What Pelosi Could Have Done: A Response to Chris Weigant

"What, Exactly, Was Pelosi Supposed to Do?" the estimable Chris Weigant asked in a recent post.

She could have defended her country. She could have risked her "career" or the contumely of sneering war criminals or even her personal liberty: she was, after all, our leader, and she was partly responsible for sending our young men and women off to die for the country. She could have refused to be silent, and so complicit, as war crimes were committed and the Constitution was serially subverted. Yes, she might have gone to jail for a while; she might also have become the first woman president.

What she could not ever, ever do, especially with the knowledge she had, was take impeachment off the table. When she did that, didn't we know that she was fully complicit in those war crimes and, by extension, in all the high crimes and misdemeanors she was helping to cover up?

I'm a big fan of your posts, but as I read this one, I kept flashing on how clearly and well you would articulate the case for the Vichy French: what else, after all, could they really have done?

We will not awaken from this long national nightmare until we repudiate and retire (and in some cases jail) our Vichy Democrats. Pelosi is not alone, but she is at the head of this large group. Harry Reid isn't sure there's enough evidence yet for a war crimes investigation. Chuck Schumer and Diane Feinstein sent Mukasey's nomination to the floor, after he made clear that George W. Bush had the right under the Constitution to ignore any law he pleased if he determined that it was necessary to do that in order to "save" us. Let one of the war criminals or fellow travelers explain how that principle is not the quintessence of fascism. The Vichy Democrats (they know who they are; so do we) have betrayed us and the country more heartbreakingly -- and, perhaps more profoundly -- than the unspeakable (evil or ignorant) criminal Republicans. The Republicans are what they are: they weren't in our foxhole. They weren't pleading for our support and our votes. They weren't professing allegiance to our cause even as they were making their own separate peace and collaborating in the irremediable assault on our principles, our laws, our future, our standing in the world, our democracy, our country.

Comments

[tompoe]

Kucinich might shed some light on the topic.

[LizM]

This 'us against them' example of rabid partisanship is exactly what we don't need in this debate. Besides, between your "criminal Republicans" and your "Vichy Democrats", who is left to restore US credibility in the world and reclaim America's global leadership role?

[Frank Dwyer - Huffpost Blogger]

The German and the French in the Nazi-Vichy heyday would have had exactly the same dilemma, wouldn't they? Some rejected both criminals and collaborators, though they did not thereby avoid the charge of being rabidly partisan. Aren't partisans rabid, by definition. Anything worth being partisan about?

Bringing to justice those guilty of war crimes and various other subversions of the Constitution and American and International Law, and covering up those crimes, is not a matter that has, for me, two "sides" and a happy compromise in blessed bipartisanship. "Who is left to restore...­," etc.? Good question. Exactly the one we should be asking. Maybe only a few, so we can be bipartisan and stick with the enormously successful Tweedle Dee-Tweedle Dum system we've got.

[Keith52]

I agree. And do you agree that Cheney and Bush and Rice and Rumsfeld and any other "planners" of the "enhanced" interrogation program all should get 20 years in prison? Yes or no.

[LizM]

First off, thanks for providing the link for Chris's HuffPost blog!

Chris has written a response to your 'reply' and I would love to see you two go at it on this issue - some interesting points to be made no matter which way you look at this. Here's the link...

http://www.chrisweigant.com/index.php/2009/05/19/pelosi-part-two/

[LizM]

You might have included a link to Chris's piece.

[Corbettpc]

SHE WAS NOT THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE AT THAT TIME. SHE WAS NOT OUR LEADER. Give me a break!! This is a diversion from the people who were responsible: Bush, Cheney, and their ilk.

[LizM]

Are you talkin' to me!? (sorry, I couldn't resist)