Congresswoman Diane Watson (D-Culver City) spoke in front of an audience of some 150 activists from various LA antiwar organizations at an Iraq Town Hall meeting in Los Angeles on Sunday, October 14th . . . .

The audience responded angrily when Watson responded to a call for the impeachment of President Bush by saying, "We simply don't have the votes." After groans and boos and at least one cry of "At least do something!", Watson went on to say, "Right now, Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi is working very quietly and very effectively, behind the scenes. We need 285 votes to uphold an impeachment, and so far we have 260 members telling us they support impeachment."

[Watson] went on to say, "Our goal has to be the White House in 2008 and 60 seats, then we can think about an impeachment," apparently referring to winning a veto-proof majority in the Senate and [raising] the possibility that a Democratic administration might undertake a prosecution of George Bush after he's left office.

When contacted by LA conservative activist Deborah Leigh, Pelosi's office repeated the Speaker's position, [outlined] before the 2006 election, that "impeachment is off the table." They declined to comment on Congresswoman Watson's statement and numbers.

If Congresswoman Watson was telling the truth to the assembled activists, this raises the question of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's control over her own delegation, and even her awareness of what is going on in her own party; [either that], or that Ms. Pelosi has not been dealing forthrightly with the American people and the Adminstration. [Alternately] Congresswoman Watson was willing to [deceive] a gathering of the Democratic Party's most gullible active supporters.