It's time for action by We the People.

A while back I explained what voters angry over Democratic inaction on ending the Iraq war and impeaching Bush & Co. can do to hold Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and key committee chairmen accountable for their failures. In light of the surrender to terrorism, by giving the terrorist-in-chief what he wants--another blank check for his war with no strings attached, Democrats have proven themselves incapable of doing what's right. So We the People must remove Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and the committee chairmen who refuse to end the war and impeach Bush and Cheney. Below are the web sites (with contact information) for the following Congressional leaders:

Nancy Pelosi - http://www.house.gov/pelosi

*Steny Hoyer - http://www.house.gov/hoyer

*Rahm Emanuel - http://www.house.gov/emanuel

David Obey - http://obey.house.gov/hor/wi07

Jack Murtha - http://www.house.gov/murtha

Ike Skelton - http://www.house.gov/skelton

John Conyers - http://www.house.gov/conyers

Harry Reid - http://reid.senate.gov

Robert Byrd - http://byrd.senate.gov

*Barack Obama - http://obama.senate.gov

*Hillary Clinton - http://clinton.senate.gov

Pelosi and Reid are prime for recall elections because, as the leaders of their party in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, they are in positions to influence what legislation comes up for debate and voting on the Floors of each chamber. They also tell the committee chairmen which legislation to allow out of committee. John Conyers is Chair of the Judiciary Committee (where the process of impeachment must begin). David Obey of Wisconsin heads up the Appropriations Committee, and Jack Murtha leads the subcommittee on appropriations for the Iraq war. Finally, Ike Skelton of Missouri heads the House Armed Services Committee. Robert Byrd of Virginia runs the Senate Appropriations Committee, Ted Kennedy is chairman of the Armed Services committee, and Patrick Leahy of Vermont heads Judiciary.

These eight members of Congress must be forced by their constituents to do what they promised to do last year, in the heat of election season. Our country is mired in a pointless, illegal and unnecessary war in Iraq that has brought us to our knees. The Bush regime has eroded or eliminated civil liberties, broken or ignored numerous laws, and violated our Constitution not once but repeatedly. We gave Democrats six months in which to end the war and impeach Bush and Cheney. They have refused to do the latter, which is infuriating enough; but to fail so spectacularly on the former, having made only a couple of half-hearted attempts, is simply unforgivable.

So here's what you can do: Visit the web sites for the aforementioned Congresspeople, take down their contact information and any information giving you an idea of the size and makeup of their districts, and pass it along to people who live in them. Help me tell them what they can do to gather petitions, find candidates, raise money and hold recall elections. As Keith Oblermann put it last night in his Special Comment, the surrender of Democrats to George W. Bush's horrendous war policies is a betrayal of the trust of Americans, who want this war ended--and ended NOW. We needn't, and shouldn't, wait until November 2008 to see Democrats voted back out of power. And that will happen, unless they do as We the People demand and end the Iraq war. But to those leaders who let us down, we can and should remove them from office now. Whatever the chances for success, recall elections against key Democratic leaders are the only means by which We the People can convince them how serious we are that they bring an end to the shameful travesty in the Middle East that Bush and his gargoyle started on the basis of greed and lies.

Holding recall elections may seem extreme, and the effort may not succeed. But that's not the point. The point is that Americans are fed up, not only with this war and the criminals who started it and--out of pure, stubborn spite--refuse to end it, but with those cowards in the Legislature who through their own inability to act have become complicit in that war. Recall efforts are perhaps the last, best effort We the People can make to show just how serious we are. It may be the last, best way to get Democrats to do their Constitutional duty.

Below, I have posted Keith Olbermann's special comment from last night. He gave voice to what America is feeling right now, and it is something that should be used to help move us all to action.

EDIT: I've removed Leahy and Kennedy from the list, since both of them voted against giving Bush another blank check for the war. I've added Steny Hoyer and Rahm Emanuel to the list since, being party leaders, they not only voted for the blank check but got their buddies in the conservative wing of the Democratic Party to go along with continuing to fund the war. Murtha remains on the list, because he voted for giving Bush another blank check. And Obey remains on it, because he allowed it out of committee in the first place. Although Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton ultimately voted against the blank check, they had to be shamed into it by fellow senator and presidential candidate Chris Dodd, and they only voted against it after it had become clear it was going to pass the Senate. Had they voted 'no' early, they might have helped convince fence-sitters to vote 'no' as well, thus reducing the number of senators who again voted for the war (I say might have, because we'll never know how they would have voted had Obama and Clinton cast their votes early on instead of waiting until the process was nearly over). So they're on the list, just to keep them on their toes. MAKE those two losers EARN the nomination they so desire.