1.  In impeachment inquiries, there is little if any check on what the Congress is entitled to receive.  Executive privilege is at its nadir when Congress is investigating whether to impeach.

2.  The public demands the Democrats do something besides pass bills the Republicans bottle up in the Senate, and veto once they go the distance along Pennsylvania Ave.

3.  If impeachment is not coming for Gonzo's conduct, then when will it ever be applicable?  This is someone who, beyond lying, simply refused to answer legitimate questions put to him by both the House and the Senate.  The Congress' institutional survival is at stake.  As is the Constitution's.  Last week I watched that slug sitting there with the smirk of a mofo who knows he already has a pardon in the bag, putting up with the yelling coming from the SJC, knowing there's not a darn thing other than yell they could do to him.

4.  All that "wasting time" and "term's almost up" talk assumes Bush and Cheney will leave office when their terms are up.  Given Giuliani's attempt in the aftermath of 9/11 to stay in office past the expiration of his term as Mayor, I am of the position that Bush and Cheney willingly leaving office when their terms expire is not something which can be taken for granted.  

5.  Neither Bush nor Cheney will ever sign anything reducing criminal penalties or restoring habeas, so we should not waste time on that.  We should spend the time on getting rid of them and putting someone into office who will, and therefore make the time spent on those reforms time usefully spent.

I'd rather see the Judiciary Committees spend their time on criminal justice reform legislation like restoring habeas than an impeachment proceeding.

I'm also left wondering if uncovering all of Bush&Co's evil wouldn't go a lot further to "tarnishing his legacy" than what we've already got.

*He's low-hanging fruit, obviously lying and incompetent, and an embarrassment.

*The American public sees Democrats as impotent to take action against these egregious members of the Bush administration. An impeachment investigation of Gonzales will highlight that Democrats can take some action.

*Impeaching Gonzales will take some heat off pressure to impeach Bush/Cheney.

*Impeaching Gonzales might stop some of the most egregious things he is still facilitating at the Justice Dept.

I can guareentee that there are a variety of perspectives.

However - he is probably just a few shades worse than rummy, MAYBE,

except --- NO ONE is watching the guy the way rummy was watched.

whoever replaces gonzo will be a fascist lackey.

PERIOD

let's keep him twisting in the wind till jan '09.