"We are not required to impeach the president simply because he's committed an impeachable offense......We have to decide whether it's in the best interest of the country to go through that process." - Sen. Russ Feingold (D) November 20, 2006
"Who will show me any Constitutional injunction which makes it the duty of the American people to surrender everything valuable in life, and even life, itself, whenever the purposes of an ambitious and mischievous government may require it?" - Daniel Webster in an address to the House of Representatives December 9, 1814
The recently empowered Democrats have begun their sprint by running in the wrong direction. The above statement by Feingold coupled with the pre and post election statements by Nancy Pelosi show that the Democrats, whether they are in the minority or the majority, are willing to shirk their responsibilities in order to maintain a good face with the American people.
But what these and other Democrats fail to realize is that the American people gave them majority status in hopes of returning accountability and responsibility back into government. That the Democrats would place the fear of losing power over what is best for the reinstitution of the very foundations this country was founded upon would be beyond disgraceful. Already there are people on the left who have pitifully shied away from even mentioning the "I" word for fear of being portrayed as petty or vindictive. Even in these days of impending power in Congress, the Democrats have shown that their spaghetti has yet to evolve into a spine.
The Democrats stand on the brink of making the same mistake that Bush and the Republicans have made these last years; that the American people just don't get it. That somehow, things are "too complex" for average Americans to understand whether it be Iraq or torture or domestic spying or impeachment, hence we are expected to just trust them because they know what they're doing. This mindset in DeeCeeVille begs the question, "Do any of these dopes know what a newspaper is? Have they fired up their computers lately?"
Over the last two years, small towns and major cities have not only been using the "I" word, but they've either voted for impeachment or voted to support resolutions to initiate investigations into Bush Co. that would certainly lead to impeachment. From Hanover, New Hampshire to Fort Worth, Texas to Seattle, Washington and everywhere in between, Americans are talking about impeachment. We want accountability and we want to make sure that the abuse of executive power which has been the trademark of this administration is never allowed to happen again.
Recent Zogby polls show a majority of Americans support impeachment when they consider illegal wiretapping or lying about Iraq, so why are the Democrats so afraid to even discuss assuming their responsibilities when it comes to impeachment?
One of the most popular excuses I've heard is that there are "more pressing issues" that need to be addressed by the incoming majority. Raising the minimum wage and reducing interest rates on college tuition are usually the first two examples cited when Democrats are asked about their agenda. While these are admirable goals I have to wonder whether these people can walk and chew gum at the same time. Surely, there must be more than "other priorities" to explain the Democrats rejection of holding Bush and Cheney accountable. Unfortunately, I think the answer would require a history lesson, the healing of decades old wounds and a two by four upside their heads.
Republican Abuse of Power
President Nixon fled the White House when the evidence of his abuse of executive power became so clear that even Republican members in Congress were willing to vote for articles of impeachment against him. The political scarring Nixon left on his party and the nation was part of the "Teflon" that would protect Ronald Reagan over ten years later during the Iran-Contra scandal. Reagan's successor, Bush Sr., would later pardon top level officials for selling weapons to Iran in order to illegally fund the anti-communist Contras.
Although impeachable offenses occurred during the Reagan "Error," the resulting investigations and Senate hearings produced little more than a market for Oliver North action figures and Fawn Hall jokes. Criminals were pardoned and the whole thing was laid to rest because Reagan's people and the media convinced almost everyone that the president was "so likable" and besides, America didn't want to relive that "impeachment thing" again. And the Democrats left it alone.
Two years after Clinton rescued the country from the Reagan/Bush Error, Newt Gingrich had his bullhorn moment after the Republicans took over the Congress. Gingrich vowed that the new Republican Congress would use its power to "investigate the corruption inside the Clinton Administration" while Virginia Thomas (Clarence's wife) compiled an "assault book" describing seventy five different alleged scandals with which they would target the Clinton White House.
The bitter political war which followed investigation after empty investigation resulted in the Republican led House abusing the powers of impeachment against Clinton in a pathetic and vindictive attempt to somehow "right the wrongs" bestowed upon Nixon and Reagan by the Democrats. The impeachment of President Clinton was little more than an exercise in losing a Tom DeLay popularity contest (something I believe most Americans would lose) and it would require cooler heads in the Senate to bring this abuse of power to a halt. The powers of impeachment were reduced by House Republicans to little more than petty "gotcha" politics and now the country is being asked by the Democrats, of all people, to pay the price for their superciliousness!
