The Daily Kos front page has been full of stories about Republicans breaking with Bush over Iraq, even as Bush remains intransigent about perpetuating his disaster. Meanwhile, Democrats are growing increasingly confident that they can force Bush's hand, to actually end the war. Clearly, a paradigm is shifting. Democrats are growing more aggressive, Republicans are growing more desperate, and Bush is growing more and more unpopular with the public. Another indication is the sudden emergence of the word "impeachment."
Unlike during the National Fellatio Crisis, when every televised pundit hyperventilated with impeachment blather, and polls were run almost daily, the many Bush scandals have evoked a glaringly conspicuous absence of even the mention of the word, almost as if it had become an unofficial taboo. Well that taboo seems to be lifting. As has been diaried, both Rasmussen and ARG have suddenly decided to poll impeachment; and while neither poll shows majority support, both show surprisingly high levels, considering that nobody in the mainstream media, and no Democratic leaders, had been using the word. Well, one Democratic leader now has. A very significant Democratic leader. The Chairman of the Committee that would actually consider impeachment, should impeachment come to be considered.
Here's the quote, from House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers:
We’re hoping that as the cries for the removal of both Cheney and Bush now reach 46 percent and 58 percent, respectively, for impeachment that we could begin to become a little bit more cooperative, if not amicable, in trying to get to the truth of these matters.
Think Progress has the video.
Now, it must be pointed out that the Chairman has his numbers reversed and slightly off, but that's okay: he clearly understands the dynamic that's in play, which is what matters.
It must also be pointed out that the Chairman was very careful about the message he was conveying:
STEPHANOPOULOS: Congressman, we’re just about out of time. But I’m surprised you put impeachment on the table there. Are you open to pursuing that?
CONYERS: No, I didn’t put impeachment on the table. I was just telling you that 46 percent of the American people polled want Bush impeached, and 58 percent want Cheney impeached. I’m saying...
STEPHANOPOULOS: But not you?
CONYERS: They’re saying that we could — we could move — no, well, if I — if I wanted impeachment, I would probably be on your program next Sunday.
STEPHANOPOULOS: OK. Well, Mr. Chairman, thank you very much.
While some might want to focus on the Chairman's having refused to put impeachment on the table, it's also worth noting that he didn't explicitly state that it's really off the table. I think impeachment is actually a bit like Schrödinger's cat. It both is and isn't on the table.
I've previously defended Speaker Pelosi for taking impeachment off the table. At the same time, I've been critical of Democratic leaders for not even saying the word. I think Chairman Conyers perfectly nuanced the complexity of the situation. The Chairman, like the Speaker, holds a critically important political office, and if impeachment is pursued, both will be in the position of actually voting on it. The Speaker is second in line to succeed to the presidency. It would be just plain dangerous for either to be openly advocating impeachment. It could rightly be construed as an intended coup. That's why I respect their reticence to advocate it. If it happens, they can legitimately claim to be doing it out of sorrow, not anger. That's good for the republic.
The genius of Chairman Conyers's statement is that it puts the word into play, without his seeming to advocate it. He's letting both the White House and the public know that he sees the polls. He's not making a threat. He's just acknowledging that the mechanism of impeachment exists, and that a good chunk of the public already supports it. Stephanopoulus's reaction speaks volumes. He'd never before had a Democratic leader even mention the word, in relation to Bush. Use whatever metaphor you want, but this was a seemingly small, but very significant, first.
We've all heard the old line about there being no such thing as bad publicity. Well, even in denying any intention to pursue it, Chairman Conyers just gave impeachment a big shot of publicity.