[Bon mots]

[Fresh Wind]

Nazi Pelousy’s idea of a fair trial is only democRats get to vote. She believes they are the only Senators who are unbiased.

[Cboldt]

A tribunal doesn't start until it has been presented a case. The senate is the tribunal. It has not been presented a case. The house resolved to exhibit the articles to the senate, but it hasn't done that yet.

The delay is fine. The house voted in December 1998 to exhibit the Clinton articles. It got around to doing what it had resolved to do, the following January.

[exnavy]

Pelosi should be arrested and tryed for treason.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

public notification has already been given, in the Congressional Record. All that Senator Mich McConnell needs to do is read this record on the floor of the Senate and then proceed either to a trial or a motion for dismissal. If he proceeds to a trial and the House does not send any managers, he could then easily move to dismissal on the basis that the House has failed to present its case.

I like it.

OTOH,

The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.

. . . which means that you have to have Justice Roberts on board. And although that could be a problem, McConnell has an enticement for Justice Roberts: that the first order of business would be to dismiss Article II of the impeachment on grounds that since SCOTUS has granted cert to President Trump to contest the subpoena which the Article accuses President Trump of failing to comply with.

In that sense the House has picked a fight not only with President Trump and the Senate but with SCOTUS as well. Justice Roberts could even be the one to raise the point, and stick the knife in, entertaining Article I but rejecting any Senate consideration of Article II. IMHO Article II is Nancy’s Achilles heel.

[Retvet]

Funny she makes demands for what her and her colleagues failed to do.

[CommerceComet]

This old saying seems to apply here: When your enemy is shooting himself in the foot, keep giving him ammunition.

The delay seems to be far more a problem for the Democrats than for the Republicans, so let it fester. When the time is right, then consider some action like you suggested.

The problem that I see with your suggestion is that it looks too much like the trial was resolved on a technicality and the Democrats could parade around claiming that they would have prevailed in a "real" trial. A better solution, in my opinion, would be a summary judgment issued by Chief Justice Roberts declaring the case groundless and not worth wasting the Senate's time discussing. Of course, that won't happen. However, the majority leader could push for an early vote insisting that there is no grounds for a trial based on the findings of the House.

[Freedom of Speech Wins]

Bump.

[bitt]

p