Squirm On

Watch John Conyers squirm as he ‘explains’ why he won’t call for impeachment hearings against Dick Cheney, as Robert Wexler and other member of the House Judiciary Committee, and over a hundred thousand petitioners, demand. It’s pure Pelosiism. It’s also shameful at his age. You’d think that like Mike Gravel or Jimmy Carter, he’d feel free enough, at this point, not to make demeaning compromises with his party’s leadership. Why does he think he can’t take chances? And why, for that matter, does he feel so insecure about remaining a “player”? Given his seniority and near iconic status, the Pelosiite leadership could hardly remove him from his committee positions. In any case, his seat in Congress is so secure that he couldn’t be forced out of it.

In this respect, his situation is not at all like Cynthia McKinney’s was. McKinney was forced out of office twice – for being too much the free spirit and, not incidentally, for arousing the wrath of the Israel lobby. She just announced that she will be leaving the Democratic Party to run for the Presidential nomination of the Green Party. Since lesser evilism has its limits, and since Hillary Clinton (and also Joe Biden) fall short of them, it just might be necessary to support her.