Pelosi Puts Impeachment Back OnThe Table

Since becoming House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi has tried to calm the rough waters of Capitol Hill. In an effort to return to some sort of collegiality, she entered the office with the statement that impeachment was “off the table” when it came to the Bush administration.

Few Americans would want to approach something as serious as impeachment of the President or Vice-President as cavalierly as the Republicans did with Bill Clinton. From the moment he was sworn in, Clinton faced adversaries in Congress intent on tossing him out by whatever means available. The whole Whitewater affair and the subsequent investigation which cost taxpayers millions of dollars produced nothing of substance. Yet like a dog intent on hanging onto a bone, the Republicans managed to find one of the most trivial reasons for impeachment imaginable.

Now, a sitting President has been shown to have lied many times on matters of national security with grave military consequences for thousands of our soldiers and the congress remains silent. I know I am not the only person to be dumfounded as to why “impeachment is off the table”.

Meanwhile, Dennis Kucinich finally managed to introduce 35 articles of impeachment which are trapped in the Judiciary Committee for the time being, but something is very different this time. Kucinich introduced a “privileged resolution" which will force the House to consider if Bush lied to Congress and the American people in his rationale for invading Iraq and the subsequent occupation.

What is more surprising is that House Speaker Pelosi has said, "My expectation is that there will be some review of that in the committee.” She went on further to say, “This is a Judiciary Committee matter, and I believe we will see some attention being paid to it by the Judiciary Committee.”

She has in effect put impeachment back on the table!

Judiciary Committee chair John Conyers, has said he is reviewing the articles but has not yet indicated whether he intends to hold hearings on them. Then there is the big question of three of these articles which implicate Vice President Dick Cheney and whether he should be impeached as well. If the hearings do take place it will be a historic event. Never before have both the President and Vice President been jointly impeached but this administration is a special case. Cheney wields more power than any other Vice President and as many have noted he seems to make more executive decisions that Bush. In fact Cheney has claimed to be both part of the Executive branch and the Legislative branch since he presides over the Senate.

During an election year it will be difficult for the Congress to approach this matter seriously. The right will try to call it an election year trick and the left will be afraid of dragging America through a painful process that might alienate beleaguered voters. Either way, it will not be a smooth sailing.

Ms Pelosi knew her job would be a tough one when she took it. Being the first female to lead the House of Representatives is a historic position. Now she is starting to look like the kind of woman who is unafraid to wade into the deep political waters and make a few waves.