It is clear that George Bush has seriously undermined the office of the Presidency of the United States, shown reckless disregard for the basic principles of the Constitution, and abused his presidential powers. Our forefathers made it clear that the pursuit of impeachment in such a case is not just our right. It is our duty.
No more lame excuses
Nancy Pelosi took impeachment off the table purely for political reasons, not because it was in America’s best interest. She didn’t want to give the Republicans political ammunition. At other times, Pelosi has stated that ending the war in Iraq is more important than pursuing articles of impeachment. It is 2008 and all the Congress has done is continue to fund the Iraq war to President Bush’s desired levels. There is no real end to the Iraq war in sight. When I wrote to my own [Democratic] congressman regarding the “I” word his excuse for not pursuing impeachment was that it would take time and energy away from getting any meaningful legislation passed. What meaningful legislation has been passed since the November 2006 election?
What could be more meaningful than restoring some level of trust in our government? What single piece of legislation could possibly be more important than the act of restoring the power to the people taken away by Bush and Cheney’s willful expansion of the executive branch? What better vehicle to send the message to Bush’s successor, regardless of party affiliation, that this type of lawless government will not be tolerated?
Those in Congress who would prefer to take the high road and wait out Bush’s final term will tell you that there’s not enough time to pursue impeachment proceedings. However, the impeachment process itself, regardless of how much time Bush has left in office, is valuable. It would remove President Bush’s ability to hide behind the cloak of Executive Privilege. No doubt President Bush would have you believe that pursuing impeachment in a time of “war” weakens us and makes us more susceptible to a terrorist attack. But just the opposite is true. Holding our elected leaders accountable for their actions shows strength of character and is essential to restoring America’s integrity.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
