Republican talking heads are trying to tar Democrats with a Scarlet "I". The talking point coming out of Repub Central is to scare voters away from the angry, radical Democrats by accusing them of planning to impeach the president. Russert and Matthews are both doing their jobs as Republican shills, this week uploading that message into water cooler political discourse. It's just about all they have right now, and the strategy reeks of desperation:

First, it's a tacit admission of Bush's failure, that they would impeach him if the tables were turned. That's what passes for Republican honesty these days, as we already know this. Case in point: they impeached Clinton for a lot less.

Second, it's weak, but it could work. Republicans only need to keep a quarter or so of their most hotly contested seats in Congress to maintain their majority. That's not all that hard if they can detach themselves from Bush's coattails.

So I watched Russert grill Nancy Pelosi on Sunday, goading her into admitting that the Democrats are angry, spiteful, vengeful Bush-haters, who would no sooner get into office than proceed with impeachment hearings. He just wouldn't accept Pelosi's answer that impeachment is not at the top of the Democrats' agenda.

Now li'l sis Buchanan is out there representin' those fine, upstanding conservatives who have been let down by Bush's liberalism, but are on guard for Demo-liberal chicanery against their president:

(Buchanan) said if House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi continued to appear on TV and talk about impeachment hearings and investigating the Republican leadership, she would turn people off because she was out of touch.

It's the old act-like-you-got-the-answer-you-wanted trick. When snide, thinly disguised partisanship on the part of so-called journalists doesn't work, just continue on as if.

Expect that tactic to continue through the rest of this year. Given that Republicans are good at manipulation, better than the Democrats are at countering it, perhaps the Dems should pivot and do an end-around the Republican line: embrace impeachment and let Republicans call them angry and radical. With Bush's polls chugging backwash, Repubs are effectively calling the vast majority of Americans angry radicals.

I understand that it doesn't work that way. Attribution Error ensures that my anger is justified, while yours is just unseemly, even if we're angry over the same thing. But if addressed early enough, it could be rendered an ineffective criticism as people become acclimated to the idea that, yes, impeachment is a-comin'. For some reason, it's a hard pill to swallow, as evidenced by Bill Clinton's poll-climbing routine during his dance with the 106th House Injudiciary Committee.

A good lawyer or political adviser will always advise his client to never get on the defensive. Democrats should not get caught in the trap of denying their intentions to impeach Bush. That's what George Lakoff is talking about when he says Republicans are great at "framing".

So how not to deny the plan to impeach?

Admit it.

Admit it with one hand, then instantly draw attention to the fact that Cheney will then be president with the other hand. Draw attention to the fact that it would not be a Democratic coup d'etat, and that they have nothing to gain from it politically, but that it should be done as a matter of law. Of course there will be hearings, yadda yadda, but if it's found that Bush broke the law, he's gone.

Embrace accountability. Embrace the letter of the law the way Republicans pretended to do in the '90's. Embrace a little righteous indignation. Do that, and you will embrace the electorate.

Put impeachment at the top of the agenda, Nancy, and you may just end up what George Stephanopoulos inexplicably got "stuck" in his head this weekend: Speaker Pelosi.