair of the House Judiciary Committee) is in a tough spot because he believes in the reasons for impeachment and yet has Nancy Pelosi to contend with. (who wants to keep it "off the table") It could be useful to email or otherwise contact Conyers too. and if you live in a state that has one of the members of the house judiciary committee on it, it would also be useful to contact them. (i googled House judiciary committee and it was easy to find out).

i think when the decisions are so controversial or difficult to make, it helps to have the support of the constituents. it can't hurt. a friend of mine once suggested that we send calcium pills to our senators and representatives to help them with their spines... but i really think that fervent support for these impeachment proceedings is a good idea.

peace-

so baldwin, gutierrez and wexler wrote an op-ed re: their decision to go forward with impeaching cheney for his high crimes and misdemeanors. and none of the major papers were willing to print it.

so if you feel moved to contact the publisher, president or executive editor of the new york times to express an oppinion about this, here's a little useful information:

Arthrur Sulzberger, Jr.
Chairman and Publisher
The New York Times
229 West 43rd St.
New York, New York
10036
email: publisher@nytimes.com

Scott H. Heekman-Canedy
President and General Manager
The New York Times
(same snail mail address as above)
email: president@nytimes.com

Bill Keller
Executive Editor
The New York Times
(same snail mail)
email: executive-editor@nytimes.com

or a regular old letter to the editor can be sent to:
letter@nytimes.com

peace -

Thanks A.J. L
I think most of the people here know that Prescott was Hitlers financial whore.
You might want to watch this - Time well spent
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5547481422995115331
The entire family are criminals. It is in fact a crime family. If there is any way to steal money, power, elections or anything else, they will be there. From the earlier days of the savings and loan theft, stolen elections in Florida to war profiteering, they'll be there, lying all the way.

Thanks A.J. L
I think most of the people here know that Prescott was Hitlers financial whore.
You might want to watch this - Time well spent
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5547481422995115331
The entire family are criminals. It is in fact a crime family. If there is any way to steal money, power, elections or anything else, they will be there. From the earlier days of the savings and loan theft, stolen elections in Florida to war profiteering, they'll be there, lying all the way.

impeachment isn't going to come only by kucinich's stand. it will come by calling and emailing your representative..
because comgressman are beginning to get on board with the things kucinich has advocated is a good step.
just call your representative and tell them what you think. don't bemoan the step these three have taken!

Gee, SEQUOIABISON, for someone who is not sexually interested in Nancy Pelosi you sound like you're writing her a Valentine's Day card. Yes, by all means, change your self-definition, since you sound like a centrist DLC 'Republican Lite' Democrat rather than a full-blooded liberal.

"If they were poor and they were sleeping on my sidewalk, they would be arrested for loitering, but because they have 'Impeach Bush' across their chest, it's the First Amendment."
-- Nancy Pelosi

A shame it never occurred to Nancy that she could do something about the poor sleeping on her sidewalk other than have them arrested. She could propose and help pass legislation to lessen the number of poor people and, if she's sick of seeing those 'Impeach Bush' t-shirts, she could start investigations into the most prominent of Bush/Cheney's abuses of their powers of office, as prescribed by the Constitution. Here are a few high crimes and misdemeanors to get her started: Lying to Congress and the American people; misusing intelligence to start a war; outing a covert CIA agent; firing federal prosecutors for political reasons; criminal negligence prior to 9/11; aiding and abetting torture, in violation of international law; illegally destroying government records; imprisoning American citizens without due process of law (Hamdi and Padilla); illegally using signing statements to contravene laws passed by Congress -- well, I could go on and on, but that would be a good beginning.

Finally, as Dave Lindorff says, sign up at Wexler's site -- a few hundred thousand signatures might very well make a difference.

We can all hope that events will force monkeys to fly out of Pelosi's butt because the very next thing to happen will be impeachment.

40,000 people have signed onto Wexler's impeachment hearings call at www.wexlerwantshearings.com

If you haven't signed on, go there now and do it, and send word to 10 friends, or to your whole mailing list, and tell everyone to do it. We should be getting 50,000 signatures. We should be getting 500,000 or five million!

If the readers here would place in search the name Prescott Bush and read from there on you can see where our so called President is coming from.

thanks!

Great blog tommybones.

Speaking of Kucinich, I posted a blog at the Des Moines Register condemning the ludicrous decision to prohibit his participation in the most recent debate here:

Wow, long address....

