Half in US want Bush impeached, Solid majority say impeach Cheney

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070706/pl_afp/uspoliticsbush

Nearly half of the US public wants President George W. Bush to face impeachment, and even more favor that fate for Vice President Dick Cheney, according to a poll out Friday.

The survey by the American Research Group found that 45 percent support the US House of Representatives beginning impeachment proceedings against Bush, with 46 percent opposed, and a 54-40 split in favor when it comes to Cheney.

Regardless of the actual merits of impeachment, even with the margin of error the question is: with these kinds of numbers, why is impeachment still talked about as if it were some mythological, quixotic measure?

To be sure, there are arguments to be made on both sides as to the political feasibility (would the proposal get anywhere in the House and/or Senate?), pragmatic value (would impeachment hurt rather than help Dems in the 2008 elections?) or constitutional appropriateness (do Bush or Cheney's actions legally fit the definition of "high crimes and misdemeanors'?). Regardless, why the constant reassurance that impeachment is categorically 'off the table?' Why does pie-in-the-sky idiocy like erecting a border wall, on the other hand, get thrown around as a serious discussion point?

Simply put - why, despite these poll numbers and regardless of how high they may go, will the last line in such articles always be the one that appears in this one?:

But Democratic leaders appear unlikely to pursue such a course.

I'll tell you why Democrats won't impeach Bush: They're looking to 2008, not 2007.

It's politically expedient for them right now to leave him in office. Bush and Cheney are hanging around the ankles of the Republican Party like huge, fuckwitted 300-pound weights, dragging the numbers of every GOPer down with them.

In other words, Bush is frankly too unpopular to impeach. The Dems have Congress, so he's effectively politically neutered except when it comes to the war. And that's what got the Democrats into power in the first place.

Since when do we only fight when we know we're going to win.

Oh, that's right, you're a lawyer (sorry, couldn't resist.)

But seriously, they should go for it. It is not like they are going to get in legislation passed in this fucked up stalemate of a Congress.

I wonder how many people on the side of impeachment can actually bring up a reason to go ahead with it.

Aside from people being mad but uninformed, here's a thought I had on why not to impeach.

Remove Bush from office, Cheney takes hold and continues destroying international reputation. Nothing changes, but now we have to look at Cheney more often. Maybe Cheney is then removed because it wouldn't really make sense to impeach one without the other when it's obvious they were in whatever it was together. Pelosi takes the wheel, dems accused of impeaching solely for power grab, party reputation demolished. Good luck putting a Dem president in the oval any time soon after that.

Or maybe an impeachment is just the last sort of chaos the nation needs right now. It would undoubtedly damage our ability to function in Iraq and will consequently be seen as an attempt to sabotage operations without actually passing any legislation. And it's not like the congress is ranking high in approval ratings right now either.

No, it's all stupid and partisan. It was foolish to go after Clinton, it'd be foolish now to go after Bush/Cheney. If there were proof (and not just cries of "he lied and tricked us!") of him purposefully misleading and lying to the legislature to go to Iraq, then maybe. But as is, it would just waste time and damage our already bloody nation. No want.

James Polk would want us to proceed. It's destined. Manifestly destined.

If the documents and evidence haven't already been destroyed.

Considering about that many voted for Bush in the first place, I'm gonna go ahead and not even pay attention to what they think should happen.