Small adjustments

Emergency funding bills to keep the military open while deciding other issues is a good approach.

However, no war in Iran without a separate vote of Congress should be in every bill. This is the critical Constitutional separation of powers and cannot be allowed to lapse. The Bushists have argued that the original Iraq resolution gives them everything in their wildest dreams; words in black and white have to be down on paper denying that authority.

Ordering withdrawal and the toothless departure goal are more negotiable, so Congress could play monthly games with those.

Originally a comment on DailyKos.

How do you know Rove is lying?

Yes, of course, as in the old joke, his lips are moving.

When his memory is hazy, that means he's worrying about perjury.

Originally a comment on DailyKos.

Too soon

Of course, it's not too soon legally to impeach the criminals of this executive branch, but it's too soon politically. Nancy Pelosi was spot on to take impeachment off the table. Only a groundswell of opinion from ordinary voters, not from Dennis Kucinich, however right he may be, can put impeachment back on the table.

This is especially important if the process might lead to a Pelosi Presidency. To be legitimate, it must be popular.

Originally a comment on DailyKos.

Down the rabbit hole

(Adapted from Philosoraptor.)

I've had Duhbya fatigue since the first time I ever heard his blend of patronizing arrogance and resolute cluelessness. I kept listening for a while, but now I can't anymore. The likelihood he will say those words I could listen for - "I resign" - are so slim it's not worth the time and upset. So I won't even watch the State of the Union until he's gone.

...

The Dems, especially in the House, need to wield their subpoena power like a scythe, show daily the thoroughgoing corruption that the Bushists have worked both in dollars and in democracy, and let the people demand impeachment. Or not.

I suspect that the people won't. I think we're too lazy to care about the principles of self-government any more; just give us widescreen HDTV.

But if we do, there'll be hell to pay. Hello, President Pelosi!

The real hell would be the possibility that a large number of right-wingers might well stage armed rebellion. We've had a Constitutional crisis simmering along with the lapdog media too focused on Liebermanesque faux bipartisanship to report it. This would be too visible and violent to ignore.

For once, I hope I'm just paranoid. But the "responsible" right never accepted Clinton's election and immediately set to work to undo it. Would they accept the (necessarily Republican-aided) impeachment and conviction of Darth and Duhbya? I doubt it.

...

Oh, TVD, how sweet of you. Except you've before pointedly declined assent to the "defend to the death" hyperbole. Still, I wasn't expecting you to take part in the violence either way.

I promise you that I would rather not be Cassandra.

But, since you've shunned me, a couple of rhetorical questions:

• Who has the guns in the U.S.?
• Who has engaged in recent political violence against people in the U.S.?
• Which side has prominent advocates who urge political violence?
• Has there ever been widespread political violence in the U.S.?
• Can it happen here?

You don't think Duhbya is like Putin. I think you may be wrong.

All in all, though, it's an unlikely scenario that we'll get to impeachment, even though by any reasonable legal standard we should.