Dear Congresswoman Pelosi,
I'm writing to suggest that your statement that "impeachment is off the table" is a mistaken strategy.
Why not point out that it is premature or even irrelevant to discuss impeachment, but that there have been numerous inconsistencies in the Bush administration's statements about the Iraq War, with possible breaches of the law, and many other questions of grave Constitutional import that remain unexamined, and as a leader in the House of Reps, you are duty bound to find out what has been going on?
You could point out the failure of Republican house leadership to provide any of its obligatory oversight and that you feel it is important to reinvigorate this function of Congress. The President deserves absolutely his privilege of the presumption of innocence, but the rule of law is what our country is based on and if the President or any of his administration have broken the law, we need to find out and decide what to do about it.
This approach has the advantages of highlighting the overarching importance of the rule of law, affirms the responsibilities and powers of Congress, pointing out how the Republicans have been remiss in carrying out this awesome duty, reinforces how you personally are respectful of the office of the President but still committed to your oversight duties and the rule of law, and finally, it frames the question of impeachment appropriately as a consequence of investigation and the truth outside of the partisan fray.
Saying that "impeachment is off the table" does nothing to further the discussion of the issues at hand, does nothing to educate or inform the public about you or the proper role of Congress, and it smacks of pandering to ignorance and fear. Why not pander instead to courageous and informed political discussion?
Sincerely,
Ted Bucklin