U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she’s drawing heat from fellow Democratic lawmakers as well as people across the nation for refusing to move to impeach President George W. Bush or Vice President Dick Cheney.
“I go through airports, and people have buttons as if they knew I was coming,” Pelosi said with a smile, mimicking a protester pointing to an “Impeach” button on their chest.
But the California Democrat said she is sticking to her position that trying to remove Bush or Cheney would be divisive, and she added, most likely unsuccessful. If the House voted to impeach Bush and Cheney, a two-thirds vote would be needed in the closely divided Senate to oust them.
Many Democrats and civil liberties groups have accused the Bush administration of misleading the United States into the Iraq war and violating the rights of U.S. citizens with its warrantless surveillance program. The White House denies the charges.
In helping Democrats win back control of Congress in 2006 from 
Republicans, Pelosi said she would not push for impeachment despite a number of calls to do so.
Speaking with reporters, she recalled that she wanted to focus on unifying the nation, passing the Democrats’ legislative agenda — not picking an impeachment fight with the White House.
“It was my belief that an impeachment of the Vice President or the President … would be very divisive in our country, and that is what I believed then,” Pelosi said. “It should have come to no surprise when I became Speaker I said it again, and I continue to hold that view.”
Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.
- Photo credits: Reuters/Jim Young (Bush and Cheney talking about the economy in the White House Roosevelt Room on Friday); Larry Downing (Pelosi takes control of the House as Speaker on Jan. 4, 2007)
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I am very angry. I supported the DNC, the DLC, and Democratic candidates not only with money but time, travel, canvassing, and GOTV on the ground. No more. The Democratic Party officials know, because I’ve told them, many times. In writing. On the phone. Via the Web. They don’t seem to care.
My only conclusions are, the fix is in and our grass roots efforts are no longer needed or wanted. The “vote” is going to go the way someone wants it to, and that someone is not you or me.
That Pelosi continues to dismiss impeachment proceedings out of hand is either insane or treasonous. There are 3 possible reasons I see:
1. The “Dems” don’t want to roll back any of the unitary executive power that Bush/Cheney have grabbed, in the event one of them is President.
2. Nancy is part and parcel of the same corrupt establishment that lets Bush/Cheney off the hook time and time and time again without even a hand-slap. There really is only one party, not two.
3. Nancy and fellow Dem leaders are truly, stupidly, blind to what has been going on for the last 7 years.
Ms. Pelosi, you are an obscenity. Shame on you.
- Posted by EnnealogicThe volume has been turn way UP on this topic. It has been an item of discussion on numerous boards since the 2004 election, but the anger has become palpable! YOU GO!
Maybe anger will do it when rationality and quiet discussion didn’t?
- Posted by cokidsFor the Rush Limbaugh listener who is using this opportunity to spread his favorite fat junkie hypocrite’s garbage — we’ll see to it that Pelosi is justly rewarded for her failure in leadership, why don’t you do the same for your heroes — Bush and Cheney?
Spread your garbage somewhere else. It’s people like you, Marty Fee, whose blind allegiance to the likes of the war criminals Bush and Cheney, that have made their disastrous reign possible.
Don’t waste our time with any more of your inane rantings. Follow our lead and demanded accountability from your “leaders” so they can spend the rest of their natural lives in prison where criminals belong instead of the White House.
Now off you go to listen to Rush for your daily indoctrination, Marty. And please, don’t bother to come back. We’ve had more than enough garbage from the likes of you.
- Posted by Hugh CantellPelosi is clueless. Here’s a brief lesson on the Constitution, Nancy: In the impeachment process, the House acts as a grand jury. It takes testimony and decides whether to indict. Impeachment is just the Constitution’s word for indictment of a president. The indictment goes to trial in the Senate, and that’s where the president is convicted or not convicted.
The point of the impeachment process is to discover evidence, not to convict. If the evidence is sufficient, the House (grand jury) indicts. Many indictments don’t make it past a trial jury (the Senate), but many do.
To say you won’t hold impeachment hearings to discover whether there’s enough evidence to indict (impeach) the president because you think the jury (Senate) won’t convict is to not perform your sworn obligation to the Constitution.
Remember the Constitution, Nancy? Without it, we don’t have a nation. It’s that simple.
- Posted by MontfortYes sir! Nancy Pelosi the face of the “fighting” Dems. Ha ha ha.
- Posted by Blueman1After the civil war Republicans Impeached Andrew Johnson. I wonder if they debated over the terrible possibility of dividing the nation? Come on Nancy, this is just your cowardice way of trying to pick up seats. Rather than fighting for justice and the Constitution, you’re fighting the cowardice fight of hoping Dems will support you even if you trash the Constitution!
