[Sosfbay-discuss] Impeachment and Pelosi

[Larry Cafiero Liaison]

Hey, Wes --

Pelosi "electing herself president" by Constitutional succession would 
be highly improbable (and becoming vice president is impossible, 
Constitutionally speaking), even though the right-wing media apparatus 
could (and more than likely would) paint any such move by Pelosi ad 
nauseum as such.

As you know, Wes, for Pelosi to actually become president, both Bush and 
Cheney would have to either perish simultaneously or, in an impeachment 
scenario that has not been tested (Constitutionally speaking), Both Bush 
and Cheney would have to be impeached and convicted simultaneously.

She couldn't become "vice president" in the event of Cheney's 
impeachment/conviction, but she does become first in the line of 
presidential succession until a vice president is chosen and approved by 
both houses of Congress.

(You and I are old enough to remember that we went through the vice 
presidential replacement drill twice in the '70s, with Gerald Ford 
taking over for Spiro Agnew and Nelson Rockefeller taking over for Ford 
when Nixon resigned. I hate to confess, but I think back nostalgically 
on those days . . .)

She knows the rules, and I'm not willing to give her a free pass on this 
issue. It would be worse if you are right about Pelosi wanting to shy 
away from the spin cycle of the media (in fact, it would be a good way 
of bringing up the issue of presidential succession and informing the 
public about it), and probably something to consider promoting since it 
looks like the Democrats are about to punt this one away and stick to 
their "politics as usual" game plan.

Larry Cafiero


Wes Rolley wrote:
> I have been thinking that, were I in Pelosi's shoes, I would not want to 
> take a strong stand on impeachment either.  To begin with, that would be 
> immediately put through the spin machine as her attempt to elect herself 
> president. Were Bush and Cheney both to be impeached and removed from 
> office, she would be it.
> 
> I can just hear Rush and the Savage Nation already.
> 
> It is to happen, far better that she is forced to do it.
>