Table Of Malcontents

Nancy Pelosi famously said impeaching Bush was "off the table" in 2007.

That worked out, didn't it?  Meanwhile, MSNBC's Ed Schultz wants to know if Orange Julius will do the same.

"Four years ago, in the midst of an avalanche of criticism of the Bush administration, Nancy Pelosi took impeachment off the table," noted Schultz. "I want to ask Mr. Boehner tonight, are you going to take impeachment off the table? Or are we going to go down this road of divide, are we going to go down this road of investigations?"

Schultz was echoing concerns by some Democrats, such as Rep. Jim Clyburn, that a Republican-dominated Congress could spend much of the next two years attempting to remove the president from office.

Last month, Jonathan Chait of The New Republic wrote: "Hear me now and believe me later: If Republicans win and maintain control of the House of Representatives, they are going to impeach President Obama. ... They won't do it right away. And they won't succeed in removing Obama. (You need 67 Senate votes.) But if Obama wins a second term, the House will vote to impeach him before he leaves office."

When Democrats took control of the House in 2006, Speaker Nancy Pelosi unilaterally said there would be no impeachment of President George W. Bush.

"I have said it before and I will say it again: Impeachment is off the table," Pelosi told reporters at a news conference.

On the contrary,  the difference between Republicans and Democrats is Republicans fear their base, Democrats despise theirs.  If Boehner takes it off the table, he's no longer presumptive Speaker of anything and he knows it.

I don't see how he has a choice.  If Boehner won't do it, his Tea Party plurality will replace him as Speaker with somebody who will. Orange Julius is about to get freshly squeezed.