Televised impeachment hearings? I'll make the popcorn!

The Morning Mishap says the House of Representatives has decided to endorse a resolution that formalizes the impeachment witch hunt ["inquiry", shurely! Ed.] against Still-President Trump, who stands accused of improperly exerting political influence over Ukraine. 196 Republican Congresspersons and two (count `em, 2) Democrats voted against the inquiry; 231 Democrats and 1 Independent voted in favour.

In other news, dozens of young black men (and a few young black women), were stabbed and/or shot, many of them killed, in cities across North America, including Toronto* the Good, during Hallowe'en festivities... or for no particular reason. But I digress.

Getting back to yesterday's vote [Thank you. Ed.]... The two Democrats who voted against the resolution were freshman Congressman Jeff Van Drew (D-NJ) and 15-term veteran Collin Peterson (D-MN). Both complained that the secret proceedings so far have been overly partisan -- there's a flash for you! -- and are further dividing the country, as if that was possible. In a statement, the White House called the vote was a violation of due process. "The Democrats want to render a verdict without giving the administration a chance to mount a defence, "the statement read. "That is unfair, unconstitutional, and fundamentally un-American."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi decided to have the impeachment resolution vote following weeks of Republican claims that the inquiry was invalid because the chamber had not voted to formally commence the work. See "How the impeachment process is supposed to work", WWW 24/9/10. The Dumbocrats are in a big hurry to get to the actual vote to impeach before Christmas, so are now setting up what Republican leaders call "a sham process designed to discredit the democratic process."

The procedural rules included in yesterday's resolution lay out how the House Intelligence Committee -- now leading the investigation by deposing diplomats and other officials behind closed doors -- would transition to public hearings. The panel would issue a report and release transcripts of the closed-door interviews it has been conducting with diplomats and other officials with connections to President Trump's interactions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The prospect of public hearings has Walt salivating at the mouth. [Like you never do that! Ed.] I'm old enough to remember the Army-McCarthy hearings of 1954. Even for a wee-un, daytime TV was much better then than now! That's Senator McCarthy at the left. Beside him is his aide, (((Roy Cohn))). It was Mr Cohn's queer friendship for his aide (((David Shine))) that made the junior senator from Wisconsin take on the US Army in the first place. The Army won. Senator McCarthy lost.

One can draw a parallel between Senator McCarthy's tactics and those now being employed by the Democrats. The Tydings Committee issued a report stating that Senator McCarthy had imposed "a fraud and a hoax" on the Senate with his unfounded allegations. "Starting with nothing," the report said, "Senator McCarthy plunged headlong forward, desperately seeking to develop some information which, colored with distortion and fanned by a flame of bias, would forestall the day of reckoning."

Walt predicts that the McCarthy witch hunt will pale by comparison with the proceedings the never-Trumpers have planned for us, beginning in about two weeks. I'll make the popcorn.

* Footnote: Not to worry, Hogtowners! Mayor John "Red" Tory and police chief Saunders, himself a member of the "community" most affected by gun violence, has a plan to protect you. Something about building more basketball courts? Errr, no. Toronto, the World-class City (LOL) is, with the permission of Canuck Prime Minister Just In Trudeau, going to ban assault rifles. You couldn't make this stuff up.