Pleasethink,thank you and I try to (think that is). I understand what you say, but it seems to me, and I could be wrong, that Wexler and the others are trying to take credit away from where credit is due. Dennis Kucinich! If they're on board with him then count me in. When I have a few spare minutes I'll visit Dennis' site and research it. And sEQUOIABISON? What the hell does that mean?By that I mean your moniker not your stupid love letter to nancey. Hey dude, I want what your smoking, got to be better than what I have. Your a piece of work. In the words of Pee wee Herman.......Why dont you marry her! Then go jump of a cliff somewhere, together, and don't bother us agian. Thanks Texrey

Propaganda? Please, the man is obviously in love with a famous, married woman.

"If they were poor and they were sleeping on my sidewalk, they would be arrested for loitering, but because they have 'Impeach Bush' across their chest, it's the First Amendment."
- Nancy Pelosi

Sounds more like Marie Antoinette's "Let em eat cake" than the lady of culture and grace that SEQUOIABISON tries to describe.

The people that see Nancy Pelosi for what she really is rather than those wearing rose colored glasses are the 89% of the public that disapprove of Congress under her "leadership".

Lobo Gris

Propaganda is alive and well as evident in the delusional rant by SEQUOIABISON. Please, carry through with your idiotic "threat" to "quickly change the definition" of what you stand for. Anyone delusional enough to think Nancy "let them eat cake" Pelosi is anything but a plutocratic elitist can hardly consider themselves a liberal.

Call yourself what you really are, a "good German," and fall in line behind your goose-stepping mainstream democratic "leadership."

By the way, your Pelosi fawning reaches creep-factor 11 on the stalker scale....

Well, good morning my friends, I see we have the usual bunch of mindless uninformed rebel rousers bobbing around the Internet like Flotsam, spewing their standard lying untrustworthy rhetoric.

To me there is only one goal that America should be concentrating on and that is; the elimination of the Republican Party as a power in government.

This must be our goal above everything else, another term of Republican leadership will not only be devastating for this country but for the entire world as well.

These warmongering Republicans must be stopped.

For anyone out there that still maintains an open mind just a few words about my favorite politician Nancy.

Yes, I must confess I have a tremendous admiration for Nancy Pelosi.

To me she epitomizes Class, Elegance, Poise, Grace, Beauty, Charm, Sophistication, and an Intellectual capacity to match anyone in politics.

I am a healthy 66-year-old virile heterosexual male and from my perspective the Speaker is a Svelte, Sexy and an extremely Attractive Woman.

Although I am not attracted to her in a sexual way, I think this Lady is not only beautiful on the outside but as a life long staunch liberal, she has never uttered a sentence that I disagreed with.

This remarkable woman has shattered the marble ceiling of the People's House, making her the first woman in our 220-year history to hold the highest office in Congress, The Speaker, third in line to the presidency.

She has elbowed her way to the top of this all boys club playing rough when she had to but always, always, remaining a woman of class and dignity.

Nancy, the daughter of a liberal Baltimore Mayor knew her way around politics from an early age, which is why she was able to fight her way to the leadership role.

It could not have been easy for this incredible lady, dealing with cigar chomping, cursing, swearing, spitting male politicians, yet she remained poised and elegant amid these rough and tumble conditions.

Not since Susan B. Anthony has a woman had such a profound influence on the American political stage.

She has been a great inspiration to other young ladies, in essence she has said; you need not compromise your integrity and composure to rise to the top.

Nancy is never at a loss for words and can sit down with heads of state or the president of the USA and never be anything but a complete lady of elegance.

She has never shied away from speaking her mind, and she can metaphorically and diplomatically spit in the face of power and never lose her serenity.

Oh yes, Nancy is very special and is basically the only good thing to happen to this country in the last 7 years.

I know that her control of the House has forced the administration to rethink some of his Military plans and her tight rein on the purse strings is making him jump thru hoops to get what he wants.

Gone is Rubber Stamp Hastert/Delay the gruesome twosome that gave the president whatever he wanted whenever he wanted it.

Gone are tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and the further erosion of our Social Security system.

Under her leadership we finally got an increase in the minimum wage and lower interest rates for college students.

Of course as Speaker she controls the flow of our tax dollars, but she must tow a fine line between the country painting her as a hopeless liberal who refuses to fund the troops and making sure the troops have enough of what they need to avoid appearing irresponsible and inviting the distrust of the electorate.

In conclusion, I think the new Speaker is doing a fantastic job, especially when considering the enormous obstacles in her path, republican warmongers determined to keep the war going, a Senate that is split down the middle 49 Republicans and 49 Democrats and an executive branch that still holds the veto pen, which represents two thirds of the votes in congress.

