IMPEACHMENT: It's a vendetta

Vendetta is the Italian word meaning “revenge.” The definition of revenge is, “The action of inflicting hurt or harm on someone for an injury, or wrong suffered at their hands.”

1. Revenge is predominantly emotional; justice primarily rational. 2. Revenge is, by nature, personal; justice is impersonal, impartial, and both a social and legal phenomenon. 3. Revenge is an act of vindictiveness; justice, of vindication. 4. Revenge is about cycles; justice is about closure. 5. Revenge is about retaliation; justice is about restoring balance.

According to a statement by Nancy Pelosi in March, “Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there’s something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don’t think we should go down that path, because it divides the country. He’s just not worth it.”

During the Clinton impeachment, Chuck Schumer lamented that “now we are routinely using criminal accusations and scandal to win the political battles and ideological differences we cannot settle at the ballot box… And it is hurting our country, it is marginalizing and polarizing this Congress.”

Jerry Nadler, also speaking about the Clinton impeachment said, “The effect of impeachment is to overturn the popular will of the voters. We must not overturn an election and remove a President from office except to defend our system of government or our constitutional liberties against a dire threat, and we must not do so without an overwhelming consensus of the American people.”

Finally, the Framers of our Constitution were careful to clarify, there is no justice in a completely partisan impeachment. Based on the reasoning and testimonies above, what is the argument for this impeachment not being a political vendetta?

BOB HOLLIDAY

Post Falls