feingold, censure & impeachment

* atrios speaks:

"Maybe Feingold's censure resolution was a dumb idea. Maybe Senator Reid had a superior judo move planned and Feingold derailed it. Maybe the universe would be improved if Feingold hadn't chosen such a strategy. Maybe there were better ways to approach this basic issue.
I don't know. I have no idea. But I do know that whether or not Feingold's plan was a dumb one, a dumber plan was to run from it once he did it.
It's fair to think that Feingold had a dumb idea. I don't agree, but it's a reasonable position and I don't have all of the information necessary to really make a judgment.
But the question isn't whether Feingold made a dumb move. The question is given the move that Feingold made what should the Dems do? He made the move. They have to respond.
And running is a dumb response."

* now read this hackery from the NYT (complete with headline: Call for Censure Is Rallying Cry to Bush's Base):

"Republicans, worried that their conservative base lacks motivation to turn out for the fall elections, have found a new rallying cry in the dreams of liberals about censuring or impeaching President Bush.
[snip]
For weeks, Republicans have taken to conservative Web sites and talk radio shows to inveigh against the possibility, however remote, that Democrats could impeach Mr. Bush if they gained control of Congress. Mr. Feingold's censure proposal fell far short of a demand for impeachment. Most Democrats in the Senate distanced themselves from it, concerned that they would be tagged by Republicans as soft on terrorism. But the censure proposal provided Republicans an opening.
[]
In playing up the impeachment threat, conservatives have forged an alliance of sorts with the most liberal wing of the Democratic Party, where the idea has bounced around since the invasion of Iraq failed to find the banned weapons that the administration had described before the war.

"banned weapons"? "described" before the war?

ImpeachPAC, a grass-roots group based in New York City that grew out of the last election, is agitating for the idea. In the last few months, local governments in San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Arcata, Calif., and in several towns in Vermont have passed resolutions calling for impeachment. Harper's Magazine, the writer Garrison Keillor, the former Watergate figure John Dean, Barbra Streisand and the actor Richard Dreyfuss have expressed their support as well."

barbra streisand and san francisco? and another actor? STFU. (and, no, impeachpac did not "grow out of the last election") - shame on you, NYT. hacktackular.

* now read this:

"Yes, Feingold probably did bring Republicans together. For five full minutes until the latest polls came in which have George W. Bush at 33% today. Do Democrats really think that Republicans can turn that around if (dems) vote for this censure motion?"

read the rest.

thanks to feingold, we can finally say that impeachment is fully on the agenda. it took us a while, but we got there. thanks to everyone for your help.