It's not too late for impeachment

By Libby

I must admit I've wavered back and forth on this issue since 06 but in addressing John Conyers lame excuses for the failure of our Congresslizards to have kept it on the table, namely, they're too busy to take it up, Avedon makes a compelling case.

They're not doing that now. As near as I can tell, in the months since the election, we've gone from bringing the troops home within 18 months to bringing them home sometime after 2013 or not at all. Meanwhile, the Congress has gotten all kinds of very bad things done that should never even have been considered. We'd be lucky if Congress got nothing done other than impeachment hearings.

Amen to that. And one of those things they shouldn't have had time to push forward with absolutely no public input is this scary new internet data retention scheme with the Orwellian name -- The SAFE Act. DeClan has the details and notes there were only two dissenting votes on its speedy passage, both from the GOP and one of whom was Ron Paul. This one needs to be killed before it's rubberstamped by the Senate.

But back to impeachment, the main objection seems to center on the time factor. As Avedon pointed out several weeks ago, it took less than six months to conduct impeachment hearings on Nixon.

The House Judiciary Committee hearings on impeaching Nixon were authorized on February 6, 1974, began on May 9, 1974, and concluded on July 27, 1974 -- less than 6 months had elapsed. Moreover, should Conyers choose to request and hold hearings, much of the investigative spadework would already be done -- by Conyers own staff, in the last legislative session -- so that much less time than that would need to be spent on Cheney or Bush impeachment hearings.

Considering we still have over a year left of the Bush regime, I'd say that six months of impeachment hearings starting right now, would be time well spent. Oh, and the Cheney fear factor? Avedon has that covered too. Go read the whole thing. I'm convinced.