Ending the War vs Impeachment: Following Up on the Pelosi Interview
Thanks to the many commenters who have posted regarding my interview with Nancy Pelosi. I want to respond with three quick points.
First, as I wrote in my post yesterday, I believe the most important issue facing Pelosi and Congressional Democrats right now is their reluctance to use their congressionally mandated power of the purse to stop funding the war in Iraq. So that's what I focused on. Over the course of the interview I asked Pelosi about this four different times in four different ways: 1) a direct ask from our commenters to "please, please, please stop funding this war" 2) asking why she doesn't force the president to present his new "emergency" war funding request as part of the budget 3) pointing out that the Constitution gives her the power to tell President Bush, "We will fund the troops to come home safely and responsibly, but not a penny more." 4) asking, "Can you guarantee that there will be no appropriations bill without a fixed date for bringing the troops home?"
In addition, I also asked her if the "American people have to take to the streets to end this war?" and about why she seems to have lost her "fierce urgency" about ending the war and entered into a "cooling off period on Iraq."
Second, I did not raise the question of why Pelosi has taken impeachment off the table because, as I've said on many occasions, while I believe that Bush and Cheney deserve to be impeached (ten times over!), I also believe that focusing on impeachment would force Congress to take its eye off the ball on the most important issue of our time -- ending the war in Iraq. Putting impeachment on the table would inevitably drain resources of time, energy, and outrage better spent on bringing our troops home. And, on top of it, impeachment, even if pursued, would not lead to George Bush leaving office an hour earlier than he already will. Of course, there are many times it is worth doing something on principle, even if it is destined to fail. But not if the effort comes at the expense of taking a much more important stand on principle that actually has a chance to succeed. Many of you clearly disagree with me on this point, but it's what I believe.
Third, over the course of the interview, Pelosi made three specific promises on the question of funding the war and on the Congressional battle over FISA: 1) that the House will not take up a war appropriations bill this year 2) that there will be no war appropriations bill next year that doesn't include a fixed date for bringing the troops home 3) that House Democrats will put up a major fight over the Bush administration's desire to make permanent the FISA law passed in August, particularly over the issue of retroactive immunity that the Senate has already given in on. (See the video of these promises below.)
So she's on the record with these promises, and therefore can -- and I'm sure will -- be held accountable for keeping them.
Watch more of the interview here.
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I am so disappointed Ms. Huffinton. It is not an option to ignore the fact that this administration continues to break the law and destroy our democracy. You think impeachment is a waste of time!? The democrats do nothing to stop the war and you think they should do nothing to try to stop the destruction of the constitution either. Impeachment in this case is not a frivolous undertaking-it is necessary to ensure the next administration doesn't take even more of our rights away.
Shame on you.
What Democrat wouldn't want this? !!!
Call your representatives and get this supported!
http://www
There is over an hour of good reading in the comments below...an
Since they've already surrendered on #3, and gave immunity, that leaves just 1 and 2 for the Dems to cave on. That will take, what? one week?
When do they pass the bill to allow bush a third term?
The Dems have proven themselves weak, spineless versions of Republicans.
I will NEVER vote for dem president. Ron Paul gets my vote, at least he stands for his convictions and stands for the Constitution.
Ron Paul is a tempting candidate. The fact that Hillary is even a nominee is ludicrous.
She voted for this war in lieu of compelling evidence. Can she ever be trusted?
Time, money, and energy as reasons not to impeach? I'd like to refute those reasons.
Time? According to Congressional web sites, Congress has spent an average of three and a half days "working" this year, including both sessions and local work. That leaves a day and a half each week when they could be dealing with impeachment. There's plenty of time.
Money? Cancel Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy. Audit all no-bid contracts. Increase capital gains taxes. Make Congress PAY for its health insurance. There's plenty of money.
Energy? Well, Congress is not doing anything else useful with its time, is it? Are they working to end the War? No. Have they stopped the signing statements? No. Have they worked to recall the Patriot Act? No. Do we have national health insurance yet? No. There's plenty of energy.
You underestimate the importance of the principle here, Arianna. We MUST make it clear that our elected officials cannot violate the Constitution and the laws of the land with impunity. If we fail to impeach, we set an extremely bad precedent.
Since WW II, U.S. foreign policy has operated off the belief that our nation has such power it can push the buttons of other nations to achieve our own national interests. Oil, trade agreements, and most important, the spread of OUR style of democracy.
If other world leaders didn't agree to what WE wanted, as a nation, the solution did not preclude the use of our badass military. See Vietnam, Grenada, Chile, and now Iraq. See the fact that U.S. Military bases dot the globe from Korea and Europe, to Indonesia and Qatar. In the past few years, our hubris has allowed us to even install military bases in the heart of Islam - Saudi Arabia and now, Iraq.
