Conservative Insider Magazine Says White House Bracing for Impeachment Hearings

A new Zogby International poll reports that 52% of Americans now want Congress to consider impeachment for President Bush if he illegally wiretapped American citizens without judicial approval.

The Zogby poll, taken from Jan 9 to 12, 2006, found that 52% of respondents agreed and 43 % disagreed with the following question: "If President Bush wiretapped American citizens without the approval of a judge, do you agree or disagree that Congress should hold him accountable through impeachment?"

The demographics of Zogby poll reponses were interesting: 66% of Democrats favored impeachment, as did 59% of Independents, and even 23% of Republicans.

Responses by age, sex and race showed 74% of those 18-29 favored impeachment, 47% of those 31-49, 49% of those 50-64, and 40% of those over 65. 55% of women favored impeachment, compared to 49% of men. Among African Americans, 75% favored impeachment, as did 56% of Hispanics and 47% of whites.
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And conservative news magazine Insight leaks the stunning news this morning that "The Bush administration is bracing for impeachment hearings in Congress." Insight is owned by the well-connected, conservative Washington Times newspaper.

Reports Insight, "Administration sources said the charges are expected to include false reports to Congress as well as Mr. Bush's authorization of the National Security Agency to engage in electronic surveillance inside the United States without a court warrant. "

At least five Republican senators....Arlen Specter (R-PA), Sam Brownback (R-KS), Lindsay Graham (R-SC), Richard Lugar (R-IN), Chuck Hagel (R-NE).... have publicly expressed deep reservations about the legality of President Bush's deliberate decision to spy on American citizens without judicial permission and oversight.

Sources say the White House was shocked by three incidents into acceptance of possible impeachment proceedings about President Bush....

The first on January 15 when Senate Judiciary Committee Chair, Republican Arlen Specter commented about possible remedies if the President broke US surveillance laws, "Impeachment is a remedy. After impeachment, you could have a criminal prosecution. But the principal remedy under our society is to pay a political price. "

The second on January 16 when Al Gore delivered his brilliant Martin Luther King, Jr, Day speech, in which he firmly proclaimed, "...the President of the United States has been breaking the law repeatedly and persistently. A president who breaks the law is a threat to the very structure of our government. "

The third when the New York Times reported on January 19, 2006, "A legal analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service concludes that the Bush administration's limited briefings for Congress on the National Security Agency's domestic eavesdropping without warrants are inconsistent with the law. "

The first formal step in possible impeachment proceedings will be an open hearing set for February 6, 2006 by the Senate Judiciary Committee on the Bush eavesdropping program. Per the New York Times, "The hearing, titled 'Wartime executive power and the N.S.A.'s surveillance authority,' is expected to include testimony from Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales."
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