Despite being hobbled by these seemingly insurmountable impediments and an impatient anti war voting block clamoring to end the war now, she has conducted herself with the dignity and self-confidence that you would expect from a head of state.

Bearing in mind that it is not the Democratic Party or the Congress that is moving to the Right, it is the American people, it is the Voters that are sending Right Wingers from both parties to represent them in government.

This may be a sign that more Americans are doing better or more Americans are hoping to do better and voting like they are rich or voting like they intend to be rich.

Whatever the explanation, it appears that people become selfish and greedy when they start doing well financially, albeit the reason for the large Right Wing presence in our lives.

Anyway, I think it is a travesty of justice that My Fair Lady is being maligned and insulted so viciously and of course unjustifiably.

But this too will pass and Nancy will be remembered in our history books as the great lady she really is.

I love you Nancy, thank you for fighting so hard for the American people, and helping to slow down the Blitzkrieg of the Bush administration.

"Keep Audrey Hepburn and keep Liz Taylor,
Nancy's the feature, they're just the trailer!
Picture a tomboy in lace,
That's Nancy with the laughing face!"
By: Silvers/Van Huesin

PS
Anyone calling himself or herself a liberal and still waging despicable insults against this lovely woman is either a liar or ill informed.

If you people claim to be representative of liberals in America then I must quickly change the definition of what it is I stand for, because none of your holier than thou rhetoric resembles anything I believe in and I have always considered myself a life long far left liberal.

Nader 2000:

I think you are wrong about Cindy's chances as an Independent.

Look at what Lieberman did in Connecticut as an Independent!

Look at what the wrestling Governor of Minnesota did! Remember that race?

The American dream still lives:

"(AllPolitics, November 3, 1998) -- In one of the more improbable upsets in American political history, Reform Party candidate Jesse "The Body" Ventura, once a pro wrestler known for his spoiler tactics in the ring, shocked his two rivals -- Democrat Hubert Humphrey III and Republican Norm Coleman -- to win Minnesota's governorship Tuesday."

It can happen. You pull enough voters from the Republican and Democrat parties to squeak by. With all the frustration and disappointment Pelosi has handed her constituents I think Cindy can pull this off. Especially if we all get behind her and the public gets in there and counts the votes. I do not trust Pelosi's Democrat machine in the Bay Area to make sure there is a free and fair election. She's a real traitor to the Constitution.

To texrey:

I think that these three Congresspeople are indeed on Kucinich's side. HR 333 (it's been renamed--forget the number) was sent to the Judiciary Committee on November 9, and now it is blocked there by Conyers, who is serving Pelosi's off the table orders. It seems that these three, by going public, are trying to push Chairman Conyers to get the hearings moving in the Judiciary Committee. It's a small sign of what kinds of debates must be taking place within the committee. Though as someone said above, I am not going to hold my breath.

To me it just seems like these guys, Robert Wexler (D-FL), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), think they're doing something NEW and WONDERFUL. At least thats how I read it. Didn't Dennis Kucinich already do this, and isn't it sitting in Conyers office? HR 333. Why didn't they mention Kucinich in this article.Why don't they just stand with Kucinich? From the way the democrats in congress operate, maybe they didn't know, know what I mean! Yeah, they want us to rally to this wexler wants to do it site (see puchinjudy above for link) but unless its tied in some way to hr 333, or in support of, then fu@k em, its just showboating. I'm still sending what I can to Kucinich, and in lieu of this article, I'm gonna send a little more. Then I will dig a little deeper, and try to make sense of this. Hey Wexler, you'll never be a cool as Kucinich. Wont get fooled agian. Thanks Texrey

Nader2000 December 14th, 2007 5:26 pm

"Pelosi isn't worried about Cindy Sheehan taking her seat because Sheehan is running as an independent instead of challenging Pelosi in the Democratic primary.

In a primary challenge, Sheehan would have a good chance of beating Pelosi. The Speaker's defeat in a primary challenge from the antiwar Left would send shock waves through the Democratic Party establishment and provide a model for substantial progressive gains in the future."

I don't believe that there would be any advantage for Cindy to run as a Democrat. All you would see would be a replay of Connecticut in 2006 when Joe Lieberman was defeated in the primary, ran as an independent and was elected by Republicans who voted for him rather than their own candidate. Cindy is better off IMO to stick to her principles and run as an independent from the git go. Besides when she wins she won't be beholden to the Democratic party for her election.

