Faced with the maddening intransigence of Bush and Cheney and the unsurprising timidity of Pelosi and Reid when it comes to the war and related issues, it's time for the entire progressive movement to unite right now in a collective, urgent campaign for the impeachment of the top two liars, torturers, and war criminals who are occupying the White House.

We should demand this not just because it's the right thing to do, which it absolutely is. We should do it because it's the course of action that has the most chance of preventing an expansion of the war into Iran and forcing the Democrats and some Republicans to get serious about legislation that can reverse course on Iraq.

Some progressives argue that we should forget about impeachment because Nancy Pelosi has told John Conyers to cool it, that it's "off the table," and, in those progressives' view, that makes impeachment unrealistic.

The question is, what do these progressives see as the alternative? What else has the potential to focus the massive and wide-ranging discontent within the US citizenry, the 58% of the population, according to a recent poll, who wish that the Bush Administration was history right now?

There is nothing else. There will be various pieces of legislation brought forward by Pelosi and Reid, and something stronger than the anti-"surge" wrist-slap recently passed by the House may get through at least the House, but it is extremely difficult to conceive of how anything of substance will pass the filibuster barrier in the Senate barring a massive political upsurge within the populace demanding strong action to rein in Bush and Cheney.

Which is exactly what impeachment is all about. It is a crystal-clear, American-as-apple-pie remedy for the "I'm the decider" ideologues who show every indication that their solution to the Iraq mess is to make it even bigger by expanding war into Iran and who knows where else after that. It's their "hail Mary" pass but it's not with a football, it's with weapons of escalated destruction.

Is it likely that the Democratic leadership in the House-the body, remember, which by itself can impeach a President--will grow a spine in the next month or two and begin an impeachment investigation via John Conyers' Judiciary Committee? Probably not. But it is possible that if the spring of 2007 becomes "impeachment spring," beginning with massive anti-war actions throughout the country on March 17-19 that loudly raise the impeachment demand and continuing up to April 28, national impeachment dayif this happens, which it absolutely can, then we might be surprised to see a breaking of the impeachment logjam by May or June and the beginning of those Judiciary Committee hearings.

That should be our objective. That objective should motivate what we do and how we do it for the next several months.

Ultimately, if we do not achieve that objective, an impeachment campaign is still critical. Members of Congress, the mass media, prominent personalities, those who have some mass influence, need to feel the pressure which leads them to speak up loudly and clearly in support of impeachment. Such a movement is the most effective tactic in our arsenal right now to put the Bush/Cheney gang on the defensive. Given the reality of upcoming 2008 elections and growing anti-war opposition within the Republican Party, such a movement will make it politically difficult for them to keep expanding the war the way they want to.

Impeachment is a perfect example of a good offense being the best defense. We are facing a very real risk of an extremely dangerous expansion of the war at a time when there is an urgent need for resources and attention to be focused on the climate crisis, health care, New Orleans, and other major issues. We have already experienced Bush/Cheney/neo-conservative disregard of basic Constitutional rights like habeas corpus and Congressional oversight of the Executive branch of government.

It is essential that the progressive movement demonstrate its allegiance not to the Congressional leadership of the Democratic Party but to doing what is clearly right. How many of us will step up to the plate at this turning-point time in our nation's history?