"Passing FISA threw the key reason for impeachment out the door." Is this true?

[Perry Logan]

My title is a comment I ran into here:
http://www.needlenose.com/node/view/4221

Do you think this person is right?

[ThomCat]

1. Yes.

How can we impeach them for spying on us when congress just officially said that it's fine, dandy, and perfectly legal?
x(

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Yes, the spineless democrats

just gave away the key to impeachment

That makes me wonder... after all Nancy Pelosi put it off the table and now made it ethically and morally impossible, unless she impeaches herself in the process

[JTFrog]

6. What's to wonder?

She put impeachment off the table and then she scheduled a rush FISA vote when she didn't have to. She chose to. The vote should have never taken place the way it did.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Well what I think about this is not too popular round these parts

mostly that Zinn, and others have been right, there is only one party, the corporatist party

The rest is kabuki theater

[corkhead]

3. doesn't matter for 3 reasons:

1. plenty of other high crimes and misdemeanors to choose from
2. We're keeping our powder dry
3. It takes a blowjob

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Perhaps a dead boy?

Malloy used that one years ago

Only way to get a repig is a live girl or a dead boy

[Amelie]

14. That's from an Edwin Edwards quote

Former governor of Louisiana. The Feds pursued him relentlessly, but public support was always with him. He used to say he couldn't lose an election unless he was caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy.

[Zywiec]

4. Pretty much

I heard Pat Buchanan was cracking himself up over it.

[sinkingfeeling]

7. Legally, no it didn't. The law isn't retroactive. At the time Bush began his little wiretapping

program, FISA was the law of the land, and he violated that law. So, as an article of impeachment, Bush still violated American law.

[AuntPatsy]

8. I don't agree, there are quite a few more reasons for impeachment, like knowingly

leading this country into an illegal occupation, while it is obvious the passing of this bill hides the whitehouse from quite a few illegal crimes against this country's rule of law, it has not hidden them from prosection of other crimes they have committed, the problem is that they are at the present time in complete control of the justice system by retaining Gonzales, he needs to go as well as those underlyings he has ensured do the white house's bidding.

[nebenaube]

9. nope...

The impeachment will be about servicing the h0use of 5uad.

[Perry Logan]

11. Of course he's not really President. So he might get off on a technicality.

[Swede Atlanta]

12. No, not at all, in fact it strengthens the case

The president was violating the law when he unlawfully spied on Americans. The very fact he finally came to the Congress to ask for authority to spy and they gave it to him is irrelevant. The fact is he is all but admitting what he was doing prior to the change was unlawful. He doesn't have to be currently committing the crime to be presently subject to impeachment. Clinton's affair and alleged perjury happened months before the impeachment debacle. His "high crime" was long over but he was still subject to impeachment.

[madrchsod]

13. no -

impeachment and conviction are something all together different

[EFerrari]

15. No. BushCo has given us a buffet. n/t

[Perry Logan]

16. Here's a partial list of known offenses. Needs updating.

Illegal spying in violation of FISA and the Fourth Amendment, openly confessed to, openly promoted in signing statements, known to involve phone calls, phone records, internet use, bank records, and observation of legal nonviolent activities.

Illegal detentions in violation of the Fourth Amendment, International law, U.S. Law, and a recent Supreme Court ruling.

Rounding up of thousands of citizens and legal residents for detention or deportation.

Torture, maintenance of secret camps, and extraordinary rendition, in violation of the Fourth Amendment, International Law, US Law, and openly promoted in signing statement and administration policy papers.

Illegal war – launched illegally under international law, launched in violation of the U.S. Constitution which requires that the Congress declare war, and launched on the basis of feloniously misleading Congress and the American public.

Use of a variety of illegal weapons.

Illegal targeting of civilians, journalists, and hospitals.

Illegal seizure of another nation's resources.

Illegal use of funds in Iraq that had been appropriated for Afghanistan.

Leaking of classified information in order to mislead the Congress and the public, and in order to punish truth tellers.

Leaking of identity of an undercover agent.

Retribution against whistleblowers.

Use of signing statements to reverse 750 laws passed by Congress.

Production of phony news reports at home and abroad.

Dereliction of duty in neglecting global warming, hurricanes, hunger, AIDS, and warnings of 9-11 attacks.

Facilitating Israel's attacks on Lebanon.

Obstruction of investigations by 9-11 Commission and Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald.

Stealing elections.
http://democrats.com/node/9531