I've been slammed busy editing the CRASHING THE STATES film about the netroots but felt this was important enough to take a moment out to call to everyone's attention.
Tonight on Countdown with Keith Olbermann, former Nixon White House counsel John Dean called for the impeachment of Dick Cheney stating that Speaker Pelosi should reconsider her position on impeachment and start with Dick Cheney.
He also drew a contrast between the trumped up charges against Clinton to the real violations committed by Cheney.
Further, Olbermann characterized the current stonewalling by the White House as the greatest threat to the constitution since the Civil War, if not the British Empire a la the Revolutionary War, and has begun a new segment titled "White House in Crisis".
Other measures were discussed including an independent counsel, which Dean pointed out has to be appointed by the Attorney General, not a likely occurrence, and something which Olbermann states is the kind of thing likely to be dissolved.
Dean also suggested that you don't see the White House hunkering down in this all or nothing manner unless they are in fact hiding very damaging secrets.
I had to add from the exceptional recall of fellow Kossack FWIW:
Dick Cheney has gone way beyond the boundaries of accountability and there is no way to force the Justice Department to go foward with an investigation ... the law is flawed ... the American people need to be educated because if they knew what the White House is doing and how they are doing it, they would not stand for it...
... speaking from experience, you only get down into this kind of crouch if you have something to hide ... unlike the trumped up charges used to attack Bill Clinton, these are legitimate charges for impeachment ... I would hope Speaker Pelosi would reconsider impeachment, and start with Dick Cheney.
As Nixon’s legal counsel at the time of the Watergate scandal, John Dean is uniquely qualified to comment on matters of impeachment and administration abuses of power and has written the book "Worse than Watergate"
Dean additionally suggested that Bruce Fein's argument for the impeachment of Cheney was, as bob fertik, put it, devastating (in different though no less committed language).
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On a personal note:
An impeachment is merely a charge to investigate. The trial in the Senate is where there will either be a conviction or acquittal. The point then is that there are questions of actions so threatening to the protection and defense of the Constitution that they at least demand to be investigated. Failing to impeach in a case where there is no accountability or compliance from a White House duly obligated to exist within the system of checks and balances, is the legislative branch refusing to even look into the matter.
Repeat: impeachment does not mean removal from office – it only starts the process of investigating charges that may or may not lead to removal from office by a trial in the Senate. Given the complete unwillingness to cooperate with any attempt at oversight by the administration, and given the constitutionally dangerous politicization of the justice department, the only reason to not impeach in this matter is if you really just want everything to stay in the dark – and that includes the future of our constitutional democracy.
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And a reminder of an ACTION ITEM: H Res 333 to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney.
Here's a link to a great diary by buhdydharma about taking action.
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eyesonthestreet provides this link to John Dean's commentary on FindLaw