President Pelosi? It's a Dirty Job...

Nancy Pelosi lead off Meet the Press today. And something occurred to me--Pelosi could become the political lightning rod in a potential impeachment proceeding against Bush and Cheney.

Impeachment is a word that we will certainly have to live with as long as Bush is still in office. It's become a campaign issue for the upcoming mid-term election. Republicans have warned the people that if Democrats take back congress they WILL try to impeach Bush. Democrats aren't shaking their heads and the warning hasn't moved the polls at all.

So, is it going down that way?

One theory has impeachment lightning rods Cheney, Rumsfeld and Rove all moving on sometime during the next nine to twelve months, sooner if indicted.

While Rove and Rumsfeld might be moved out, I'm thinking Cheney sticks around precisely because he eggs on the proponents of impeachment.

Impeachment is meaningless unless both Bush and Cheney go down. If Cheney stays in place the goal of the impeachment movement seems that much more daunting. Two impeachments?
Keeping Cheney is the equivalent of the Republican party going all in. If Bush and Cheney are impeached and removed, then the Presidency likely falls to Nancy Pelsoi. Convenient for a Rovian administration that has already successfully smeared her. Impeachment would then be a choice between someone Republicans call an "uber-liberal" and "staying the course". Could be a problematic frame for the impeachment movement.

Pelosi did a decent job on Meet the Press, but if she allowed someone more viable to move in to the role of Speaker, she would make things much harder on the administration.

UPDATE/VIDEO: Nancy Pelosi on MTP.
VIDEO: Nancy Pelosi on CSPAN last week discussing gas prices.
VIDEO: Pelosi refuses to yield.