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Sheldon Drobny

Sheldon Drobny

Posted: November 9, 2007 03:16 PM

Impeaching Cheney: What the Democratic Leadership Does Not Get


The Republican leadership in the House has voted to allow for Cheney's impeachment to reach the House floor. They think that the Democrats would be losers in the impeachment process. It is my position that the Democrats would be BIG WINNERS if they understood the constitution and what the public wants. Below are the positive points that would bolster their position with the media and the voters:

-The MSM and the Republicans are calling Democrats gutless.

-Courage of conviction is admirable and what the voters want.

-It would allow Democrats to argue that patriotism is more important than party loyalty.

-Bush would not be sidetracked because he would not be the target

-Cheney's popular polls are very low.

-Cheney is the perfect villain for the Democrats as the ultimate neocon.

-Impeachment is purely a legislative process that cannot be challenged by the other branches.

-Legislative subpoenas could not be challenged by executive privilege.

-Failure to cooperate by Cheney could cause a charge of contempt of Congress.

-The Capitol Police would have full powers to arrest and seize documents.

-Technically the Capitol Police could seize Cheney's walk in safe and arrest him.

-The impeachment trial would expose all of the criminal activity of this Administration.

-It would be leverage to negotiate an end of the war in Iraq in that Congress could drop the proceedings if Bush/Cheney agree to withdraw the troops.

-The House and Senate could finish their legislative agenda before the Senate trial
.
-Other Congressional business can be done while the trial is proceeding.

If I missed something, please let me know. My belief is that the Democrats will lose credibility with their base and independents unless they do what is best for our country. This is a fight that they should welcome instead of rationalizing that we are better off waiting until January 2009. That is a strategy that will not work with these guys. The waiting game puts us all at risk of global annihilation.


 
 
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02:20 AM on 11/10/2007
Our elected leaders have taken a oath to
protect and defend the Constitution,in my opinion they have failed."It is not part of OUR
agenda." Well, with the over looking of intelligence prior to 9/11, taylor made false intelligence to invade Iraq, outing of an intelligence officer, voter cageing ,politicalisation of the Justice Department,illegal wire tapping dateing back to
Feb.2001, waterboarding,exct.exct.exct, They have obviously not upheld this oath.
Almost every Government leader has failed to keep this oath and I know of no other punisment then for the President and Congress to be removed from the office they hold.
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SamEllison
I feel so clean!
01:13 AM on 11/10/2007
Here's one you missed;
Do it for the children, if we don't impeach Cheney and the Cheney Precedent our children may not have an America to pursue "Live, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness".
Do it for the children!
07:38 PM on 11/09/2007
Supposedly, Republicans have embarrassed Mrs. Pelosi and the Democrats. Why don't the Democrats embarrass them right back by scheduling full House impeachment hearings now that the Republicans have saved the resolution? Then the political game would just incidentally accomplish the right and lawful thing.
05:39 PM on 11/09/2007
What a great opportunity for discovery, in the legal sense.

Congressional hearings on a Cheney impeachment has the potential for laying bare most, if not all, of the Bush Administration's misfeasance, malfeasance, and outright criminal acts. The sheer scale of actionable offenses this opens up to scrutiny is staggering.

This is an opportunity too good to pass up.
DrPaulProteus
Welcome to the Occupation
04:16 PM on 11/09/2007
The Democrats lose yet again in my book for not taking up impeachment in a serious manner and letting the chips fall where they may.

Crimes have been committed by the Bush/Cheney regime. Serious crimes. War crimes. To hinge justice on political calculation just further proves their gutlessness and lack of principle. No wonder they lose elections.

Clinton impeached for nothing, and Bush/Cheney allowed to remain uninvestigated for their many transgressions. Its not hard to see what's going on here.
03:59 PM on 11/09/2007
Let me get this right. You want Congress to hold the impeachment gun to the president's head so that Bush will, in turn, pull troops out of Iraq?
Ok. How about Congress just not fund the war...oh, I forgot. When congressional Democrats get called "gutless" there is a very good reason.
The comments posted in this blog are a prime example of Bush-hatred syndrome. Its ok to hate Bush. But when everything you support is based on hatred of someone else, you enter a perpetual cycle of only reacting to that person.
Try electing more Jim Webb's and Joe Lieberman's and you'll have responsible leadership. You also won't need to impeach Cheney (lmao) to get things done.
03:49 PM on 11/09/2007
Make the Rethugs pay for their grandstanding support of Kucinich, there is NOTHING embarassing about upholding your responsibilities to your constituents or defending the constitution!!!
Inundate the House Judiciary Committee with DEMANDS to move forward with a FULL INVESTIGATION!!!
Our country NEEDS justice, this is the beginning, if we only want it bad enough to DEMAND IT!!!
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mosh
03:48 PM on 11/09/2007
Honestly, impeaching Cheney shouldn't be about political strategy, it should be about defending the Constitution. And that's what the Democrats do not get and why the public has no respect for this Congress. Your 'positive points' would just further erode their credibility. Especially this one:

"It would be leverage to negotiate an end of the war in Iraq in that Congress could drop the proceedings if Bush/Cheney agree to withdraw the troops."

That's really dangerous. Almost as dangerous as doing nothing. In fact, it's too bad you voiced these talking points. In my humble opinion, they would be better left unsaid, or said by the repugs.

The Dems should stand up because it's the right thing to do for the country and the Constitution and it's their sworn duty - period - not as political strategy.
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mommadona
I paint. I blog. Therefore, I am.
03:24 PM on 11/09/2007
Respect for the OFFICE AND THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH.

By this, I mean that this thug has obviously DENIGRATED both.

"How DARE you denigrate the people's process, Mr. Cheney" should be the mantra.