Serve and Protect
Author John Nichols stated recently that we do not "impeach a man" and that the question of impeachment should not be centered on George W. Bush or Dick Cheney. Rather impeachment is a tool to insure the balance of powers and to hold those who abuse those powers accountable and it is the Congress' responsibility to serve in the country's best interest by protecting and upholding that balance.
Twenty years ago, we allowed a president to circumvent the legislative body by illegally funding a war that Congress had cut funding for. Top government officials sold arms to a member of the so called "axis of evil" in order to fund terrorist rebels and then lied to Congress about it. The members of Congress and the media convinced the country to allow a dangerous precedent to be set by taking no action against this grab for power and rejection of accountability in order to "protect" the citizenry from having to endure another Watergate. The inaction against those involved with Iran/Contra was a coup for people like Dick Cheney who would later strive for even more executive powers never intended for such leaders.
W.David Jenkins III is a writer/activist living in upstate N.Y. His work has appeared in "Big Bush Lies" (Riverwood Books) and "The Girl with Yellow Flowers in Her Hair" (Pitchfork Publishers). He also has a regular column at oldamericancentury.org.
Deified by half the population and despised by the other half, Reagan the Great Corrupter begat Bush the Decider in the Rabid Right's relentless march to fascism. If Reagan had been impeached for his immoral, illegal and covert war of extermination in Nicaragua, the Rabid Right's incestuous marriage to the Military Industrial Complex would have been dealt a crippling blow. It wouldn't have crushed our fascist plutocracy, but it would have slowed their momentum considerably.
If Reagan had been impeached and had all his crimes been revealed, the Rabid Right's anti-democratic agenda would have been discredited and many millions of Americans would be better off today. If congressional Democrats had had the courage and conviction to reject plutocratic bribes and impeach Reagan, the Military Industrial Complex wouldn't be all powerful today. If Democratic leaders had cared enough about the rights and welfare of ordinary Americans, our country wouldn't be teetering on the brink of economic collapse today. We wouldn't have squandered our national wealth and sacrificed our troops in an unnecessary and unwinnable war in Iraq.
So now we are back to square one, with many Democratic leaders resisting our call for Bush's impeachment. Other than Rabid Right, does anyone seriously doubt the necessity of punishing leaders responsible for launching an unprovoked war for profit which has resulted in genocide? Have we been so completely corrupted by liars and evil men that we can no longer distinguish between right and wrong?
If we don't impeach Bush and at least try to fight homegrown fascism, it will continue to grow and eventually consume us all.
by
rabblerowzer (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 227 comments)
on Monday, November 27, 2006 at 9:29:25 AM
If the congress started immediate investigations after the first rumors of Reagan campaign complicity in the 'October Surprise', where-in US hostages who were held by Iran, were not released until Reagan was inaugurated, George Herbert Walker Bush would have been in a cell rather than over seeing America's 'War on Drugs' that INCREASED cocaine imports by 2600% during his guidance.
The Carlyle Group would still be fleecing native Americans in Alaska. PATCO would still represent air traffic controllers, The savings and loans would not have needed taxpayers to bail them out.
Where to stop.........
IMPEACHMENT NOW !
by
cliff567 (6 articles, 0 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 161 comments)
on Monday, November 27, 2006 at 11:01:34 AM
The Democrats aren't going to impeach (much less convict) this corrupt and criminal Republican administration for any acts they committed during the last 6 years. They said they wouldn't, and they won't.
But, there's nothing to stop them from getting serious about ANYTHING NEW that these creeps do in the NEXT two years.
This Republican Administration isn't capable of NOT being criminal, so it's only a matter of days after the new congress is sworn in before they will do SOMETHING for which they can be impeached. They don't believe they can be held accountable, so it won't even occur to them to act any differently with this new Democratic "check" than they did with the Republican "rubber stamp" congress. They were criminals before they came to power, they have been criminals the whole time, and they will be criminals until the day they die -- they don't know anything else.
The firing squad is too good for these treasonous Republican bastards -- slow boiling in oil first would be more appropriate. Then, after they had good burns over most of their bodies, I would let them have as many pain medications as a senior citizen on medicare can afford at the end of the month.
CharlieL
Portland, OR
CLL2001@gmail.com
by
Charlie L (2 articles, 3 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 674 comments)
on Monday, November 27, 2006 at 6:14:50 PM
where we find the Democrats lacking or lagging behind public sentiment. I am willing, for Rob's sake, to await the seating of this new Congress before firing all barrels at them. But I am keeping the figurative weapon loaded.
by
ardee D. (6 articles, 4 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 2377 comments)
on Monday, November 27, 2006 at 6:20:53 PM
Before we try to impeach Bush, we should take out their legs
Before we try to impeach Bush, we should take out their legs.