Lobo Gris

Frankly, we should just impeach the whole government. Everyone, President and Congress. Unfortunately, our Founding Fathers never foresaw the day when the critters would stop being citizens and became consenters, and so there is no mechanism to replace the entire government. Blame government if you wish, and they deserve it, but the critters let it happen
by trusting their government(myself included). Our Founding Fathers knew that the biggest threat to their own people has always been government, more so than wars. Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and our government is absolutely corrupted. Beyond salvation. We let it happen.

I've signed Mr. Wexler's petition. He should become a cosponsor of HR333.
Actually, the whole Democratic contingent of the judiciary committee should become cosponsors; at present, only 6 are: Baldwin, Cohen, Ellison, Jackson-Lee, Waters, and Hank Johnson. Just 6 out of 23! They need to get a move on!

tommy, rebel: I've got no disagreements. I'd just like to see more building networks of people in many states, to build a network of progressive candidates who might run as a hive political force.

Again, toppling Pelosi would be an important symbolic victory, but it would lack any lasting effect unless it were accompanied by a substantial change -- in addition -- in the overall makeup of the House. They'd just vote in another crypto-neocon to replace her. We need (at least) 3-4 dozen progressive patriots in the house to vote as a bloc, to decide who the next Speaker will be, to have substantial effect on legislation, etc.

We need a (genuine) progressive candidate network. I suggest it run as an independent coalition, pull people from the Wellstone Action Network, Greens, independents, etc. We need a hive movement.

(Apologies for over-using this metaphor, I just watched a Nova special on DVD about ants.)

The biggest problem of impeachment as you know is that in order to convict and remove from office require 2/3 votes in the Senate. Figure the odds.. Maybe the right to bear arms has some meaning in this statement
THE STRONGEST REASON FOR PEOPLE TO RETAIN THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS IS AS A LAST RESORT TO PROTECT THEMSELVES AGAINST TYRANNY IN THEIR GOVERNMENT- THOMAS JEFFERSON

This smells like a fundraising ploy by Congressman Wexler.

Hope I'm wrong and he's really serious about impeachment.

Paul: There is a lot of work being done at the grass roots to throw out encumbants in the Democratic primaries. Even Daily Kos is supporting progressive candidates against the ner do wells in Congress. Cindy showed the way. And I think she has a great chance at beating Pelosi. She has the support of Dimm's and Independents across the nation. She is a true leader. My check is in the mail to her. Is yours?

Send to: Cindy for Congress, 1260 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94103.

Another point: The DOJ and Mukasey cannot do anything about impeachment. Everything is done within the Congress itself. From bringing charges (the House) to holding the trial (the Senate). And even the Prez cannot commute the sentence once it is handed down. (A little reminder: Nixon, like Clinton was never convicted by the Senate)

So, IMPEACH NOW!! Call your Reps on Monday (Again) and get them to sign onto HR333, or HR799, of join up with Wexler and the other brave souls to get this out of the Judiciary Committee and onto the House floor.

Thanks for all you do. And don't give up. This may be our last chance to take back our country!

I hate to keep repeating myself but I do believe that impeachment is off the table because chimpy AND the dick AND the toothy bitch will be facing criminal charges as soon as (or if) the dems take it all next election. Paybacks are a bitch!

WHAT A JOKE!
KUCINICH HAS BEEN THE LONE WOLF ON THIS FROM THE START!
VOTE KUCINICH!!!!

Impeachment isn't good enough!

Only decades of jail time will scare off other political powers from abusing their power in the same arrogant, reckless catastrophic way. The damage is incalculable. Enormous multi-levels of cascading atrocities resulting in pain, suffering, sickness and death caused by these selfish ignorant bastards! For so many people the quality of their lives have been ruined.

I hate to say this but I want them to start the hearings later on in the year (2008) so we can stretch the hearings out until 2009 so we can convict these bastards with a Democratic congress and actually make them pay a real price. A price they will never forget and neither will anyone else!

I wish that is what Conyers and Pelosi have in mind I but doubt it.

Paul Bramsher,
I agree that there isn't a "single omnipotent savior," but you fail to see the significance of replacing the Speaker of the House with a grassroots activist. If Pelosi can be replaced due to her arrogance, then anyone in Congress can, and the message will not fall on deaf ears. They will have to pay atention to the base, or else they could be next. I'm talking to you, Schumer...

The problem with Pelosi isn't Pelosi. The Speaker of the House isn't self-proclaimed. S/he is chosen by simple majority of the House, reflecting the wider will of the House.

