Marylea and I were there for the whole event, tabling for Beyond Hiroshima before and after and I thought it was pretty persuasive.  I went in reflecting the reservations that have been expressed to me about impeachment - that after the Clinton impeachment, another impeachment just sets up a tit for tat where every opposition party mounts an impeachment leading to political paralysis, but I came away thinking differently about it and here is why:

I think the most important thing that Congress can do is to defund the wars now in Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran (and don't kid yourselves, we are already in Iran with more to come). And I recall that the way that Vietnam finally wound down was when Congress in 73, I think, finally turned off the money.  I think in retrospect that Nixon and the war hawks were unable to mount an offense against the patriots who said enough to Vietnam because Nixon and the warhawks were so decimated by Watergate and the impeachment hearings of that era. 

Interestingly, one of the impeachment articles against Nixon was for illegal wiretapping, the offense that led to the FISA law and court.  And a Federal court has already determined that Bush's warrantless wiretaps violate the FISA law.  That's a felony and an abuse of power that alone justifies impeachment, though I think it is not the most serious high crime/misdemeanor of this administration.  It's a pretty clear cut article for impeachment since a Federal ct has already ruled on the matter.  I think it is time for a special prosecutor to be empowered to look at several issues - warrantless wiretapping, torture, deliberate misrepresentation of the "intelligence" that took us to war in Iraq, the war crime of aggressive war in Iraq. 

As the panel said several different ways and times last night, if these are not impeachable offenses, then there are no impeachable offenses.  And for those of you who think this is politically motivated, may I remind you that there is some chance that Hillary could be the heir to the powers of the unitary presidency?  I don't trust her, I don't want her to wield unfettered power, but that is the legacy of the office of president if there is no accounting for the abuses of the current administration.

...and comment, Mike. Nice work.

When you think of the long and gloomy history of man, you will find more hideous crimes have been committed in the name of obedience than have ever been committed in the name of rebellion. -C.P. Snow