As we all know, nobody in the Democratic leadership is making a public call for impeachment. We've all heard Nancy Pelosi say those words, "Impeachment is off the table." It is my opinion that our leadership is acting wisely in this case. While we, the netroots, should be calling for impeachment at every turn, for the Democratic leadership to do so would be premature.
If an Impeachment is going to be successful, we're going to need 2/3rds of the Senate, 67 Votes. We need 17 Republicans or 16 and Lieberman. At this point, I'm pretty sure we can all agree 2/3rds isn't going to happen.
If an Impeachment fails to remove, I doubt we'll get another chance at it. Something tells me the public will turn agaisnt the idea. I could be wrong.
Remember, the crime really doesn't matter. I have no doubt that Republican Senators will look an obvious crime in the face and still vote to acquit. Republican Senators will not vote to remove a Republican President unless they feel it in either their own interest or their party's interest. Considering the smear it's going to leave on their party's face, it's going to take a lot to convince them of that.
To get those votes we need to continue the investigations, we need more evidence. For the leadership to publicly call for impeachment would hinder the very investigations we need. It will give credit to the administration’s claims of 'Show Trials' and 'Witch Hunts.'
Now I know they are already making those claims, and giving them more ammo with which to make those claims further may not hurt us, but then again it may hurt us. It's difficult to predict what the public will do, and if the Republican Senators feel the Public at large actually believes the White House spin, then it will be nearly impossible to convince them to vote to remove.
Why give the White House more evidence for their spin? There's nothing to gain and too much to lose.
There are those who feel that the Democratic Leadership should use impeachment as a threat. Without the votes to remove, what does the administration care for the Democratic threats? The only threats that will worry them are the threats of Republican Senators. Even still, the Democratic Leadership can issue such threats privately without changing their public stance.
I believe it is the goal of the Democratic Leadership to impeach this disaster of an administration. However, if they publicly call for it, it will hurt the cause. That's where we come in.
We, on the other hand, should be calling for impeachment.
It is OUR job to build the pressure for Impeachment.
It is OUR job to get the public support.
Ultimately it will be OUR job to get the Republican Senators on our side.
17 Republican Senators, and yes, I'm counting Lieberman as a Republican here.