CodePink in DC hosted tonight's pre-impeachment hearing meeting to coordinate substance, logistics and planned official responses. In attendance were David Swanson of AfterDowningStreet.org, Susan Serpa and Ralph Lopez of Republicans for Impeachment and the Northeastern Impeachment Coalition, and Cynthia Papermaster, CodePink's Bay Area coordinator who also represents the National Impeachment Network.

Gael Murphy and Desiree Fairooz, CodePink hostesses extraordinaire, welcome everyone to the house in DC!

"This is not intended to be a mere discussion of violations of law that have occurred," said convener Lawrence Velvel, dean and cofounder of the school. "It is, rather, intended to be a planning conference at which plans will be laid and necessary organizational structures set up, to pursue the guilty as long as necessary and, if need be, to the ends of the Earth."

That doesn't sound like an empty threat, folks. And, it sure beats SWLs. (sternly worded letters)

The conference will be held on September 13-14 on the Andover campus.

"We must try to hold Bush administration leaders accountable in courts of justice," Velvel said. "And we must insist on appropriate punishments, including, if guilt is found, the hangings visited upon top German and Japanese war-criminals in the 1940s."

The ramped up rhetoric on Iran is deafening lately. To say the least, claims of Iranian meddling and fomentation in Iraq have reached an unprecedented level. But as vociferous as those claims have been, this time -- as opposed to the runup to the invasion of Iraq -- there seems to be some blowback swirling around up on Capitol Hill. They want evidence this time. Imagine that.

The truth is, the only difference between the runup to the Iraq invasion and the current buildup to a war with Iran is that this time we are the wiser. We have the benefit of hindsight this go around. We're more familiar with the modus operandi of the Bush regime now, and, we know how Dick Cheney & company will resort to bold-faced lies and slick obfuscation in making their case for perpetual war.

This time though, every piece of trumped-up evidence against Iran that Cheney comes up with or every time one of his acolytes hypes the threat, it seems to be falling more and more on a skeptical Congress. In addition, the notion of another war seems to be bombing (no pun intended) in general with the American people as well.

Those of you who follow California politics closely know that CA-24 is one of the under-the-radar races to watch this year.  Though it's not getting a lot of attention in the national media, this district is one that could end up surprising a lot of people who aren't watching the trends on the ground.

The race features Mary Pallant, the progressive Democrat, going up against Elton Gallegly, a do-nothing rubberstamp Republican, in an already purple district that is turning increasingly blue and is filled with abnormally large numbers of independent voters.  Pallant is also being challenged in the primary by Jill Martinez; however, given that Martinez is still over $93,000 in debt from her previous campaign, it is unclear how vigorous a challenge she will be able to mount to either Pallant or Gallegly.  
Full disclosure: I serve as the volunteer Netroots Coordinator for the Mary Pallant campaign

If this has already been talked about around here lately I’ll go ahead and delete this diary. It probably was but I don’t remember this reported at all last October or since even here at Dkos; when radio talk show host Ed Shultz interviewed Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) on his show. If it hasn’t been talked about – it should have been – and the reality-based community needs to call both Reid and Pelosi out on it for what it is... A BOLD-FACED LIE.

On his syndicated radio show back on Friday October 26, 2007, Ed Shultz, took exception to the Senate’s so-called "standing rule" that it would take 60 votes to effectively end the occupation in Iraq (or even Afghanistan for that matter) with his special guest, Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid. Although reluctant to concede the fact, Senator Reid admitted that for all intents and purposes, all it would take is a public announcement stating that the war-funding bills would not be coming to the floor for a vote. Madam Speaker could do the same thing on the floor of the House of Representatives.

A procedural agreement between the two would ensure the redeployment of all our troops.

The Pelosi/AIPAC rumor, as diaried here, has been debunked according to David Swanson at AfterDowningStreet.org's site.

Of course, the main impediment to impeachment hearings on Dick Cheney remains Madam Speaker, but if there’s any collusion going on (and, it’s beginning to appear as if that is indeed the case) between the House Democratic Leadership; it’s going on between Ms. Pelosi and Rep. Jerrold Nadler.

According to impeachment activist David Swanson, at the urgent behest of the Honorable Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL), a meeting was called on Capitol Hill that included Rep. Wexler, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, House Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Chairman Jerrold Nadler, and several other committee members. Staffers, activists and former staffers from the Watergate era also attended the private, off-the-record meeting.

Now,Call the House Judiciary Committee

Start calling, e-mailing and faxing the judiciary members now.  

The way I see it, it can't be too soon or too often. We need to keep the pressure up.  Yes, we won a skirmish, but not quite the battle, and certainly not the war.  The Cheney Impeachment was not tabled, but it was not debated either.  The hope of the opposition was that it will languish in the judiciary committee.  And languish it will, if we do not keep the pressure up!

All you bloggers who are fond of writing, send your thoughts on this to the papers, fax them to the committee members.

We've shown ourselves now to be a force to be reckoned with.  We've finally been noticed.  Thank you, Matthew Gerbasi, Tim Carpenter, David Swanson, Cheryl Biren-Wright, "Hutch" Hutchison, Debra Sweet, John Kennedy, Dan DeWalt, Peter Thottam (if I've forgotten someone, please forgive this fatigued blogger) members of The House Impeachment National Consortium...all you inveterate Patriots...for organizing us and for the rallying call in the true fashion of Paul Revere.  

AND THANK YOU DENNIS KUCINICH!