Isn't Obstruction of Justice an impeachable offense?

[jmowreader]

Harriet Miers' reason for not answering a Congressional subpoena: pResident Bush ordered her not to.

This isn't something they can say "oh, Joe down in room 305 on the east wing did on behalf of the president." This is something that, as the press has made abundantly clear over the past few days, came directly from Bush's mouth into his aides' ears. Do Not Testify Before Congress.

It's obstruction, it's a felony, it's directly traceable to Bush, it's impeachable and it falls outside the purview of the "impeachment is off the table" thing because, if Speaker Pelosi is asked about it by one of the newswhores, she can point out that when she took impeachment off the table Bush hadn't committed any known felonies yet.

More to the point, it would be very hard for a Republican senator who's interested in keeping his or her seat to vote against impeaching him for a known felony; you don't stand by your man when your man is committing crimes that get ordinary people five-to-ten in Federal Pound You In The Ass Prison. You especially don't do it when the whole country is aware that he did.

Dipshit's gonna be ridden out of town on a fucking rail over this. Just you watch.

[Phredicles]

1. You'd think so, but then you'd be guilty of pre-9/11 thinking.

:sarcasm:, just in case it's needed.

[Lindsay]

2. Dude. The Repugs will treat it like Scooter's offenses.

Obstruction? No underlying crime!

(But we all know there are a whole host of underlying crimes. It's just a matter of getting some proof somehow.)

[CTyankee]

6. Not only that, Scooter was "confused." He didn't lie!

This according to Robert Novak. It's in an interview in tomorrow's NYT magazine section.

I laughed out loud when I read it (we get certain sections a day earlier).

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

3. It's a felony. See this great thread!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1308870

[MannyGoldstein]

4. *Anything* Is An Impeachable Offense

There's no particular definition of an impeachable offense. The Founders set up impeachment as a safety valve when a office holder went out of control. Gerald Ford (who was quite familiar with impeachment) put it well -

"What, then, is an impeachable offense? The only honest answer is that an impeachable offense is whatever a majority of the House of Representatives considers to be at a given moment in history; conviction results from whatever offense or offenses two-thirds of the other body considers to be sufficiently serious to require removal of the accused from office."

[ThomWV]

5. The Vote-counters will tell you that evidence presented during impeachment will not sway votes

No shit, that is what they say. They presume two things; first that the public is not interested enough to follow the bringing of charges in the House and then the evidence and testimony at the Senate Trial, and second that an outraged public will not have any effect on Republican's votes.

I think they are wrong on both counts. I think an impeachment will be successful.

[1monster]

7. They don't have long memories, do they? Just the Impeachment hearings leading up to

Richard Nixon's resignation were enough to have a large majority of the U.S. voters screaming for Nixon's removal.

No, the voters were not swayed by the impeachment of Bill Clinton because most people felt that whatever his transgressions were, they were private and none of our business. Plus things were much better under Clinton that they had been under twelve years of Reagan/Bush.

[MonkeyFunk]

11. by the time hte House held impeachment hearings

for Nixon, at least 11 of his aides had already been indicted, or convicted of crimes.

Many people here seem to think it was impeachment hearings that uncovered Watergate and led to Nixon's downfall. That is not true.

The Watergate scandal was already full-blown and fully known BEFORE impeachment hearings were held, starting in July of 1974.

[pnwmom]

9. Testimony will be limited, since Bush will claim Executive Privilege.

So will production of documents.

This would not be a repeat of the Watergate Hearings, where new evidence was actually introduced to a nationwide audience.

[sam sarrha]

8. and yes you could if you didnt have a buddy to bail you out

[BuyingThyme]

10. With Nancy Pelosi, NOTHING is an impeachable offense.