Passive Pelosi on impeachment – I charge protectionism

Dennis Kucinich’s articles of impeachment, cosponsored by Robert Wexler, aren’t getting Democratic leadership traction, and constitutional law scholar Jonathan Turley says America’s founding fathers:

“would have been astonished by the absolute passivity, if not the collusion, of the Democrats in protecting President Bush from impeachment.”

Not just passivity, but collusion — that’s pretty strong. And, there’s real stuff here, Turley says:

Despite noting that not all of the articles Kucinich presented were “impeachable offenses” in a strict sense, Turley says “there are pleny of crimes there — this is a target-rich environment.”

So, why no push by Pelosi?

Well, although Pelosi herself opposed the war vote, of course, many Democrats didn’t. If Iraq war intelligence lies were to be pushed as the basis of an article or two of impeachment, Bush’s White House lawyers would subpoena Members of Congress as part of House Judiciary Committee impeachment hearings.

So, behind Pelosi’s claims that “it’s too late” (yeah, because you’ve stalled for 18 months, and took it off the table before the 2006 election), or that “Cheney would still be there,” there’s some CYA at bottom line.

Hell, next thing you know, Pelosi will riff on Jerry Ford and talk about “national healing.”