I despise Bush, but I do not believe we should ever incorporate presidential impeachment as just another quiver arrow in the ordinary political business of the nation. Impeachment should be truly extraordinary, and Pelosi is correct.

I agree 100%

Ditto, not worth all the cancerous emotions surely to harm more than to cure what ails us.

When you have an Executive disavowing the separation of powers under a unitary executive theory, we are already in extraordinary times. DUH.

This isn't Nixon stonewalling a Congressional investigation into campaign shenanigans. This is a president who does not recognize the role of Congress and who has had eight years to appoint four of nine Supreme Court justices.

If the Congress doesn't have the balls to simply vote down appropriations for a war they were elected to stop, impeachment must become the norm when a unitary executive starts screwing up or abusing power.

To Doodahman,

Your reply is contradicts itself. You want congress to resort to impeachment, because they "don't have the balls" to stop war funding? But they will have the balls to impeach..lol Wouldn't the former be easier?

Let's see,

1) Committing American lives to be sacrificed in a preemptive invasion and occupation in a country that was no viable threat to our national security .

2) Paving the way for war profiteering via no bid contracts

3) Perpetuating the death of hundred's of thousands of innocent civilians.

4) Revealing the identity of an undercover CIA operative, putting her life and her operatives at grave risk.

5) Circumventing legal precedence regarding the use of electronic servalience of American citizens.

6) Detaining "enemy combatants" without charges for undeterminable amount of time.

EXTRAORDINARY ENOUGH FOR YOU?!

Of course impeachment is extraordinary, BUT, it was envisaged as potentially necessary, and not an evil thing in itself. It is a cure for an evil, and the current administration is much more extraordinary than impeachment. This article says it like it is. I sympathize with yesterday's "gentlemen" who think it is rather bad form to publicly humiliate a president, but, bad form or not, Hitler, Mussolini, and Caligula all had to be stopped. NOT stopping them would have been truly bad form. The question is, does Nancy Pelosi take any more notice of the American public than George W. Bush does? And, if not, how on earth can anyone put pressure on her to wake up to her Constitutional oath? Here's hoping for some answers . . .

Do you really not know of the many "extraordinary" things that Bush et. al. have done that are impeachable that go beyond "ordinary political business?"

Honestly, this mentality is enabling the other side. The opposition to the administration is not really as strong as it is because of its violation of the law and constitutional laws, such as breaking FISA and lying to Congress/obstructing congressional investigations even in matters of war and peace.

No, it's just politics and personal dislike of the man. Those of us who think it is much deeper find that mentality very misguided.

-j

Gee, I just thought it was called critical thinking Joe!

Impeachment, is a big, scary word, loaded with meaning and emotion. Most of us, hope to never see it, and to never have it happen during our generation. It is a shame, a burden that all Americans share in emotionally. If out president is so shameful as to be impeached, then what does that say for us? There are many small, personal reasons to avoid it, and a few great big reasons, that are greater than the need of the individual as well. But the tool is there for a reason. To prevent the corrupt, the deluded, and the tyrannical from holding a position of which should personify justice, diplomacy, and democracy.

Our current president opposes the constitution. He is pro torture. He does not feel that homosexual American citizens should have the same religious freedoms as "regular" American citizens. He believes that the profit of large companies is more important than the profit of the individual American citizen. He also believes that it does not matter whether or not those profits are spent in the U.S. or used to benefit the U.S. or its people in any way. He has made great bleeding wounds of privacy laws, educational spending, religious freedoms, environmental laws, and the reputation of the United States of America. We live in a time where we are, on average, hated for the actions of our leaders by the world community as a whole. Moreover, at this time, our Army is both wholly committed, and more deeply wounded than it has been in 2 generations.

I too would like to see this president exit gracefully from office. I would like to avoid the embarrassment and shame of deposing our own leader. However, if I were a member of congress, I would feel obligated to move past my emotional distaste. We face a president that is not on the side of the American people. He is on his own side, and that must never be. He runs rampant with power he should not have been allowed to accumulate, powers no president should wield. Congress has failed us, continuously, for years now. The time for them to check the balance of power is long overdue. And, at this time, I feel that if they do everything in their power, including impeaching the current administration, it will be little more than a good start. A first step, in repairing the damage, and replenishing the cost that their lack of vision, and lack of action has cost this nation during this last decade.

I apologize for the length of this post, it ran longer than I originally intended. However, it said nothing more than needed to be said, and nothing less than my honest opinion.

over what amounted to rank partisan political nonsense and yet we should shudder back from impeaching a president operating under the tremendous list of High Crimes that Bush routinely commits? Does this then mean that there is one rule of law for democrat presidents and their administrations and another- kinder, gentlier - rule of law for republican presidents and their administrations?

Is our goal to teach our youth that it's okay to assault the laws of this land and routinely spit on the constitution itself, not to mention outright lie and phony up intelligence data to start an unnecessary war - IF you are a republican president?

If you are a democrat president, on the other hand, then unending and fully funded investigations into all aspects of your business and personal life are the rule of law. Ahhhh, but let's NOT upset the apple cart if you are a republican president, because THEN it is natural and just that there is NEVER to be any aspect of accountability where your actions and policy decisions are concerned!

