First published: Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Rep. Nancy Pelosi has signaled that House Democrats will not be pursuing impeachment of President Bush. Excuse me, but I don't think it's her place to make that decision.

As distasteful to all and as politically risky for our professional politicians that it may be, I think that the people of the United States, through our representatives in Congress, owe it to those who have come before us and to our progeny to hold both President Bush and Vice President Cheney accountable for the botched so-called war on terror -- especially for the Iraq fiasco, for the misuse of and dangerous effort to concentrate presidential power, and for the erosion of our constitutional rights.

Ideally, an impeachment inquiry should have been initiated, with strong and sincere bipartisan participation, when the lame-duck Congress reconvened Dec. 5, and then carried forward into the new 110th Congress in January. (In order to partially defuse a sticky political issue, Speaker-to-be Pelosi should announce that, should she succeed to the presidency, she would not be a contender for election to the presidency in 2008.)

It's time for congressional Republicans, Democrats and independents to begin to more seriously uphold their sworn duty to protect the Constitution from all enemies, including Bush and Cheney.

And Nancy Pelosi needs to prove that she's up to the responsibility of being speaker of the House of the Congress of the United States, and not merely a warrior for the Democratic Party. If she can't measure up, the House Democrats should select someone who can.

AL CANNISTRARO

Clifton Park

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Support the country instead of bashing Bush

First published: Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Regarding Al Cannistraro's Dec. 12 letter referring to our President and vice president as the enemy, I feel nothing but disgust for him and all people like him.

George Bush and Dick Cheney are our President and vice president, duly elected by the people of this country. Whether you agree with why we are at war, we are at war. People like Mr. Cannistraro spout their hate speech and lies as truth, and yet offer no proof.

I would like to know which one of his so-called constitutional rights were violated by this administration. Certainly not his right to try to denigrate our commander in chief.

People are saying that this war is turning into another Vietnam. In one way, they are correct. People like Al Cannistraro continually spew their hate speech at our government, instead of supporting our country at wartime.

MICHAEL BROWN

Albany

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Letter fails to understand impeachment process

First published: Friday, December 22, 2006

Al Cannistraro desires to see President Bush impeached (letters, Dec. 12), and objects to Rep. Nancy Pelosi's rejection of impeachment. He doesn't think it's Pelosi's place to make that decision (not to seek the impeachment of President Bush). He fails to understand how the Constitution and the government work.

Our Constitution created a representative democracy, which is why we elect representatives, senators and the president. Our Constitution did not create a direct democracy, in which each voter might have a vote on every issue. Under our Constitution, the people have the right to vote, but they do not have the right to impeach. Impeachment is a function of the House of Representatives. It is Ms. Pelosi's place, as the next speaker of the House, to decide whether to seek impeachment.

Mr. Cannistraro calls President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney enemies of our Constitution, even though the administration has not violated the Constitution. This is amusing, as Mr. Cannistraro advocates an unconstitutional means of removing duly elected officials from their posts. Is Mr. Cannistraro an enemy of the Constitution?

Mr. Cannistraro felt secure enough, in his constitutionally guaranteed civil liberties, to unjustly criticize the President and vice president, in a letter to the editor, for the defense of those civil liberties by the President and vice president. The facts, that he is free to make such criticisms, and that he has made those criticisms, disprove his criticisms.

EDGAR V. TOLMIE

Albany

I am from the 20th i was disappointed Gillibrand wasnt at the vote for the Iraq Bill but the democrats won it anyways. Down with Bush!!!

Yes, Impeachment has to go through the House of Representatives to the Senate. Impeachment is the finding that there is a probability that high crimes and misdemeanors have been committed by the President and Vice President.

The grounds for beginning an inquiry are certainly there: lying us into war, using known bogus intelligence to justify that war, authorizing torture, wiretapping without warrants, subverting the government for partisan purposes and indefinitely detaining US residents and citizens, thereby denying them their rights.

Read the Declaration of Independence: George W. Bush has done at least half of the things accused of King George III.

Trial for impeachment is carried out in the Senate.

Congresspeople like Kirsten Gillibrand are the ones to initiate impeachment, therefore citizens like you and me are perfectly justified in petitioning our representative to co-sponsor Dennis Kucinich's impeachment resolution; it already has ten co-sponsors.

I do solemnly petition Congresswoman Gillibrand to co-sponsor, or at least support impeachment resolutions for Vice President Cheney and President Bush.

Douglas C. Smyth

I am interested in joining or helping to form an impeachment committee in CD 20. I live in Columbia County. I have not found any sign of an existing committee. Does anyone know of one? If not, let's start one! We can choose a time and a place to meet, soon.

Rosalynn

Fellow impeachment supporters,

A group of us have organized ourselves as a local chapter of Progressive Democrats of America and recently met with Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand to pursue impeachment. For more information, please join our Yahoo Groups listserv at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pdnycd20/ or visit www.pdanewyork.org or www.pdamerica.org.

Jim McCabe