Ron Kall, through Oped News requested a list of reasons for opposing organizing for impeachment. Obviously more people oppose impeachment, than think it's a good idea to post on a basically pro-impeachment site. I hope it's not too late to comment. A lot of thought went into this essay.

President Clinton testified under oath "I never had sex with that woman." But today Cheney definitely, and Bush probably, will refuse to testify. This could be the beginning rather than the end of the story. However, John Conyers can't even muster the votes to hold White House officials who refuse to testify in contempt of Congress. Many people testified during Watergate before Nixon was implicated.

Without the threat of jail for at first lower officials for refusing to testify, or for later discovery of testifying falsely, impeachment efforts can go nowhere.

How about rallies to back Conyers's and Waxman's efforts to force administration officials to testify. Harassing Conyers and Waxman demanding instant impeachment proceeding shows them down, not helps them along.

However some unforseen news event ( ie smoking gun) revelation involving Cheney is possible. But it would most likely lead to Bush disavowing Cheney. And the Vice President office would move across the street where it used to be, and the decision to impeach or not impeach Cheney would revolve only around the possibility of Cheney becoming President if Bush died.

If the impeachment efforts continue, suddenly we would hear more and more dirt, and alleged blemishes on Nancy Pelosi, who is third in line to become President. Remember as soon as John Murtha in 2004 was about to become the majority whip, suddenly his pro-gun and mostly anti-abortion record hit the limelight, and that he brushed off a bribery attempt with "maybe later". Murtha was from stanchly pro-gun Western Pennsylvania, so the NRA wasn't enthused with his lukewarm support, and Hogan loved to make strong solidarity statement and votes in favor of choice and Gay rights, but his slightly weak stance on guns didn't fit in, so the gun lobby didn't come to Murtha's defense. Likewise as soon as impeachment came close, Pelosi not Bush would suddenly become the central story.

If Cheney is impeached or even only thoroughly discredited, President Bush will try to be a new President whether or not circumstance will consider that enough. Bush has already changed policy toward North Korea. Events and both critics and supporters keep pushing Bush in a both more conservative and incompetent direction. Bush wants immigration reform, and while Governor of Texas, supported Mexican-Americans, but relentless conservative pressure and lack of vocal support for his immigration policies among progressives is pushing him toward a round up of undocumented workers.

Bush wants limited Federal stem cell research with a lot of moral over sight. But people against stem cell research pretends that he supports them, while critics pretend he opposes all research preferring to wait, rather than have the precedent of moral oversight.

The timing of the resolution opposing Armenian genocide, right while Turkish relations with the Kurds in Iran was at the boiling point, may have been an attempt to screw Bush up. In October 2004, there was a cease-fire in Fuluja after an Iraqi go-between arranged for the insurgents to accept nominal Bagdad authority. US troops pulled back, and Iraqi's cheered what they thought was the end of the war. But the US peace movement a month before the election, wanted Bush out, not a peace agreement right before the election. A Kerry ad complained of terrorists hiding in Fuluja. Bush demanded that Fuluja turn over Al Sadr for arrest. By election day US troops were back in. For three years if not six, the US has been in suspended animation instead of trying to work together to solve our problems. We are at war with two Muslim countries but Hillary Guiliani or Romney could get us into war with many more.

If it is possible to call for impeachment, while working with Conyers to enforce Congressional subpoenas, and if one could try to impeach Cheney and dream of impeaching Bush, while at the same time working with the President on immigration reform, than working for impeachment might have a positive political effect. Otherwise working toward impeachment just prevents problems from being solved.

What can cause more harm than a impeachment movement preventing people from solving problems is the idea that impeachment and digging for hidden facts around 9/11 is subversive and dangerous. If all I can do is prevent Oped news from being declared a terrorist publication by encouraging vigorous two sided debate, I would have accomplished a lot.

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