Speaker Pelosi on Impeachment

This is rich. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) says that if she wasn't speaker and didn't have all those responsibilities of leading the party, would likely call for impeachment.

If she were not in the House--and not Speaker of the House--Nancy Pelosi says she "would probably advocate" impeaching President Bush.

But given her current role as party leader, at a breakfast with progressive journalists today (named after our great friend Maria Leavey) Pelosi sketched her case against impeachment.

"The question of impeachment is something that would divide the country," Pelosi said this morning during a wide-ranging discussion in the ornate Speaker's office. Her top priorities are ending the war in Iraq, expanding health care, creating jobs and preserving the environment. "I know what our success can be on those issues. I don't know what our success can be on impeaching the president."

Hey, now that's a nuanced approach to power, leadership, and moral and ethical judgment calls.

She says that impeachment would divide the country - now there's an understatement. Of course, if she thought that more of the country would be for impeachment, she might give a go of it. The other reason she's not pushing the issue harder is the complete and utter inability to have the votes to even bring the charges in the House.

Still, it is most illuminating that Pelosi thinks that impeachment is on the table but for her position as Speaker. Instead, she'll let others carry that water. That way, she'll keep her hands clean as the more insane leftists in the House push impeachment talk. It's a sap to the leftists like Sheehan and other anti-war types - playing both sides of the issue.

So, what exactly would be the potential articles of impeachment? The article doesn't say, and I doubt that anyone actually knows what the charges could be since policy disputes are not impeachable offenses. It has to be a high crime or misdemeanor. But that's not part of the pop quiz.

One has to surmise that the articles of impeachment would be whatever the leftists in the House can come up with. And right now, they're focusing their knives on AG Gonzales.

Also, her priorities have a curious absence in the area of national security, instead believing that health care, creating jobs and the environment are most important issues these days. Pelosi's view is one of 9/10, and one that proved to have fatal outcomes.

This is what passes as leadership in the House. Keep this in mind when you think that your vote doesn't count or if you intend to sit out in 2008. Your votes do have consequences, and should have consequences.

UPDATE:
Welcome Hot Air and Michelle Malkin readers! Thanks for stopping by and thanks to Michelle for giving me the last word. It's very kind of her.