The legs would be the support apparatus surrounding Bush and the war mongering machine. Take out those behind the curtain and the head will roll right behind it.
Just my 2 cents.
by
Zenseeker (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 14 comments)
on Monday, November 27, 2006 at 7:24:30 PM
You wrote:
""What a shame it would be for this country to look back on the Bush years as the good old days."
How's that for a two by four upside the head?"
That sure is an ugly thought. Like I've been saying. If the Dems do their job and investigate the Repugs, then the Repugs will do like they did when they were interrogating General Abizaid-- outdo the Dems in their vehemence. The Repugs will be the ones to get Bush and Cheney to Resign. The only problem is, they may do it by cutting a deal, allowing McCain or Giuliani to replace Cheney as VP, before Bush resigns. The Dems will have to approve it, but they might, to avoid angst, do the deal. OF course, this would be an insane give-away, helping either one of them to have a lead on the 2008 prez race.
by
Rob Kall (808 articles, 3921 quicklinks, 332 diaries, 1702 comments)
on Monday, November 27, 2006 at 9:13:04 PM
AWWWW this is crap! The Republican Party is corrupt in it's entirety. To acknowledge being a republican is to be complicit in all of this. The Republicans will never come close to asking Bush or Cheney to resign. One has to know GHWBush's history to see the folly in that suggestion. There IS no depth beneath which these hominids won't stoop and now they've shown this fact to the world. This social control paradigm was fatally flawed in 1776. This fact can't be ignored now.
tedbohne
by
tedbohne (87 articles, 103 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 119 comments)
on Monday, November 27, 2006 at 9:47:58 PM
How many times, over the last 6 years have I, and others, said to ourselves, Oh, surely they wouldn't do this or that, only to find that our worst paranoid thoughts would be overwhelmed by the hubris and lawlessness of this administration and their cover-up artist, enabling co-conspirators in Congress?
I would not put it past them. Cheney gets sick and resigns, Jeb is appointed. The stage is set for 2008 with a Rethug incumbency. Would anyone want to impeach George if the alternative is another Bush Crime-Family member?
This move would also stick it to McCain, whom they really despise, though God only knows why, since he is a bigger authoritarian bastard than they are.
Back to topic, after that nightmarish scenario, I believe that the move to impeach should always come from the people, not from either political party, because it should not be political at all, but rather the people of a free and democratic society taking responsibility for what their government does, both at home and abroad.
The Republican and Democrats are jokingly referred to as the Daddy and Mommy parties. Problen is, that is no longer funny. It is time for the American people to grow the hell up an act like self-governing people.
It is up to us to demand accoutability, in whatever form it may take.
by
wintefire6 (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 87 comments)
on Wednesday, November 29, 2006 at 6:34:46 AM
It will be hard to Impeach the "president" since there hasn't been an even close to legitimate election since 2000. The Bush Klan et al engineered a process to place the least competent of the four Bush sons in the White House. Further investigation may reveal the same reasons and methods placing Jeb. To not arrest the criminal activities of these and all of the persons involved is itself a crime against humanity. This country goddamned sure does need to take time out from business as usual and Impeach either all of these bastards or one at a time. They didn't let Charles Manson go. Same applies here.
tedbohne
by
tedbohne (87 articles, 103 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 119 comments)
on Monday, November 27, 2006 at 9:41:50 PM
The only thing that might stop the Impeachment process is putting the cart before the horse. Gingrich, in his effort to get Clinton, insisted on Impeachment and then went out to find reasons. If we do that we deepen the divide in this country more than the bushie bastards have already done.
The firestorm that is coming will sweep these criminals away only if we follow the Constitutional procedures first. The information and evidence we have now has been revealed in spite of the Administration having complete control of our media, stonewalled any weak attempts at investigation and fed deflecting propaganda to a 24-hour 'News' network.
Think of what we are going to find out through the simple process of initiating hearings into the build-up to the Iraq War, the Katrina mess, the wiretapping programs, the Plame Affair, etc.
The administration will lose the support of the underlings that have been intimidated into carrying out most of these bushites criminal enterprises because few of them signed up to go to jail for them.
The criminal scandals and shameful actions that are going to cascade over this cabal will be overwhelming. The media will make our case to the public for us.
We will find hard evidence that NO ONE can deny and that will FORCE Impeachment.