It is NOW time to reverse 70 years of misguided foreign policy and recognize that the U.S. does not, cannot, control the world. We can merely be a positive influence if we will allow ourselves that. If we can restrain our collective national ego to that end.
Therefore, the ONLY real solution here, if in fact OIL is not the issue, is to immediately withdraw all forces from Iraq - consequences be what they may.
If Middle East nations and their people want to fight theological wars for the next three centuries, let them. If Sunnis and Shia want to kill each other, let them. All we ask is that you nations and your people keep your hellfire within your borders. Threaten our security and we'll come down on you like a ton of cinder blocks.
We won't make the mistake of occupying your country. Been there, done that. Oh, sorry. Are there. Doing that.
We'll bomb you to oblivion. But if you want to kill yourselves, have at it.
Impeach this jerk and his puppet, NOW.
HAHAHA. oh, she promised did she? well, that makes all the difference.
Like she promised to uphold the Constitution?
IMPEACHMENT is the answer. The war will not end without it. What you are saying is that ANY president can do ANYTHING regardless how damaging or illegal as long as they do it at the end of their terms. HOW STUPID CAN YOU BE?
The Constitution demands impeachment for this very reason. Troops are dying regardless and will continue dying. and their blood is now your responsibility, may Pelosi drown in it.
By the way, pulling troops out of Iraq isn't an achievement. It's an undoing, not a doing. And, it would be far more complicated and take longer than the rest of this fellow's term. It's probably more complicated and tedious than impeachment proceedings. With all the interdependent dynamics of the region it also would benefit from being guided by a crystalline perspective which only be achieved through impeachment proceedings.
I don't blame Pelosi for not backing impeachment though her continued statements about 'taking it off the table' are insulting. Every person in congress and the senate should be calling for impeachment proceedings, everyday. Those are the guilty ones.
It has been hardly 4 days since the publishing of that disgraceful interview Pelosi gave Arianna, and these DemoRats are already caving in on the FISA spying scandal. How does Arianna expect Pelosi to keep any of her promises about defunding the War. Arianna, you were taken to the cleaners by a seleazy politician, who should not even be elected to be a dog catcher! Her word is absolutely untrusworthy and she is a shill for King Georgie and his henchmen.
People who wonder why the impeachment question has become the crazy aunt, that the polite circles of the DC ruling elite, won't talk about, need to read Ray McGovern's piece:
http://www
If Bush isn't impeached justice isn't served. Justice and truth are far more important than political strategy.
So true. So very true! FAR MORE important.
Arianna, the problem with emphasizing the 3 promises is that it plays into the seamless dynamic of capitulation that Democratic politicians have fallen into. All three promises were delay tactics as a part of the co-optation dance, and they are not tactics against the administration, but against your audience. The interview DID make progress, but it was in exposing the discourse of capitulation. Your four questions about Pelosi's power to stop the war revealed different aspects of the transparent desperation of denial.
Can we get rid of Madame Speaker? Oh, please, can we? She's stupid, compromised, afraid to wield power. What's she good for? Making "history?" for women (some role model, eh?). She'd be a better role model if she was history!
Impeachment is the only solution to this illegal immoral war. Anything less cheapens America and trashes everything this country was supposed to stand for.
God Damn George Bush and Dick Cheney.
God Damn all those "representatives" that stand by and do nothing.
Time for real change. These Democrats are no better than republicans and no different. Throw every incumbent out of office. None of them deserve the position they hold.
At least 780 bloggers on thia website are DAMN MAD.
If enough of the 300,000,000 Americans could turn off the TV long enough,they too might get DAMN MAD and say ENOUGH. " Give us back our country, you beltway employees.
Then there might be some constructive action taken in this country.
It is still in our hands.
Picasso.
Interesting responses. Do you get it now?
IMPEACH!
It is my opinion that the Dems need to concentrate on two things; impeachment and ending the war.
Impeachment to show the American people that our system still works, and a president can't make these power grabs and start wars by themselves. It will be a lesson for future administrations.
The second issue, ending the war, is for the survival of the Democratic party (among other things, naturally). This administration knows exactly what's it's doing. By leaving a war, that cannot be won, nor has any good solutions, to the next president, more than likely a Democrat, it does nothing but set them up for failure. People won't remember who started the war, but only how it ended. The blame will fall on the Democrats. They will suffer years of right-wing criticism on how they "lost" the war and can't be trusted on national security, further perpetuating the myth that the Republicans are better on war and security. It is Bush's war, and he must be the one responsible for it's failure. He'll be sitting around laughing at watching the Dems fighting among themselves on how to end this war.
If the Dems can't see this, they deserve what they get. They need to grow a spine and hold Bush accountable for this war and its ending.
“Every generation needs a new revolution
The Democratic party's survival is a detriment to progressive, and even lawful, governance.
Since they are inveterate invertebrates, they will be easily swept away.
We need to hold the Democratic party accountable, and then the Republicans will be, too; but not a moment sooner.
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