We need Sheehan, plus a few dozen others, all working the same team, same platform, same vision, same bloc, all running simultaneously across the country. If there's any hope for a progressive movement, it is in large-scale team building. There is no single omnipotent savior who can bail us out of everything.

quirkygrrlny December 14th, 2007 5:21 pm

"What amazes me in the discussion about impeaching cheney is that Kucinich's name hasn't come up in any of this. He was the one who introduced articles of impeachment in the house this past April: "House Resolution 333, Articles of Impeachment Relating to Vice President Richard B. Cheney"."

Isn't that typical of politicians? Why did it take the publication of Scotty McClellan's book for these people to speak out and not even give Kucinich any recognition for HR 333?

Politics is what it is: A cesspool of disinformation and misinformation!

Another thank-you to PunchinJudy for the link to Wexler's site.
...signed,sealed, and forwarded to others.

"A Democratic Congress can show that it takes its constitutional authority seriously and hold a sober investigation, which will stand in stark contrast to the kangaroo court convened by Republicans for President Clinton."

What it CAN DO and WHAT IT DOES are two different things.

Does anyone really believe the "new" Attorney General, Mukasey, is going to agree to anything Congress wants if it means impeachment for this administration's callous disregard for the truth and the United States Constitution?

afterdowingstreet.org has collected 134,971 votes from the public who all want impeachment.http://www.usalone.com/cgi-bin/transparency.cgi?paper=1&action=Should%20Vice%20President%20Cheney%20be%20impeached%3F

Wexler and Gutierrez should add their name to the impeachment bill as Representative Baldwin has done.

When Baldwin was in Las Vegas earlier this month my family and I joined with the Nevadans for Kucinich organizers and presented her with a handmade banner showing our appreciation for her stand.

If you want to take the movement past these comments, you can start by thanking those 23 Representatives who have joined in Dennis Kucinich's stand for the Constitution. All co-sponsors are listed at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HE00333:@@@P.

I am so glad to see more and more Representatives standing behind Dennis Kucinich, author of the resolution to impeach Cheney introduced initially as H.R. 333 in April of this year and brought to the floor once again for a vote as H.R. 799.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HE00333:

By the way Kucinich is available for the position of the President of the United States, http://www.dennis4president.com.

"Pelosi will need to figure out a means..."

She's a politician. She could.

She also sees that the polls show that Congress's approval rating is below Bush's.

I don't like a lot of Pelosi's behavior. Before we throw her off the plank let's get her to throw a couple other guys off, first.

Divide and conquer.

Impeachment?

Newsflash: Democrats just gave Bush/Cheney 109 billion dollars to continue Iraq war.

Oh well, a locust can dream, even if it's not such a common one.

If we support Cindy Sheehan lots of good things can happen.

"However, facing Pelosi in the general election, Sheehan will lose..."
It will certainly be a lot easier for Sheehan if there is no incumbent.

So if Cheney gets impeached and Bush gives up (again - it's in his blood), who should be President, if not the House Speaker?
Byrd?
Rice?
etc.

locust: If the country must "pressure" anyone at this point, I'd say the better verb here is "dodge around", "dart behind", "override", "climb over", etc. To paraphrase King George II: They're either for impeachment or against it.

Pelosi will need to figure out a means of hiding a pro-Bush stance on the one hand, and maintaining face on the other. Wouldn't it be "nice" if those pesky Democrats went back into hiding? A lot less embarrasing for the enablers running their show.

ezeflyer says "we need a volunteer to give Cheney a blowjob so we can impeach him"

You might ask Idaho Senator Larry Craig.

Thanks for the link PunchinJudy. I just signed and sent it to my friends and family.

TREASON is what comes to mind with Bush & Chaney. anytime a person puts the country and it's people at risk for their personal Gain. Isn't there still a death Penalty in this country for doing that?

Tommybones--Great letter. What do ya think about the parallels between Cheney and McCarthy, and a working hypothesis that Cheney was building on McCarthy's (and other GOP members') methods?

McCarthy held his power until he was finally stood up to successfully, which encouraged other members of congress to regrow their backbone--in both political parties, and even Eisenhower was cowed. The NIE seems to be a similar type of event/catalyst, as does the CIA TapeGate.

Those of the anti-Pelosi Army should read Juan Cole's blog about her and the comments being made, http://www.juancole.com/2007/12/pelosi-on-republicans-they-like-this.html

Represenative Wexler was on a talk show today and said he has set up a website www.wexlerwantshearings.com He is asking that people go their and add there names. When he gets 50,000 signatures he will present it to the other members of the Judiciary Committe and they will then probably bring it up on the floor and start investagations. If you remember when Kucinich brought it up, Hoyer tried to table it and it was voted on to send to the Judiciary Committe.He said that it is time Cheney be held accountable for his actions.

