Peace and Justice Post

Dissident Voice, November 12, 2007

by Paul Street

“We Have Some Major Priorities”

Here are 49 words to inspire dismay and disgust:

“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and her lieutenants maneuvered to avoid a floor fight that would have forced Democrats to choose between their liberal base, which might cheer a Cheney impeachment, and a broader electorate, which might view the resolution as a partisan game in a time of war.”

I read these words on the fourth page of the front section of the November 7th edition of the Iowa City Press-Citizen. They are part of a story titled “GOP Tries to Outfox Foes: VP’s Impeachment Vote Beat Back.” They are attributed to the following author: “Washington Post/LA Times.”

The story is about how the Republican Party tried to force a vote on progressive Congressman Dennis Kucinich’s (D-Ohio) call for the House to pass a resolution to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney for “fabricating a threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction” to justify the invasion of Iraq.

House Republican (GOP) leaders knew that the Democrats lack the votes and willpower to work for the impeachment of Cheney and/or Bush. The Republicans wanted to embarrass the Democrats and expose the fissures in their party by forcing a vote on Kucinich’s bill.

Pelosi succeeded in defeating the Republicans by getting Kucinich’s measure sent to the Judiciary Committee. According to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), “impeachment is not on our agenda. We have some major priorities. We need to focus on those.”

Keep reading . . . 

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