This is a response to Senator Feingold. I will state very directly: I respect Senator Feingold as much as I respect any member of either House of Congress. I could not disagree more strongly with his reasons for opposing impeachment.
I believe that the President and Vice President may well have committed impeachable offenses.
This is an important point of agreement. The question is why anyone would allow any Administration to get away with such crimes. It's disrespectful of the Constitution and the rule of law, and it also sets an extremely dangerous precedent.
But with so many important issues facing this country and so much work to be done, I am concerned about the great deal of time multiple impeachment trials would take away from the Congress working on the problems of the country. The time it would take for the House to consider articles of impeachment, and for the Senate to conduct multiple trials, would make it very difficult, if not impossible, for Congress to do what it was elected to do – end the war and address some of the other terrible mistakes this Administration has made over the past six and a half years.
Unfortunately, Senator, the very minimal Democratic Congressional majority, and the most belligerent Administration ever, make this nearly impossible. I will also quote one of my political heroes, the late Congresswoman Barbara Jordan:
"Common sense would be revolted if we engaged upon this process for petty reasons. Congress has a lot to do: Appropriations, Tax Reform, Health Insurance, Campaign Finance Reform, Housing, Environmental Protection, Energy Sufficiency, Mass Transportation. Pettiness cannot be allowed to stand in the face of such overwhelming problems. So today we are not being petty. We are trying to be big, because the task we have before us is a big one."
While some have pointed to Republicans’ decision to impeach President Clinton, I am also concerned about the over-use of impeachment.
It is not over-use if it is done with good reason. The impeachment of President Clinton wasn't. As I've previously written, despite the MSM's incessant hammering away at him, neither they nor the Republicans could dent President Clinton's popularity. People could see that the entire process was a sham. And more than four hundred thirty law professors, from all across the political spectrum, signed a letter opposing the impeachment. And over four hundred historians signed a letter making an even stronger statement. And the public was never on board!
You have just admitted that you think Bush and Cheney may have committed impeachable offenses. That's the fundamental difference. That's why the comparison with the impeachment of President Clinton just doesn't wash.
And I am conscious of the fact that I would have a specific role to play as a sworn, impartial juror should an impeachment be tried in the Senate.
On this, I completely agree. I have been defending Speaker Pelosi's "off the table" statement for exactly that reason. You must not pre-judge this case. You must remain impartial. You must let the public see that you are impartial. For that reason, I wish you would refrain from speaking against impeachment just as I agree you should refrain from speaking for it. All you need say is that impeachment is a Constitutional process, you are a Constitutional officer, and it is not appropriate for you to pre-judge any potential impeachment on which you may have to vote.
But on balance, I think Congress’s time is much better spent ending the war in Iraq, conducting the oversight that was absent for the last six years, and advancing progressive legislation.
With all due respect, Senator, oversight is meaningless if it doesn't lead to appropriate consequences. If Bush and Cheney have committed impeachable offenses, impeachment is the only appropriate consequence.
I will now close with another quote from Representative Jordan:
"My faith in the Constitution is whole; it is complete; it is total. And I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction, of the Constitution."
On that, Senator, I think we can all agree.
I am not a Constitutional officer. I will not be a juror at any impeachment trial. I believe Bush and Cheney have committed impeachable offenses. I respectfully ask that your Democratic colleagues in the House immediately begin impeachment proceedings.