Cindy Sheehan to Run Against Nancy Pelosi in 2008

(APN) ATLANTA "Nancy Pelosi had no business taking impeachment off the table. Because Article Two, Section Four of the Constitution says the President, Vice President, and all civil officers of the United States shall be removed in office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. It says shall be removed. It doesn’t say if the Speaker says impeachment is an optional menu item," Cindy Sheehan told Atlanta Progressive News in a phone interview.

Sheehan recently announced she will challenge Nancy Pelosi if Pelosi doesn’t put impeachment back on the so-called table by the time Sheehan arrives in Washington, DC, in about one week with her Caravan for Humanity and Accountability. Since Pelosi won’t put impeachment on the table, it’s a sure bet Sheehan will run.

Sheehan and her Caravan will first pass through Atlanta this Saturday, July 14, 2007, including attending a reception and production of the play "Marx in Soho" at 7 Stages Theatre in Atlanta’s Little Five Points area.

Sheehan, who left the Democratic Party in frustration, will run as an Independent in Pelosi’s District.

Previously she had considered then ultimately rejected a plan in 2006 to run against US Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).

"I’m hoping if I win, which is not 100 percent sure yet, which would probably be about 50 percent, I would hope my candidacy would inspire other people who are sick and tired of the way we do politics in this country to also run, to challenge the status quo and the corporate lobbyists. To inspire people to govern out of courage like I will be doing," Sheehan said.

"I’ve been getting some just really great response from people who say they’re going to quit their jobs, sell their businesses, move to San Francisco, volunteer for my Campaign. People are lining up to donate to my campaign."

But University of California, Berkeley, Political Science Professor Bruce Cain doesn’t believe Sheehan will win in a match-up against Pelosi.

"If there was any Congressional district in the country where Cindy Sheehan coming in from the left, could threaten Nancy Pelosi, it would be Nancy Pelosi’s district. There’s no other place we would have a conversation about this. San Francisco has a progressive, green tradition that is unrivaled in the rest of the country. Berkeley would be the only other place," Cain told Atlanta Progressive News.

"Having said that, I frankly think Cindy Sheehan’s prospects are very low. I think she would get some votes. If I had to guess, she might get as much as a quarter of the votes, but what’s happened in San Francisco... look at the mayor’s races, in the end the number of mainstream Democrats and liberals exceeds that of the progressive left," Cain said.

"A lot of women [voters] would hesitate taking down the first female speaker, to make a statement on the war," Cain said.

"People on other side are saying I’m trying to destroy the Democratic Party. I don’t have the power to do that," Sheehan added.

"Democrats talk like they want universal health care and loan rates lower for college students. How are they going to do that when they spend $12 million an hour in Iraq. I can’t destroy the Democratic Party, they do that themselves," Sheehan said.

Even though "the left" in San Francisco may encompass a wide umbrella, it makes up almost 80% of the electorate, Sheehan and Cain agreed. Republicans only receive about 20% of the vote.

Thus, Sheehan’s running would have almost no possibility of somehow leaving the District with a Republican representative, even if Sheehan didn’t win but took some votes away from Pelosi.

Sheehan also responded to questions about her residency. "I was born and raised in California and live there right now," she said, but said she needed to change her voter registration back to California. She had been temporarily registered in Texas while residing outside Bush’s ranch in Crawford, Texas, she said.

Sheehan recently sold the land she’d acquired in Texas in honor of her son, Casey, who was killed in the US Invasion of Iraq. She announced she was stepping back from her activist role. This occurred only about two weeks after she told Atlanta Progressive News in an exclusive interview that she was considering running for Congress.

"I had decided that day [of the announcement] I had gone as far as I had gone in the way I was going. I think it’s very healthy if you’re coming up to a roadblock or in the wrong direction to turn around and try something new," she said.

"It’s amazing, Congress has failed since the Democrats took office, and we know the war will not end while George Bush is in office. How more soldiers do we have to lose? How many more Iraqis have to be killed?" Sheehan asked.

"What are they doing? They’re not doing anything. What have they done? Mininum wage, have they done anything else? No, but Bush did. He had his surge. He commuted Libby’s sentence. Cheney announced he’s not part of the Executive Branch. And Congress is giving them a free pass," Sheehan said.

"It is Congress’s duty number one to use the power of the purse strings. And they have the power of impeachment. Those are the two things they could do to rein in the Bush regime and they’re not doing it," Sheehan said.

About the author:

Matthew Cardinale is the News Editor of Atlanta Progressive News and may be reached at matthew@atlantaprogressivenews.com

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