Is Pelosi Secretly Working on Impeachment?

Or is Rep. Diane Watson lying to Democrat activists to try and keep the nuts from going berserk? Protein Wisdom brings us a report on an antiwar meeting that was recently held in Los Angeles:

Congresswoman Diane Watson (D-Culver City) spoke in front of an audience of some 150 activists from various LA antiwar organizations at an Iraq Town Hall meeting in Los Angeles on Sunday, October 14th hosted by California Assembly Majority leader Karen Bass and the ‘47th Assembly District People’s Council’ at Hamilton High School.

The audience responded angrily when Watson responded to a call for the impeachment of President Bush by saying, “We simply don’t have the votes.” After groans and boos and at least one cry of “At least do something!”, Watson went on to say, “Right now, Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi is working very quietly and very effectively, behind the scenes. We need 285 votes to uphold an impeachment, and so far we have 260 members telling us they support impeachment.”

[Watson] went on to say, “Our goal has to be the White House in 2008 and 60 seats, then we can think about an impeachment,” apparently referring to winning a veto-proof majority in the Senate and [raising] the possibility that a Democratic administration might undertake a prosecution of George Bush after he’s left office.

First of all, the idea that the Dems have 260 votes for impeachment is nonsense. At last count (that I could find) the Dems have only 233 seats in the House which means that they would have to get 100% of their members, plus 27 Republicans to make 260. There's no way. There are a number of more conservative Dems that were elected in 2006 who have shown no interest whatsoever in impeachment, and there's not a chance that the Dems could come up with anything near 27 Republicans willing to vote for impeachment. That whole idea is baloney.

Secondly, that last paragraph from Watson suggests that should the Dems achieve the majorities in Congress that they want they might try an after-the-fact impeachment of Bush after he leaves office. The constitutionality of that is suspect at best, and what possible benefit would there be except to pacify a bunch of cranks and weirdos?

Then again, that is the Dem base so perhaps to them it all makes sense.