Are you intimating that this stunning, outrageous, and extraordinarily radical difference in the way that the political parties are treated once one of their representatives have the White House is somehow right, just, fair, and honest? Is this in fact, in some as of yet undefined way . . . GOOD for our nation?

It is . . . really ? Well, isn't that astonishing!

Out of curiosity, if after everything he has done you don't think impeachment is appropriate what would it take before you would suggest impeachment? Is there anything? Let us all know where (if there is somewhere) you would draw the line.

what would it take for the excuse makers, the con-apologists, and the nervous Nelleys to declare that 'yes, Bush must stand trial?'

In truth I shudder to contemplate the question. Considering that the man deliberately did nothing at all while thousands of people suffered and died during the Katrina episode. Yes, let's NOT forget about the loss of an entire and major United States city and the subsequent diaspora of much of its population while Bush was apparently content to play his hillbilly banjo and tell Brownie that he was doing a heck of a job.

So, does Bush actually have to rape and then murder an infant on the steps of the White House itself before these people finally concede that this creature is impeachment worthy, and that doing so would actually be good for this nation? Yes, so it does appear to be the final requirement.

Here's a partial list of the extraordinary actions of the pResident and his puppet master, as adopted unanimously by my local Democratic city committee:

<blockquote>

RESOLUTION ON THE IMPEACHMENT OF GEORGE W. BUSH AND RICHARD CHENEY

WHEREAS, Jefferson's Manual section LIII, 603, states that impeachment may be set in motion by charges transmitted from the legislature of a State; and

WHEREAS, George W. Bush has intentionally misled the Congress and the public regarding the threat from Iraq in order to justify a war against Iraq, in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 1001 and intentionally conspired with others to defraud the United States in connection with the war against Iraq in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 371; and

WHEREAS, George W. Bush has admitted to ordering the National Security Agency to conduct electronic surveillance of American civilians without seeking warrants from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, duly constituted by Congress in 1978, in violation of Title 50 United States Code, Section 1805; and

WHEREAS, George W. Bush has conspired to commit the torture of prisoners in violation of the UN Torture Convention and the Geneva Convention, which under Article VI of the Constitution are part of the "supreme Law of the Land"; and

WHEREAS, George W. Bush has acted to strip Americans of their constitutional rights by ordering indefinite detention of citizens, without access to legal counsel, without charge and without opportunity to appear before a civil judicial officer to challenge the detention, based solely on the discretionary designation by the President of a U.S. citizen as an "enemy combatant", all in subversion of law; and

WHEREAS, George W. Bush has acted to subvert the Constitution of the United States and the checks and balances prescribed therein by appending signing statements to Acts of Congress legally enacted, proclaiming himself to be the sole arbiter of how and when these laws are to be executed; and

WHEREAS, Richard Cheney continued to receive remuneration from Halliburton while serving as Vice President, while Halliburton was awarded multi billion dollar contracts for the rebuilding of Iraq and for providing services to American forces serving in Iraq, contracts awarded outside the usual competitive bidding process, in a clear conflict of interest; and

WHEREAS, In all of this George W. Bush and Richard Cheney have acted in a manner contrary to their trust as President and Vice President, subversive of constitutional government to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice, and to the manifest injury of the people of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and of the United States.

Be it resolved that George W. Bush and Richard Cheney, by such conduct, warrant impeachment and trial, and removal from office and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States;

Be it resolved further that the Waltham Democratic City Committee requests that the Massachusetts Legislature submit these charges to the U.S. House of Representatives under Jefferson's Manual section LIII, 603 as grounds for impeachment.

</blockquote>

I should add that these articles were adopted before * refused to allow his aides to answer subpoenas from Congress. If you don't think that Contempt of Congress, and the refusal to allow the Department of Justice to prosecute the same are impeachable offenses, I ask you, what is impeachable?

Bounder:

over what amounted to rank partisan political nonsense and yet we should shudder back from impeaching a president operating under the tremendous list of High Crimes that Bush routinely commits? Does this then mean that there is one rule of law for democrat presidents and their administrations and another- kinder, gentlier - rule of law for republican presidents and their administrations?

Is our goal to teach our youth that it's okay to assault the laws of this land and routinely spit on the constitution itself, not to mention outright lie and phony up intelligence data to start an unnecessary war - IF you are a republican president?

If you are a democrat president, on the other hand, then unending and fully funded investigations into all aspects of your business and personal life are the rule of law. Ahhhh, but let's NOT upset the apple cart if you are a republican president, because THEN it is natural and just that there is NEVER to be any aspect of accountability where your actions and policy decisions are concerned!

Are you intimating that this stunning, outrageous, and extraordinarily radical difference in the way that the political parties are treated once one of their representatives have the White House is somehow right, just, fair, and honest? Is this in fact, in some as of yet undefined way . . . GOOD for our nation?

It is . . . really ? Well, isn't that astonishing!

It's funny, but it's an article of faith on the part of both republican and democrat party faithful that their side gets held to a higher standard and gets treated unfairly by the legal system.