Absolutely support Cindy Sheehan's bid to unseat 'corpo-liberal' Nancy Pelosi, but let's also take the time to thank Wexler, et al, for taking this stand.

The impeachment of Cheney would inevitably, I think, open a can of worms that would lead to the impeachment of Bush, the evidence so blatant that even most Republicans couldn't ignore it. This may be Wexler's plan.

The Demoks have their orders to impeach the criminals and pull the US military out of the Middle East by election day 2008 or progressives are voting third party candidates.

If impeachment is off the table, why can't it be on the front burner? Turn up the heat !

How about waterbording,it seems that most of the congress and especially the Rebubs approve of it,so perhaps we can get to the bottom of who is really attacking our country andsubverting it from within,after all the only thing that unites our country is our agreement with our Constitution and that is being destroyed every day by the likes of the Bush administration and their subversive accomplisses Polosi,Ried,Liberman,Emanual ect.

Pelosi isn't worried about Cindy Sheehan taking her seat because Sheehan is running as an independent instead of challenging Pelosi in the Democratic primary.

In a primary challenge, Sheehan would have a good chance of beating Pelosi. The Speaker's defeat in a primary challenge from the antiwar Left would send shock waves through the Democratic Party establishment and provide a model for substantial progressive gains in the future.

However, facing Pelosi in the general election, Sheehan will lose just like Matt Gonzalez did, because most Democratic voters will vote the Party's nominee. The peace movement will have been defeated and proven a marginal force, and Pelosi's stature as a Centrist leader will be enhanced.

what amazes me in the discussion about impeaching cheney is that Kucinich's name hasn't come up in any of this. he was the one who introduced articles of impeachment in the house this past April: "House Resolution 333, Articles of Impeachment Relating to Vice President Richard B. Cheney". I am glad these three reps are stepping up in favor of impeachment, but stunned that its as if Kucinich had not already stepped up in faovr of this. Will they be writing up their own articles of impeachment? Or is this a step to support Kucinich's articles? hmmm

OH , LEAVE BUSH ALONE.

WE HAVE MORE PRESSING LYING AND CHEATING ISSUES IN BASEABALL

AND YES HE WAS A BASEBALL OWNER

COMarc: Right on!

GO Cindy!!! The check is in the mail!

Right on! If we can only get the scum of the earth and leader of the current administration - Dick - to testify about anything under oath in the near future - It will be an accomplishment. Although, he obviously deserves much, much worse.

Again I have one simple message for all my representatives: If you don't get off your ass and demand impeachment, you are DONE....

Face facts, Pelosi and the Dem leadership don't give a damn what you think. If you flood her office with calls and letters, she'll just laugh in your face.

The Dem party relies on big contributors for the way they run their campaigns these days. That's the only constituency that they listen to. So, if you calls and letters don't have 5 or 6 figure bribes, uh donations, attached, Pelosi and the Dems will just laugh.

The only way to put pressure on Pelosi is to put so much support into the Cindy Sheehan campaign that it starts to be very, very obvious to Ms. Pelosi that her political career will soon be over if she doesn't impeach.

If Pelosi saw any of this, she might act on impeachment.

-- large numbers of voters in her district changing their registrations to leave the Democratic Party.
-- fund raising reports from the Sheehan campaign that show that she's raising some impressive amounts of money.
-- So many volunteers out in the district working for the Sheehan campaign this far out in front of the election that Pelosi is left thinking "Oh my gawd".

So, fill up Cindy's warchest. Put thousands and thousands of volunteers in the streets NOW talking to voters about the issue. Basically, show some political power. Its the only thing someone like Pelosi will respect.

Yawn again. This is just for show. The Dems work in a top-down fashion, and Pelosi ain't gonna allow this to happen. In a non-democratic structure like the Dem party, what the junior members say has no effect.

To the above ... Pelosi in the White House would be doing everything possible to cripple anything Kucinich would want to do. And what do you mean by 'chances next year'. All that's left in this campaign is now to Feb 5th. Its over then. You can't possibly think anyone would be impeached by then.

And, after the disaster that Pelosi has been in the Congreess, why on earth would anyone want her to be President? Or is this more of the fantasy I see out here that says the Dems will magically become wonderful liberal and progressives at some mysterious day in the future when they've gotten just a bit more power. That's as crazy a belief as the fundamentalists believing in the rapture.

