“It would appear that not only did the Bush administration lie this nation into war and order documents forged, but they allegedly tried to plant WMD in Iraq.” Larisa Alexandrovna noted this yesterday in her post “Can’t find WMD in Iraq? Plant it?”

In the comments section I wrote:

Yet Nancy Pelosi is still saying the case has to made for impeachment. Nancy Pelosi, our fearless leader who is apparently scheduled to be one of the first speakers at the Democratic National Convention. Nancy Pelosi, who at least until last week (when approached at one of her book signings) has yet to read Dennis Kucinich’s multiple articles of impeachment (*cough* isn’t that part of her job?!). Nancy Pelosi should hang her head in shame.It wouldn’t happen in a million years. But the only thing she could do to turn around progressive opinions of her would be to announce at the beginning of the convention that the Bush administration WILL BE HELD RESPONSIBLE. While I believe that would drive up Obama’s numbers (um, last I checked the Bush administration is seen as the worst in our country’s history), this would take backbone and vision she and many in the Democratic leadership still can’t muster.

Then I read this over at BradBlog (cross-posted from an exclusive at The Public Record):

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s appearance Monday at a West Los Angeles college to discuss her recently published book was marred by dozens of protesters and several angry outbursts by audience members who demanded Pelosi immediately authorize a House committee to hold impeachment hearings against George W. Bush.

The Speaker made it clear she would not support any effort to hold impeachment hearings against George W. Bush saying that he “will be gone in a hundred days.”

<snip>

An outbreak of protest ensued leading to one protester being escorted out of the event by the Secret Service. Later, blogger Alan Breslauer was also yanked away from the Speaker by Secret Service agents, after attempting to ask a question of her during her book signing session.

<snip>

American University of Judaism’s Rabbi Robert Wexler, who led the 75-minute interview, asked Pelosi to analyze a recent Rasmussen poll that found nine percent of individuals polled believed Congress was doing a good job, far lower than Bush’s overall approval rating.

Pelosi responded by defending her performance and the performance of her Democratic colleagues in Congress.

But that’s not the worst of it, folks. Wait for it…

“I preside over the greatest collection of integrity and idealism,” Pelosi said. Prior to her appearance in West Los Angeles Monday evening, CNN’s Larry King interviewed Pelosi. She told King she was willing to drop her staunch opposition to offshore drilling and would likely allow the House to vote on the issue.

That’s the stuff.

So let’s do the math. Bush’s approval rating continually hovers around the low 20s. You know what this president has wrought here and abroad. Yet this man has the Orwellian chutzpah to say the other day, “I don’t see America having problems. I see America as a world leader, that has got great values.”

You know about Pelosi’s (and Harry Reid’s) miserable failure to hold this administration accountable for its multiple crimes. (Yeah, yeah, they don’t have enough votes, yadda, yadda. Hey, they could filibuster, they could take their case to the media, to the people. They could take a stand and support Kucinich’s articles of impeachment because it’s the right thing to do, regardless of the final vote. It’s called leading. Pelosi and Reid are followers, not leaders.) As a direct result, despite Speaker Pelosi’s laughable claims, Congress’ approval rating is now in the single digits. And in defending her historic fecklessness, she is equally shameless and disingenuous to suggest, “I preside over the greatest collection of integrity and idealism.”

Pelosi has also defended her “impeachment is off the table” mantra by claiming it would’ve further divided the country. Of course, that’s code for not wanting to risk diminishing the chances of a Democrat gliding into the White House on Bush’s burning-in-effigy coattails. Only there’s always been one problem with this theory, one our establishment media has ignored since the first thought balloon of impeachment was floated: it’s historically inaccurate.

As former Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman, co-author of The Impeachment of George W. Bush and a member of the House Judiciary Committee during President Nixon’s impeachment, made clear in February of this year:

The Democratic leadership tactic of stonewalling this widespread public sentiment is itself divisive, leading at least half the country to frustration, disaffection and shaken faith in our democracy. Only a sober, serious airing of evidence in hearings would heal the split.

When Nixon’s impeachment process began, he had recently been re-elected with one of the largest landslides in history. No one made the calculation about whether impeachment was a political winner for Congress. Public opinion simply forced Congress’s hand after Nixon fired Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. After the House Judiciary conducted impartial hearings and voted on impeachment, Congress’s approval soared. Republicans were swamped in the November 1974 elections.

Does Pelosi not comprehend — or simply not care — that under her and Reid’s leadership Congress’ approval rating is miserably low because we expected more from them?

We know the Bush gang are thugs out to pad the wallets of fat cats at home and abroad, and damn our soldiers, our citizens’ rights, the lives of innocent civilians overseas, domestic and international law, national security, the environment, and anything, anything, that stands in their way. We know the truth: Mi$$ion Accompli$hed. That ever-creeping fascism at home and lethal plunder abroad has reaped billions of dollars for the few, while the rest of America and the world feels the walls closing in. Or closed.

“I preside over the greatest collection of integrity and idealism,” boasts Pelosi.

Not one thinking citizen of this country, who cares about this country, about its Constitution, the rule of law and common decency and justice, can listen to these words and not feel condescended to, mocked, belittled for their efforts to take back our country from the despicable leaders in this White House, leaders who not only deserve to be impeached but to be tried for (among other offenses) treason and war crimes.

Along her book tour as many Americans as possible should ask Nancy Pelosi why impeachment was never on the table and which of Congressman Kucinich’s articles of impeachment she deems unjustified.

Here’s another thing I’d like to ask her: Have you no sense of decency, Madame Speaker? No sense of shame?

Cross-posted from at-Largely.