- Posted by BrianAs a poster above states:
- Posted by blitzi“You cannot enable murderers without being a conspirator.”
Pelosi is a conspirator and should be ashamed having gotten the job to work for the people. She is a nobody, unqualified and failing them because of self interest. She is only interested in her own agenda of attaining power, or whatever she thinks it will bring her.
She will only be remembered negatively, if at all.
Nancy Pelosi is a disgrace. We knew what Bush and Cheney were when they stole office. They never represented themselves as anything other than war criminals. Nancy Pelosi won re-election pretending to be their opposition. So besides being in on it and little different than Bush and Cheney, she is a political fraud as well.
Cindy Sheehan should do well in taking over Pelosi’s seat.
- Posted by Bob DobbsIt is time to impeach members of Congress for dereliction of duty.
Nancy must be the first.
- Posted by blitziNancy Pelosi should be impeached for taking impeachment off the table.
Pelosi: Just another war criminal.
- Posted by MonicaWell, Democrat or not, I guess then it’s time to impeach Nancy Pelosi. We had high hopes she would be brave and do her duty, but since it’s apparent she lacks the courage, then her career should be over in our government.
- Posted by CherylSo it looks like Fuhrer George II & Idi Amin (oh, I’m sorry—that should be George W.Bush & Dick Cheney–wait,that’s the same thing),will just leave office,write a book that eight people will read,and have a f*****g library named after them after they’ve kicked off. This just goes to show you what a toilet this country has turned into.
- Posted by David P. DoughertyNancy Pelosi has in effect indicted herself for every crime perpetrated by the Bush administration. You cannot enable murderers without being a conspirator.
- Posted by PissonpelosiI hope she understands that there is no statute of limitations on murder, treason, or crimes against humanity.
There are those of us who will never let these crimes be forgotten, or ever cease to struggle to have these criminals tried for their heinous crimes.
Judicial Watch just named Nancy Pelosi, along with her Zionist pal Feinstein, as among the top ten most corrupt politicians in Washington.
She’s really gone beyond straight forward corruption and is in Benedict Arnold company now. What’s good for Benedict Arnold is good for Nancy Pelosi, traitor extroadinaire.
- Posted by JintoDivide the country? Think again, Nancy, you accomplished that already.
- Posted by Walter RenninghoffI will vote, as I always do, but next time not for a Democrat and neither for a Republican.
Against the will of the people you allow criminals with blood on their hands to stay in office; death and destruction have not stopped since we, the People, spoke; that makes you part of the gang.
Now we have Republicans, Democrats for Peace and Democrats for War, nice partition.
The Californians will send you packing.
[...] Pelosi is at it again. On Friday, she reiterated her opposition to impeaching George Bush and Dick Cheney, saying that impeachment “would be very divisive in [...]
- Posted by BTC News: If It Says ‘News,’ It Must Be True » Blog Archive » Democratic leaders: progressives in the mold of Dick NixonI have written my Democrat congressman in New York four times urging him to sign on to Wexler’s impeachment hearings. He doesn’t respond. No action.
Many of us US citizens writing here gave Pelosi and these congressmen/women our votes and they are ignoring our historic call for action.
In doing so they have all “lowered the bar” for US Integrity and Honest Public Service to a lowest level befitting a corrupted, strife-ridden 3rd world nation. How history might someday condemn all the Democrats for their weakness.
In 2000, the giant proud ocean liner we call the USA took a dark dangerou turn toward secretiveness, tyranny, torture, plundering of wealth, and corruption. And the Democrats in Congress are riding along, enjoying the ride and fancying themselves with shorterm legislative accomplishments that mean nothing on this grande neo-conservative voyage into darkness.
Where are the good, wise politicians who see the historic danger what we see??
“Evil spreads when Good Men Stand By And Do Nothing.”
- Posted by JanetPelosi gets her marching orders from the same scum that Bush&Cheney do, so are just as culpable - impeachment of them would make her vulnerable as well:
- Posted by t quiglyAIPAC
CFR
corporations
They are all Israel-firsters. They don’t give a damn what American citizens want.
Sending money to Cindy, I used to respect Pelosi, what a mistake. She disgusts me.
- Posted by kcPerhaps it would be better to let Bush and Cheney finish their terms and then bring them up on war crimes charges, perjury, corruption, etc… It’s debatable whether a sitting president or VP can face criminal or civil charges while in office and they’d just run the clock out anyway, but once they’re out, they’re fair game.
- Posted by Mr. Mike