The Impeachment Factor

"Republicans probably wish they could get John Conyers to write an op-ed in a major paper every week from now until Election Day. Instead of having the desired effect of defusing fears that Democrats will lead the charge to impeach Bush if they win control of the House in November, Conyers' op-ed generated lots of chatter - most of it serving to remind people just how nutty, self-indulgent, and relentlessly partisan he is. . . .

"Conyers has been working to try and undo the 2004 election since the day it happened. I find it hard to believe he'll be able to resist the urge to give it another go if he gets subpoena power and the Judiciary Committee Chairmanship this November."

Conyers gets kudos, however, from the Blackwhite blog:

"Mr. Conyers is an unusual congressman, he backs-up his rhetoric with action. Conyers actually seems to take the responsibilities of his office seriously. This is the exact opposite of the the GOP led Congress. They are driven only by the use of Machiavellian gamesmanship to obtain wealth and power."

The Carpetbagger says the congressman makes sense:

"Republicans have decided that the key to rallying the party's base is to shout, as often as possible, that Democrats will hold Bush accountable if they take back Congress in November. The media seems particularly fascinated by the argument, and have reported at length on Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), ranking Dem on the House Judiciary Committee, who allegedly will lead the impeachment charge personally."

The congressman's piece in The Post "hardly sounds unreasonable. Conyers lays out a responsible, cautious approach, built around the notion of oversight and accountability. Before anyone starts drawing up articles, Conyers wants to build up some consensus through a bi-partisan process. What's not to like?"

Well, John Hawkins at Right Wing News finds plenty not to like:

"What he really means here is that they won't start the impeachment hearings the moment they get into power. Instead, they'll do some partisan investigations first -- and then trump up whatever charges they think have the best chance of succeeding.

"After all, it's not as if Conyers has been making any secret of his desire to impeach Bush."

How did General Hayden do in his Hill testimony yesterday? Here's the New York Times account:

"Gen. Michael V. Hayden sought on Thursday to distance himself from the Pentagon and its role in prewar intelligence on Iraq, in an appearance that put him on track to win swift confirmation as the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency.