We the people must get the ball rolling on impeachment.  This diary provides an outline for how we might do it.  We can't trust our leaders to lead, but we can count on them driving their convertibles to the front of our parade.  C'mon, follow me across the jump...

Why does all the boo-hooing from the right about Scott McClellan's book sound to me like 'don't throw me in that briar patch'?  To me, Scott's book looks more like an attempt to rescue Shrub's place in history than a hit piece.

A common theme recently has been the exclusion or unexplainably light coverage of Edwards, particularly after his Iowa win.

Follow me across the fold as I put this into the perspective of the 3 mega trends of the last 100 years--
-Rise of democracy
-Rise of the corporation
-Rise of meda

With all of the scandals and low approval ratings why not just keep our powder dry for '08?

It will be a slam dunk, right?  Why get involved in an impeachment process that we may not win?  We'd look divisive, political.  It's risky, politically.

Everybody has seen the raw excesses of power in this administration and sees that it's time for them to go.  Paul Craig Roberts and Bruce Fein, conservative stalwarts, can see this for cryin' out loud.  Everybody will vote for Democrats to put an end to this nightmare, right?

Sorry, but not to impeach is the riskiest possible course

UPDATE:  Her scheduler says she'll be in Houston this weekend, but he doesn't have a commitment to meet.  Maybe a few more calls...  the number is (202) 225-3816.  Matthew is the scheduler.  Ask for her to meet and discuss impeachment with me this weekend--refer to this diary and/or my daughter meeting her at the airport anniversary--they'll know who you mean.  Thanks for all of your support.
UPDATE 2:  Staffers are reporting (3:53pm central) that H Res 333 will be brought to a vote.  No timeline was given for the vote.  Now is the time to call all Judiciary Committee members.

That's what Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee (SJL) told me on Saturday--or was she just blowing me off again?

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee is in one of the safest Democratic seats in the US Congress.  The seat was previously held by Barbara Jordan, who played a key role in the Nixon impeachment, and by Craig Washington, a good progressive who was forced out of office by Enron (Enron chose SJL as his replacement but that's another story).

The day before Father's Day I took my daughter to a 25th Anniversary party for the Houston Intercontinental Airport.  Sheila Jackson-Lee addressed the crowd and as she left the stage I took my 4 yr. old daughter by the hand saying "we're gonna go talk to that nice lady".

A little background, I've been trying to schedule a meeting with her or her legislative aide to discuss the Kucinich impeachment bill that is idling in the Judiciary committee on which Sheila Jackson-Lee sits.  For months I've been trying to meet with her.

George Bush, currently holding the office of the President of the United States of America, is an evil doer.  He has destroyed nations who never attacked us.  Repeatedly he has trampled our innate rights and is therefore a traitor to the US Constitution.  He tortures.  He helps business cronies cheat.

Regime change.  Fortunately it is built into our system.  It will come his way sooner, via investigation and impeachment, or later, via the elections of '08.  

But given all he has done against we the people, our real enemy is Cowardice.  

More on the other side...

On Friday, during the 5 pm news on KPFT, the local Pacifica station, they ran a story that Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee was organizing a meeting and a march.  Call to RSVP they said.  So I did.

The bad news first or the good news?  How about bad, good, bad/hope?

join me across the fold

In a bold statement of bipartisanship, Charles Rangel reintroduced legislation calling for us all to overlook the 13th ammendment and drag our youth off to war.  Republicans, led by John McCain, are calling for increasing the size of our military forces in Iraq and elsewhere.  Charles Rangel has stepped forward to provide the young, who we as a nation will ask to kill for us, to die for us, to torture for us and to be tortured for us.  We will ask them to risk their lives, their honor and their mental stability.

If the recent mid-term election was a referendum on the war, Chuck didn't get the memo.

Follow me for more.

The only drum the republicans have to beat in the upcoming election cycle is “strong in the war on terror” and they will beat that drum in the most craven way as the events of Wednesday, Thursday, and today have shown.

Democrats must counter this argument and beat it to smithereens or face defeat.  Here’s how across the fold—

The media's again hyping stories about terror plots and how barbaric our enemies are--must be an election around the corner.  Democrats will lose once again unless we're able to articulate a new approach to defense.  Democrats must stand for something, not just opposition to neo-conservative policies.  I therefore offer these thoughts and prescriptions as a way of advancing the discussion.

The nature of our enemies has changed dramatically since the fall of the Berlin wall, but our strategy, our weapons and our fears haven't.  

More across the fold

Bush is tying much of his outrageous (dry drunk?) behavior to the Authorization to Use Military Force, right?

Policy wonks please weigh in here--can't some type of resolution be drafted and brought to the floor saying "the AUMF does not authorize any use of force against Iran or any nation not currently engaged in hostilities with the US"?

We, the sane people of this country, need a pro-active strike for peace (I think that phrase is on my wife's Code Pink bumper sticker).  Can't something be done in advance of any use of force that would make it clear that any such use of force was not authorized and would be criminal?

It's those no-good Libertarians again.  Bastards!  Here's their press release today.  All good Democrats should get shrill and irrational and use the term "libertarian" to tar anyone we don't like.  Just look at these guys--they're just like the republicans!!

LIBERTARIAN PARTY PRESS RELEASE:
Will We Let Bush Invade Iran?

Body of the press release below the fold...

Enron!
Iraq War!
Same Crony Game!

I live in Houston and ride my bike past the federal building where the Enron trial is proceeding several times a week.  The media trucks are lined up.  They are waiting for something to do.  Let’s give it to them.

The Enron trial is coming to the end of testimony and with it an opportunity to connect a few dots for our fellow Americans who are beginning to see things a bit more blue than red.

God that felt good!
Walking side by side with like minded people, chanting, showing our signs to the TV cameras, hearing the cars honk in support as they pass by, seeing the pitiful little crowd of pitifully small minded people in the counter protest.
No War!  No Bush!  No Spying!  No Bush!  
To get away from the keyboard and see, hear, feel, smell the crush of people protesting.  It was great.  Hundreds of police in riot gear, trembling in fear of what could happen if the 10's of thousands of peacefull protesters weren't so peaceful.

With the Supreme Court considering the case of Tom Delay's redistricting plans, this seems a good time to present to Kossacks a letter the Houston Chronicle published while the fight was going on here in Texas.

Partisan Redistricting--what's in it for us?

About 150 people took time out from the rodeo and other recreations on a beautiful Sunday afternoon (2-26-06) to hear Scott Ritter and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee discuss the war in Iraq, the potential for war in Iran and related topics.  We got an earful about the current situation, and an object lesson in why our current crop of congresspeople are incapable of changing our current course and speed.  

Republicans love up or down votes don't they?  Let's propose one of our own!

This whole Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism act re-authorization controversy has me not knowing whether I should puke or leave the country.  But I love this country.  I love this country the way I love the people in my life--not always for who they are at this instant, but for who I know they have the capacity to be.

I'm glad to see Feingold posting here, but where are we when the one guy clear minded enough to vote against this abomination in the first place now sees his way clear to compromise and agree to any of it?