And still the mainstream media is derelict in meeting its responsibility to the public. Its complicity in the Bush administration’s misdeeds, largely outside the awareness of a somnolent public, has long been evident to those who dig a little deeper. Perhaps, the first indication of its obeisance to the neo-cons was the lockstep fealty to the drumbeats for a military response to 9-11.

Now we have the deafening silence in the wake of the rather astounding news that three members of the House Judiciary Committee are calling for impeachment hearings of Vice President Dick Cheney. John Conyers, chairman of the committee and an advocate of impeachment of both Bush and Cheney before he really had the authority to make it happen, now seems to have fallen into line with stonewalling commandments from on high.

The Democratic leadership, Pelosi, in particular, has concluded that impeachment will be detrimental to the Dems’ fortunes in November 2008 and is quite willing to continue enabling this administration. In other words, it’s a bodies (American and Iraqi) for vote swap as Bush and his co-criminal-in-office get all the money they want for war and their crimes go unpunished and practically unconsidered.

The three Democratic Congress people, including Robert Wexler, calling for impeachment, sent an OpEd piece announcing their statement to The New York Times, the Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, USA Today and The Boston Globe. Each newspaper rejected it! In less than a week 120,000 people have now signed a petition at Wexler’s Web site (wexlerwantshearings.com) calling for impeachment hearings. And still, nary a peep in the print media or on mainstream airwaves.

Airline delays, friendlier skies, fruit flies, tax on soda to fight obesity, Christmas miracle, fire in D.C., camels in the streets of NYC – stories that trumped impeachment on the nightly network news. Michael Abramowitz, the national editor of the Washington Post, when asked why the online Post gave the news no attention, responded, “Impeachment is not going to be happening under this Congress, even if there are some lawmakers who think it is a good idea. So the media moves on to other things.”

How audacious! Would it be news to Abramowitz that 37,000 copies of the Constitution were delivered to the White House this week along with a cover letter citing the impeachable offenses of this administration signed by 37,000 Americans? Go to Wexler’s Web site, call Conyers (202-225-5126), call Pelosi (202-225-4965). Our republic and our Constitution are at stake. Call for impeachment!

Dud Hendrick of Deer Isle is a member of Veterans for Peace.