DEAN: NO IMPEACHMENT PLANS FOR BUSH (ABC)

[Leopolds Ghost]

Dem Chair Cites Ethical Lapses in Battle for Congress

May 7, 2006 — Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean predicted ethics troubles would hurt Republicans' chances of holding the House and Senate in November, saying "This is a culture of corruption that they have brought to Washington."

In an exclusive Sunday interview on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Dean dismissed the idea that Democrats would seek to impeach President Bush if they won back control of Congress -- a possibility floated by Republicans looking to galvanize their base.

Dean's Republican counterpart, Ken Mehlman, the chair of the Republican National Committee emailed supporters saying, "The Democrats' plan for 2006? Take the House and Senate, impeach the President. With our nation at war, is this the kind of Congress you want."

In an earlier "This Week" interview today, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, accused Dean of creating "a cult of hypocrisy" by criticizing Republican lawmakers' ethics transgressions while ignoring Democrats'. "I think this is really unfortunate that the Democrats are trying to play the politics of personal destruction," he said.

Dean said DeLay was himself pointing fingers over ethics issues while ignoring his own problems. "There was one name that he left of the list and that was his own," he said.

Dean He also said Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., who is accused of improperly using his influence to direct business toward a favored company, should resign immediately that if indicted.

"There are individual congressmen who have made mistakes," he said, while insisting Republicans had more to answer for.

Dean promised that if Democrats take the House in November, "within 100 days, we will vote on real ethics legislation.

"No more free trips, no more free lunches," he promised.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/ThisWeek/story?id=1933534&page=1

[darkmaestro019]

1. Dear Mehlman--

YES YES YES, that is EXACTLY the kind of Congress I want!


:argh:

And YOU, Dean. Boy. They must have something on you big time--that, or you had a great big bowl of Sudden Chickenshit as a snack in the last few days.

[niceypoo]

3. Its a smart move

Promising impeachment before formal investigations would be stupid and it would give the collapsing GOP something to rally around. Note they aren't saying NO INVESTIGATIONS. Just no prejudice towards a final judgment.

[liberalnurse]

6. You just don't get it do you?

The mission at hand for this year is taking the House and Senate. It is suicide to make the 2006 Election issue Impeachment when we are not in control. New goals can be set when we take back Congress.

[xultar]

10. They won't get it they want us to lose apparently.

[TheCowsCameHome]

13. Exactly. Why show all your cards to the opposition? First things first.

'06 comes before '08, a least on my calendar...............

[darkmaestro019]

16. Uh, maybe I'm reading too fast, or something.....

but I gathered that WAS what was being discussed--don't let them take the House/Senate or they'll impeach W....I agree with you that we can't do it now, or it'd have already BEEN done

[tavalon]

14. No,

He had a big ol' bowl of smart wheaties. He's parsing like the increasingly smart politician that he is. How is he supposed to be privy to what a Democratic Congress would do? Now, once that Democratic Congress is installed, it will be up to the activists (that's us) to encourage our Democrats to "do the right thing" and I'm sure you and I know what the right thing is and so does Dean.

He's incendiary when necessary, diplomatic when appropriate. Why the fuck did we ever let them take him out as our Presidential choice?

Relax, he's ours. And once again, he's putting them on the defensive. He's really good at that and getting better as time goes on.

[darkmaestro019]

17. I'm hoping you're right......

I like Dean a lot, and I was heartbroken along with many when he didn't even get a chance. But there's been an awful lot of vote-whoring and other cutesiness from Dems, it seems, and it makes me nervous. It's hard to tell craftiness from "can't beat em, might as well join em" from way down here.

EDIT: I dunno if "vote-whoring" is all that clear, lol--let's say, behavior from Dems that smells a lot like Repug...

[Norquist Nemesis]

2. ROFL! "unfortunate Democrats are playing politics of

personal destruction".

Tom DeLay is LOVES that game. In fact, it's the only way he knows how to "play" politics.

[madokie]

4. Just keep talking Dr. I like what you say. Win the house and senate

first then start the investigations and let the chaff fall where it may. Tie his hands and let fate take its course, to leave as a disgrace. Straight to the Hague ultimately to answer to the world why it was so important to throw the world in total chaos and taking so many inocent lives it doing that.

[greenman3610]

5. Not sure what the gain of impeachment is

We can do all the congressional investigations we
want (with a majority) without having to put the
nation through an impeachment.
Of course he deserves it. That's not the point.
If we impeach, that becomes the story, not
the continuing drumbeat of revelations that
will come out of investigating the roots of the
war, the Plame affair, the Energy Meetings, Diebold, etc.

Now, if investigations keep revealing stuff, there
may be such a public outcry that there
HAS to be an impeachment, I don't absolutely rule it
out, but I think the Dems will have more than enough on
their plate in leading the country out of this mess.

Why let the GOP pretend it's just the one bad apple at the
top? Let's take the whole fucking party apart!!!!

[hwmnbn]

7. Yeah, that's right.... we're not gonna impeach ....

really.... relax, take it easy...... vote for us ....... impeachment is not on our mind.....











hehehehe :evilgrin:

[Ganja Ninja]

8. We'll start planning impeachment when there's a chance for it ...

succeeding. But if the Republican's are in a hurry for impeachment we won't stand in their way.

[greenman3610]

9. EXACTLY. there will come a time when the repubs are BEGGING

Conyers to impeach the bastard.

[wurzel]

11. Surely it is the REPUBLICANS that should be asked this question.

They set the standard. If a Presdiedent lies he must be impeached. That is their own standard. They should be asked if they are going to have the same standard for Bush if he is found to have lied.

[xultar]

12. Those of you Dissing Dean don't get it unfortunately. He's saying

and doing what we need to do to win.

[TreasonousBastard]

15. Yup, smart move-- Dean's right on target...

can't do anything mow, so don't give the other side any ammunition.

Basic battle strategy-- take a few swipes at obvious enemy weaknesses, interrupt their supplies and such, but wait till you have overwhelming force for the main strike. And confuse the hell out of them over your intentions.

Then you go in for the kill when you're ready.