Canuck Chuck: You forgot the twenty-some-odd Reps that signed on to HR333. They are good ones too!

And, I would add that impeachment is a non-partisan issue. We ALL have lost our rights under the law and our Constitution. No matter what party. The Repugs took the same oath of office as did the Dimms. So, by rights, ALL House congress critters should be signing onto HR333. So....man the phones (toll free at 800-828-0498)! Send those e-mails! Write those letters! Tell 'em that if they don't represent the will of the people and defend the Constitution that there really is no use in having a Congress at all. Might as well disband. Bye bye.....See ya all at the soup kitchen!

"...It would also improve the chances of electing a Democratic President next Novermber"

I didn't mean to suggest just any old product with the Democrat label. Ew!
I misspoke and misspelled. -sigh-

With a Democratic incumbent who made it into the White House with his help, the chances of Kucinich next year rise tremendously.
Being a Democrat, our special K would be both Democratic and progressive.

Also, Cindy Sheehan's campaign would not involve running against an incumbent, because Pelosi would not be running for re-election (such a step down after being Pres).

Most importantly, we need to keep Cheney busy and his finger away from the button, and you all know what I mean.

We need a volunteer to give Cheney a blow job so we can impeach him.

so far the tally is THREE democrats who are not colluding with the Bush Crime syndicate

And I noticed that they say:
"not the commander-in-chief"
Back in the '70's Articles of Impeachment
were proposed by a Congress that had some
spine against the commander-in-chief.

I agree that it is their primary responsibility to
impeach both the pres and vice---nothing of importance
will happen or can happen until that is accomplished.

Also, how about a complicit Speaker of the House who took
impeachment "off the table" to protect herself and her
corporate interests...she needs to be censured and
removed from her post in case a miracle occurs and
george and dick are impeached.

Hi Sam Husseini (My dear friend): we are both idealists and
we have been working with democrats and republicans to
hold george and dick accountable for years. We both know
that Conyers was stronger for impeachment when he was
ranking member, than now when he is chairman.

Love
Cindy

Note that the authors don't mention torture in their list of crimes to be investigated.

And they're still allowing Republicans to set the tone of the 'debate':
"We can continue to deliver on more of our agenda in the coming year while simultaneously fulfilling our constitutional duty by investigating and publicly revealing whether or not Vice President Cheney has committed high crimes and misdemeanors."

What will it take to get Democrats to understand that their PRIMARY constitutional duty at this point is to begin impeachment hearings on Cheney and Bush?

And they're still sounding weak:
"... we must now at least consider using [the power of impeachment]."

The neo-cons are the drunk on power and hate abusive fathers, beating the crap out of the wife and kids

The Clintonocrats are the abused spouse, unwilling to do anything about it and in some cases holding the kids down making it easier for hubby to stomp on them

Sam Husseini,

They waited 5 years because...

From 2003 to end 2006, they held no power in neither House nor Senate to introduce this - or almost any - Democratic legislation. Not that I think they would have. Especially prior to 2004 Dems were scared of their own shadow (being accused of "soft" on terrorism).

That said, THERE IS NO EXCUSE for why they have done next to nothing since the 2006 elections. Well, OK, lots of excuses. Don't want to be "partisan political" in investigations into BushCo malfeasance. Don't want to enforce subpoenas, bend over backward in giving the Repubs time to respond, etc. What if the media thought they were being "mean" to BushCo?

Its all BS, and its all enforced by the Dem leadership. I'm proud that Tammy Baldwin is my Representative. Proud of Feingold as one of my Senators as well. I know people that have worked for them, and for Dave Obey (I grew up in Northern Wisconsin before moving to Madison). I think the more progressive Dems, and those willing to fight, have been told to back off for the last 11 months. Maybe Reid/Pelosi/DLC/etc think this is the smart move for the next election (blame it all on the Repubs, give 'em enough rope, keep out fund raising them, whatever). They have chosen (misguided) political expediency over upholding the Constitution or the wishes of the voters.

I've gone past angry or depressed at the Dem inaction. I am heartbroken for what has happened to our country.

Pressure Pelosi. Swarming right now could be effective in this our winter of discontent.
Offer her a deal. After impeachements let her become the caretaker President who saved America. She can retire at the top of her game, a name in the history books, and go on speaking tours if she needs the money.
It would also improve the chances of electing a Democratic President next Novermber, which would make D D happy.