The only way we might fail to convince the public and the media that impeachment proceedings are necessary, is to start them now.
Grampa would have called your plan "bass-ackwards".
by
TomMikesell (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 23 comments)
on Tuesday, November 28, 2006 at 6:53:39 AM
Senator Russ Feingold is exactly right. He is a very wise man. I am so glad he is in office. I wished he were my Senator. It is far too early to bring up impeachment. Sounds like you have already found the President guilty without one hearing let a lone a trial. You might and a very small percent of the radical left think the American public voted for impeachment and are ready to get it on right now. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Hearings must start first, one line up one line, one line upon one line, one precept upon one precept, one precept upon one precept until there is such evidence that is so irrefutable that the American public will be demanding from every city, town, village and hamlet in America to "Impeach the President."
In the mean time and even if Impeachment doesn't even happen, we have the enjoyable task of having Georgie and Dickie hanging around for us to use and abuse at will to attack the neo-cons and the right wing magnates who are behind them; such as the drug cartels, the Medical doctors, the insurance barons, the Halliburton's, and K street. Pray for George Bush and Dick Cheney to live so we can get those behind them, lift the rocks for the people to see the snakes hiding in the darkness. What we need now, and what they really fear is light and a lot of it. Ah, the hearings, how they dread the hearings. I would hate to be in their shoes being forced to face the Rangels, the Dengels, the Kucinichs, the Kennedys, the Bidens and a host of other brothers, and some of them even grandstanding for the coming election. Can you imagine what Hillary is like when she is angry. Bill could, so he lied under oath rather than face her wrath. Remember, she was on the committee when poor trickie Dickie Nixon was forced to resign in disgrace. It was so enjoyable. Yes, the hearings, the blessed hearings are coming seven days after I kiss my honey on New Years Eve. "God is in His Heaven, all is right with the earth."
Thank you for the article. It is good to be forced to think, especially at my age. My daughter says, "Dad, you are older than dirt." I am afraid she right.
by
pratliff94 (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 962 comments)
on Wednesday, November 29, 2006 at 12:15:44 AM
There are 3 "First" Goals, Impeachment is only part of one
The first goal of the Democrats surprising return to a modicum of power has to be the certainty that the slight finger hold that the American People have on power is secured in a more permanent basis.
The first of this is an anti-Gerrymandering law that throws the congress to the Republicans in all but the most outlandish situations (Foley et al)that can take a 50% split in the vote and turn it to a 75% Republican Majority even before any actual vote chicanery.
The second part of that is the vote itself, the banishment of voter suppression with prison sentences for violation. The other part of this of course is a reliable, verifiable vote count. This might be three things in itself but covers only the first part of the minimum need.
The second challenge, and it a mighty one, is the broad investigation into the ecology of the Swamp itself. There are land mines galore and more than a few Democrats with at least a few skeletons they would like to keep hidden.
There are however at least 50 newly minted congresscritters with no time to have started a closet much less have new skeletons there. So at least that should be a caucus able to shine the light where it needs to shine.
From these investigations, there would need to be a slew of indictments and RICO investigations, and from this must come a whole list of Impeachment proceedings, not just in the Executive, but in the Judicial sectors as well.
There are a whole slew of organizations that are barely secret, if at all, about their hatred for Democracy and Freedom. They are enemies of America, and without being McCarthyist about it, these folk need to be removed from positions of power for that alone.
This is way bigger than a two year job, so there will have to be priorities, and some fights not fought so others can still be won. Even the best and most skilled scenarios I can imagine, are way unsatisfactory. We will be doing well to keep a democracy at all.
And still there is a third vital need, and that is to re-establish that the Magna Carta, and the Constitution are not "just stupid pieces of paper", and to establish renewed structures, from press to property rights that will keep them from ever being wiped away again, or at least without our notice.
This too is a many year, multi pronged, thorny set of issues, that will be difficult to get an adequate result, much less an ideal one, none the less the basics must start immediately.
And all this, major as they are are only the minimal first steps to staunch the internal hemorrhaging, It doesn't address Iraq (and dealing honorably with the rest of the world), Financial stability (taxes etc,) medical care, minimum wage, the many environmental needs, energy, FEMA etc, crime (of all collars), street drugs & gangs, ..... the list could go on for pages with many more important than the ones mentioned.
Oh and just the ordinary stuff like keeping the government running at all is an ever greater challenge, with all the corporate corruption, which gets us back to the start.
by
Freedem (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 16 comments)
on Thursday, November 30, 2006 at 1:07:24 AM
13 comments
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