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The House voted today 251-166 today to send Dennis Kucinich’s Articles of Impeachment along to the House Judiciary Committee.

Of course, it is expected that Representative John Conyers, Nancy Pelosi’s personal puppet, will attempt to freeze it indefinitely. Pelosi has stated that she would not support impeachment. According to Pelosi, it has little chance of succeeding and would be divisive. Apparently, Nancy Pelosi only accepts the challenges she sees as a sure bet to win, as opposed to doing what is right for the country. It’s funny about impeachment. People automatically think it’s all about removing someone from office. That is a common misconception that even Nancy Pelosi wants to foster.

Before we even get to removing a sitting president, there are a number of procedures that must be followed. At the end of the day, the impeachment process is a trial. Dennis Kucinich read 35 individual Articles of Impeachment against President Bush. He made his case eloquently, sticking to the facts. The impeachment process is a chance for President Bush and his subordinates to answer the allegations. Many may even be thrown out. Some may not. I, for one, believe that President Bush has knowingly committed impeachable offenses. Even though Bush may beat the rap in the end, I believe that the process has to move forward for the good of the country. Impeachment would render the administration ‘transparent.’ George Bush would not be able to invoke Executive Privilege. He would have to answer the hard questions. The administration would no longer be able to govern in secrecy.

Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official.” We’ve gotten far afield of this precept. In George Bush’s America, if you oppose his policies, your patriotism comes into question. His subordinates are allowed to simply ignore subpoenas without repercussion because Michael Mukasey, the nation’s highest ranking law enforcement official, refuses to enforce the law of the land. This is not ‘patriotism’ as defined by our forefathers.

In the end, impeachment of George W. Bush may very well fail. If so, let it fail on its own merits, not because it was dead on arrival due to political treachery. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights are the cornerstones of our democracy. Their principles must be upheld at all costs. That President Bush has crossed the line in several instances is beyond dispute. That the lines have become blurred in other instances is irrefutable. Dennis Kucinich has exercised his Constitutional obligation and presented charges against President George W. Bush.

If President Bush has not broken any laws, the he should feel confident about defending himself against these charges. Either way, the impeachment process must move forward.