Support Cindy Sheehan.
Impeach Cheney and save the world.

Sorry for repeating myself again. Peace.

There are 403 days 'til Jan. 20, 2009…

Those Democrats right there are worth their salt.

Ya know, when you look at this situation, it becomes ludicrous to the extreme. Do you realize that most of this is due to an obsession with shopping? Think about it. Money=shopping. They are obsessed with money, hence they are shopping freaks. Granted, it's big ticket items like yachts, but it's still the desire to be able to go shopping when you want for the things you've been craving to own. Power in DC means the ability to manipulate events so that you can accumulate more money so you can go shopping.
Good grief.

Pdpiano "within 10% of the median income for the district" ….. "lso the Salary for EACH district should only pay the MEdian Income for the represenative district."

Hey that's some good ideals. Now if we had a way for the citizens to purpose federal laws and constitutional amendments we could probably make that happen.

Oh Please!!! The majority of our legislative bodies are compicit in the coup that is ocurring. They have removed consitutional protections, ignored treaties, torture people which is AGAINST THE LAW!!!
The house and senate are paying little attention to substantive issues that affect the Majority of citizens, instead they sit and beg for their corporate owners. the amount of money that is in play for these sycophants is enormous, and the fact that they claim no undue influence from their economic keepers is belied by the way that they voteAs for the minimum wage hike .. it is laughable at best. and too little too late for many..
Please Let's Impeach our entire system and Start over.
I propose that to serve in the house or senate that you can only be elected if your income is within 10% of the median income for the district. This would be represetative.. also the Salary for EACH district should only pay the MEdian Income for the represenative district.
At that point we are getting representation that represents the Majority .
also if you Have worked in the legislative branches youo are BANNED FOR LIFE from ever being a lobbyist.. we need to weed the garden people..

[T]he evidence - not politics - should determine the outcome.

And an allegedly representative democracy should ensure that the will of the electorate is reflected in its governance.

If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

Dear Representative Pelosi:

I am sorely disappointed in your decision to take impeachment "off the table." Your capitulation to the continued crimes of the Bush administration leaves me no choice but to place my allegiances elsewhere in coming elections. The elections of 2006 were seen by many as mandate for change. Instead, we have seen political cowardice time after time by a democratic "leadership" more worried about short term political gains than protecting the nations principles and fulfilling the obligations of elected office as laid out in the Constitution of the United States.

The Bush administration has continued to engage in blatantly unconstitutional activities in the self-proclaimed "War on Terror," under the banner of the newly formed "Unitary Executive Theory." This theory, constructed by right wing members of the Alberto Gonzalez Justice Department, under the direction of the Vice President, effectively asserts the President of the United States has limitless powers in all foreign and domestic affairs in accord with his role as Commander-In-Chief. This theory has no basis in the U.S. Constitution, which implicitly gives Congress the power to "make rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval forces." In response to the "rules" imposed by Congress, President Bush has taken to releasing executive "signing statements," which effectively tell Congress that he will only comply with laws that he agrees with, while summarily ignoring those with which he finds fault. The Unitary Executive Theory is a dictatorship by any other name. The standard definition of a dictatorship is as follows: An autocratic form of absolute rule by leadership unrestricted by law, constitutions, or other social and political factors within the state. Your choice to disregard your Constitutional obligation to hold the executive branch accountable is as egregious an affront to our democracy as the deliberate overreach exhibited by the President and Vice President, perhaps even more so when one considers the cowardice involved.

Rep. John Conyers in his ongoing report of potential Bush Administration crimes:

"The misconduct found is not only serious, but widespread. The laws implicated by the Bush administration's actions include federal laws against making false statements to congress; federal laws and international treaties, such as the Geneva Convention, prohibiting torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment; federal laws concerning retaliating against witnesses and other government employees; Executive Orders concerning leaking and other misuse of intelligence; federal regulations and ethical requirements governing conflicts of interest; FISA laws; communications privacy laws; the National Security Act; and the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution. All told, some 26 separate laws and regulations have been implicated by the actions of various individuals within the Bush administration. Significantly, none of the misconduct has been independently reviewed by the Executive Branch, Congress or the Courts."

It has come to my attention that you have made a promise to "put impeachment back on the table" the moment you receive 10,000 hand-written letters requesting such action. In spite of the arrogance of such a request, I will gladly comply if it would, in fact, prove to be the catalyst toward such an appropriate and long-overdue event.

http://www.cindyforcongress.org/article.php?preview=1&cache=0&id=43

and they've waited 5 years because....