There were not 66 Senate votes at the start of the Watergate Investigations.

[Junkdrawer]

Nixon's crimes only came to light through INVESTIGATION...

After the hearings, Goldwater et al told Nixon: "The votes are there, you must resign."

[Octafish]

1. Investigation is a Constitutionally mandated function of Congress.

And Congress is We the People.

So. Where are the People's Represenatitives in all this?

I mean, besides Dennis Kucinich. And Cynthia McKinney.

[Junkdrawer]

4. Afraid of what an honest investigation will uncover...

Unfortunately.

[Canuckistanian]

5. And Robert Wexler...

... don't forget him.

[JDPriestly]

17. A criminal prosecution not preceded by impeachment may be

impossible. I did a little research on this issue. You will find it here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3434805

Don't think that Obama can win in November and then that his new attorney general will be able to prosecute Bush. It may well and I would guess probably cannot happen that way. Impeachment is a prerequisite to the criminal trial of a president for what he will claim are his official acts.

[lovuian]

2. Great Point

we are only asking for an investigation

[lovuian]

3. Great Point

we are only asking for an investigation

[catnhatnh]

6. Where do we get 66???

Well, we start at the bedrock line that if the evidence is fully presented in a Senate trial all Democrats would have to convict on multiple counts.
Of the 49 Republicans, about a third on average will be facing reelection-how will they vote after the American electorate has just finished viewing gavel to gavel coverage of the most corrupt and criminal regime in the history of the Republic??? Remember that part about needing to "distance" themselves from Bush by November?
That alone should hand in at least 10 votes for conviction. Finally enter the truth-that facts can prove not just misdemeanors but in fact full-blown treason. And that I think can break the camels back. If 34 seated Republican senators can ignore that even after it is fully proved on TV then we have lost an impeachment but will have proved our point-That Bush and his regime are criminal murderers for profit and that a majority of Republicans can support that.
And I can live with either outcome...

[Junkdrawer]

7. You put the major actors under oath and you start asking the hard questions...

Start with the Downing Street memo...

Move on to the torture memos....

Kucinich has the list.

[grasswire]

8. present the evidence and then force Republicans to ...

...vote on it.

All out in the open.

No secret rooms with secret evidence, like they did with Clinton.

Let justice roll down.

Force the vote. Before the election.

[lovuian]

9. Here Here Bush is UNPOPULAR

with a 20% approval rating lets see the Repugs support thim

[cascadiance]

12. 22 Republicans are up for reelection this time!

Given that far fewer were up for reelection in last election and Dems still gained control of the Senate, I'd say that if pressure is applied around election time, we might have a pretty decent chance of twisting some arms!

[Eric J in MN]

10. How many Democrats were in the Senate then? NT

NT

[Junkdrawer]

11. By the time the Watergate Hearing were over, Nixon had neither...

Democratic nor Republican support.

Even his ardent defenders had to distance themselves from him.

[FogerRox]

18. IIRC Many republicans voted for Atricle 1. ...37 to 11 to move it out of comittee

Senator Lowell Weicker was ranting something like...

Republicans Dont steal

Republicans dont cheat

Republicans dont break into offices

And maybe Nixon had more honor in his little pinkie than George Bush has in the his whole body. How ever it happened Nixon left under his own power.

On the other hand so did Micheal Strahan.

Nixon is now known for Watergate and abuse of power, Strahan will be known as a champion, he won a Superbowl.

[nashville_brook]

13. ...

[Psyop Samurai]

14. The only thing they got is fear...

Didn't a Democratic president once say something about that?

"The only thing we have to fear is...", um..., how did that go again?

[starroute]

15. Watergate wasn't the first Nixon impeachment attempt

On May 9, 1972, Rep. William Fitts Ryan introduced a resolution to impeach Nixon for war crimes.

On May 10 and again on May 18, a young firebrand named John Conyers introduced resolutions to impeach him for the bombing of Hanoi. That got John Dean to add Conyers to the White House enemies list, with a notation saying, "Coming on fast. Emerging as a leading black anti-Nixon spokesman."

A year later, on July 31, 1973, Rep. Robert Drinan tried to impeach him for invading Cambodia in violation of the Constitution's war-making powers.

It wasn't until 1974 that the Watergate break-in finally shook things loose to the point where it was more than a few fringe kooks prepared to consider impeachment.

These things take time.

[truedelphi]

16. And if nothing else, an impeachment investigation highlights

The corruption of the election process. There would be nothing more wondrous to the voting reform movement than for us to see Bush, Cheney and Blackwell get impeached for their conducting the illegal Ohio election of Nov 2004.