By Brad Friedman on 10/11/2007, 5:35am PT  

I've been meaning to mention all week how appalling it was to see Tim Russert waste the entire sixty minutes of network airtime last week on NBC's Meet the Press, covering the 2008 Presidential Speculation. What, Ann Coulter was available for an "exclusive" full hour interview?

The vacuous hour followed a week on the heels of an extraordinary NY Times exposé on the con game played out by the Bush Administration concerning their torture policies; while America still has more than 160,000 troops committed to two hot wars; and with a criminal cabal still running full throttle out of the current White House.

Thankfully, Colbert mentioned it for me last night...

...And on that note, while Russert fiddles and Rome burns, the exchange with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, also fiddling, as conducted by the tenacious Christiane Brown of Reno's progressive station talk station, KJFK, is both disturbing and illuminating.

In the short interview (courtesy of AfterDowningStreet.org), Reid just can't seem to understand the Constitutional responsibility of Congress to hold the Executive branch accountable, when warranted (as it clearly is now as much as any time in this nation's history), through Impeachment proceedings.

The quick audio (less than two minutes), with Reid grasping at straws to answer Brown's questions, while he declares Impeachment as "such a waste of time" and a "foolish idea" is here:

AfterDowningStreet also reports that Nancy Pelosi's appearance on Ed Schultz's show yesterday, in regard to the same topic, was similarly limp. Though we haven't gotten to hear that one yet, as Big Ed's archives are behind a subscription wall.

...All of which also gives us the opportunity to post the following graphic --- run by the Wall Street Journal, way back in 2006, based on data from even farther back in 2005 --- showing support for Impeachment of Bush as compared to Bill Clinton.

Study this closely, Mr. Reid and Ms. Pelosi...

That data, and the accompanying article, in which WSJ reports "mainstream Democrats" as "echoing the Republican National Committee" on Impeachment (how's that for company, mainstream Dems?), is far more notable today, with the additional details on the depths of corruption we've come to learn about the folks who have hijacked both the White House and the Republican party.

It also offers a stark reminder of just how out of step the "mainstream Democrats" were then, and apparently continue to be now, with both the American people and their Constitutional duties.

Unforutnately, we expect Russert to be clueless. At this point, each and every week, we're counting on it. But it would be swell if the Democratic Congressional Leadership was able to do a tad better.

And no --- waiting out the clock, in hopes of "winning back the White House" does not equal accountability.

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Article Categories: NBC, DNC, Impeachment, Mainstream Media Failure, Accountability, U.S. House, U.S. Senate