How does Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who may become Speaker of the House of Representatives if the Democrats win control on Nov. 7, propose the US regain any standing in the world, much less any honor, if George W. Bush and his whole administration are allowed to skate on their criminality?

Yet, when CBS's Leslie Stahl on Sunday's 60 Minutes brought up the subject of impeachment, Pelosi said, "No, impeachment is off the table."

"And that's a pledge?" Stahl asked.

"Well, it's a pledge in the -- yes, I mean, it's a pledge. Of course it is. It is a waste of time," Pelosi replied.

"Wouldn't they just love it, if we came in and our record as Democrats coming forth in 12 years, is to talk about George Bush and Dick Cheney? This election is about them. This is a referendum on them," Pelosi said. "Making them lame ducks is good enough for me."

The worst criminals to ever occupy the White House and Pelosi says it's a waste of time to prosecute them? That she's content to "making them lame ducks?"

Was Pelosi merely spewing campaign rhetoric or doesn't she grasp that the Military Commissions Act of 2006 makes Congress and the courts irrelevant, and that George W. Bush is now how the power to declare himself dictator? Does she think he was kidding when he thrice said (Governing Magazine, July 1998, CNN, Dec. 18, 2000 and Business Week, July 30, 2001), "If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator."

If there is to be any hope for this country, Bush, Cheney and the lot of them must be impeached and, if the Democrats regain control of both houses, impeachment proceedings must begin on Jan. 4, 2007. Merely calling them "immoral" and "corrupt" and saying they were running a criminal enterprise, as she has done, isn't good enough.

What message would that send to the children? That lying, cheating, murdering, ignoring treaties, breaking law after law, overthrowing the US Constitution and waging illegal wars are just fine? What would that tell the world? That we truly are an immoral, depraved, evil people who will commit heinous acts on anyone, anytime, anywhere we please?

George W. Bush and his criminal gang have destroyed -- in our names, yet -- any vestiges of honor and decency we had left. Yet, Nancy Pelosi is saying that's okay; they need not pay for their crimes; we'll just make them lame ducks -- or so she thinks.