Kerry calling for impeachment???

[Dr Ron]

From The Democratic Daily

http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=1177



I don’t know if Kondracke’s assesment of Kerry’s intentions are correct, but if so this should give another reason for Democrats to stand behind Kerry. Should we ultimately achieve impeachment, we may look back at John Kerry for taking the first steps. From First Read:

Roll Call’s Morton Kondracke writes that “Democratic accusations that Bush lied to get the United States into the Iraq war would seem to lead logically to demands for his removal from office.” Kondracke thinks that Kerry’s mention earlier this week of Republicans’ effort to impeach Clinton “was a trial balloon, designed to get the idea out on the table without having to accept responsibility for actually recommending it… To be sure, no party leader has mentioned impeachment, but it’s clear that Democrats are eagerly searching for ’smoking guns.’”

[TayTay]

1. Whoa! That seems like a reach

to assume that this is happening. Does this seem reasonable to you guys.

Hey, I would love to have * impeached, tried in the Senate and removed form office along with The Dark Lord Cheney. But I don't think Sen. Kerry has been calling for this. What am I missing?

That's kind of a radical interpretation of the text, don't ya think. (Sounds like RW hype points for the base.)

[Dr Ron]

2. Sure it is a reach

but I think that around here it might gain him some points (except they'd bash him for not outright calling for impeachment on the Senate floor).

It was supposed to be a question mark at the end of the title of my post rather than a colon.

[TayTay]

4. Maybe, but then it would get hyped

someone would say they heard him say this to them and then he would have to issue a press release saying he never said this and then all hell would break loose.

I like that he is bashing the shit out of * and The Dark Lord. Nothing will come of a call for impeachment before the '06 elections. Kerry is doing swell without it.

[Dr Ron]

7. He certainly can't call for it--yet

If (and it is a big if) he intended to raise the impeachment issue it would have to be as a subtle trial balloon.

Hopefully in the future this will change and it will be possible for people in Congress to talk more openly about this. There is certainly a lot more mention of impeachment in the media lately.

[ProSense]

3. I predict

I believe Bush will be impeached. And while there is urgency to keep him from screwing up the country any further, the job can't be done properly without tying up a lot of loose end, specifically snaring an insidious network of crooks. We see it happening already. Leave them in place and Bush's impeachment could make the job of taking back the country a bit more difficult. Bush is in trouble, and his vulnerability is providing the momentum to clean house, even among those connected to the government. Better to expose and remove as much of them as possible from power now, so they're not around to spin lies (that have to be responded to) while the Democrats are busy getting the country back on track.


Clarification: Too early to tell, but Kerry's speech will probably serve as the impetus behind Bush's impeachment.

[_dynamicdems]

5. He was certainly taking the President on.

When more facts are in, Senator Kerry will undoubtedly be front and center in calling for impeachment. He's careful though, and not one to yell "fire" in a crowded theater. His speech was a direct challenge, however. There is no mistaking that. Senator Kerry was drawing a line in the sand. He was also trying to rattle cages. And the timing was perfect: with Bush out of the country (in exile?) Cheney had to lumber out of his cave to answer the challenge. Big mistake.

[karynnj]

6. I thought in reading the whole Monday statement

the first part really did sound like a prosecutor's summation making the case that:
1) Bush intentionally deceived Congress - he went as far as diffrentiating from being wrong and lying
2) Bush violated his promises as to how he would use the authorization when asking the Senate for its approval.

Then Kerry reiterates his own positions to defend himself from the Republican attacks.

Kondracke is misreading that paragraph. Kerry said How can Republicans ignore lying about reasons for war when they impeached a President for lying about an affair. But he does not say either that Bush should be impeached and he voted against convicting Clinton. I would make a stronger case that this implies that Kondracke may think that impeachment is warranted if the charges are true. He did (I think) support Clinton's impeachment and he seems to accept that the subject is more important here. Bush however was not under oath.

[Dr Ron]

8. Maybe he has a point

"Kerry said How can Republicans ignore lying about reasons for war when they impeached a President for lying about an affair."

A logical next step from this would be that Bush should be impeached for his lies if Clinton was impeached for a lesser crime.

He certainly did not call for impeachement, but perhaps Kerry did want listeners to think along these lines. In that case it could be called a trial balloon.

[Mass]

9. That is how I understood it

Of course, he did not call directly for impeachment, but his repeated calls for accountability and his challenges to the Republicans were certainly hinting in this direction.

[rox63]

10. Impeachment would have to come from the House

So Kerry wouldn't really have a say in that. But I wouldn't mind him giving the Congress-critters a few ideas. :)

[Dr Ron]

12. It's not an official act

It doesn't matter in this case that Kerry wouldn't be involved in actual impeachment. Kondracke's just saying Kerry is launching a trial baloon on this,not that he is taking any official action on this.

[frogmarch]

11. My take on it is

that Kerry is helping lay the groundwork for a possible impeachment. The points against Bushco Kerry makes in his speeches and rebuttals are without question impeachable points.

[jillan]

13. When it's time to say Impeach, it needs to come from Reid

with Kerry standing right next to him.

In the meantime, let Kerry infer infer infer.

[Dr Ron]

14. Formally it must come from the House

But there is no reason Senators can't investigate wrong doing and pass on their findings, and no reason they can't speak out publically.