BOEHNER BLAMES BLOGGERS FOR MOVE TO IMPEACH BUSH... BUT HOW SERIOUS IS THE ATTEMPT ANYWAY?

When reactionary Democrats and longtime Bush Regime rubber stamps Leonard Boswell and Al Wynn realized they would get serious primary challengers from the left, each signed on to H.R. 333, Dennis Kucinich's resolution to impeach Cheney. It didn't save Wynn, who was defeated by progressive Democrat Donna Edwards, but it may have helped Boswell stave off a challenge from Ed Fallon. The resolution to impeach Cheney, which is languishing in the House Judiciary Committee and is unlikely to ever see the light of day, has 27 co-sponsors in all. The duplicitous Boswell and Wynn were exceptions; the rest of the co-sponsors were longtime defenders of the American people against encroachments from the Regime and against the Bush-Cheney policies, both domestic and international, that have brought America to the brink of disaster. My own congresswoman, Diane Watson is a co-sponsor, as are most of the best members of Congress including Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), Jim McDermott (D-WA), Pete Stark (D-CA), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Keith Ellison (D-MN), Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Robert Wexler (D-FL)...

As you know, this week Kucinich offered a resolution to impeach Bush. His first co-sponsor was Wexler (who also signed on as a co-sponsor of the Cheney impeachment this week). Wexler is a member of the House Judiciary Committee, where both of Kucinich's resolutions have been sent to die. Although Wexler immediately sent out a fundraising letter touting his support for impeachment, we'll have to watch and see if he lifts a finger to move the resolution forward. He's from the South Florida Democratic organization so I would expect more fundraising letters and not so much finger lifting. The Cleveland Plain Dealer has been covering the impeachment proposal more seriously than most of the media.

Wexler accused Bush of creating a "massive propaganda campaign to sell the war in Iraq to the American people" and "an unprecedented abuse of executive power."

Wexler is a House Judiciary Committee member who launched a nationwide campaign earlier this year to hold impeachment hearings for Cheney, although he didn't co-sponsor Kucinich's Cheney impeachment measure until Tuesday.

Wexler doesn't think there's enough support on the Judiciary Committee to begin impeachment proceedings but hopes testimony on June 20 by former Bush press secretary Scott McClellan might change members' minds, said his chief of staff, Eric Johnson.

"There weren't enough committed votes to impeach Nixon before the hearings and tapes were discovered," Johnson said. "You need to have the hearings to bring evidence out to make the case."

Although there have been one or two Republicans who have groused about Bush deserving impeachment, the Party instantly united behind the leader whose every catastrophic decision they have rubber stamped for the past seven and a half years. A spokesman for GOP House minority leader John Boehner derided the impeachment resolution as "an absurd example of Democrats' misplaced priorities... This is just another example of the Democratic leadership in the House indulging trivial and silly conspiracy theories from left-wing bloggers, rather than working with Republicans to deal with the real issues facing the American people."

Unfortunately, the Democratic leadership still opposes impeachment-- on narrow political grounds. Conventional wisdom supposes they fear an impeachment battle against the most hated man to ever occupy the White House will hurt Democratic chances to win in November. Others think that the reasons Pelosi opposes impeachment, while agreeing that Bush is worthy of being impeached, is because she fears it would split the Democratic caucus. Too many Democrats-- including her #2 and #3, Steney Hoyer and Rahm Emanuel-- might have to explain why they supported, and still support, so much of the impeachable Bush agenda.

Robert Wexler tells the media that "It is time for Congress to stand up and defend the Constitution against the blatant violations and illegalities of this administration." He's right. But meanwhile Hoyer is working behind the scenes to impose yet another unconstitutional, impeachable action on the American people on behalf of Bush-- warrantless wiretaps and retroactive immunity. Perhaps people would take Kucinich and Wexler more seriously if they attempted to remove Steny Hoyer as Majority Leader.

And Neil's no blogger: