Article: A good offense is the best defense

The 110th Congress won't put impeachment on the table. Their excuse is that other matters take priority- specifically, dealing with the occupation of Iraq. As a result, Congress is on the defensive, having to react to Bush's plan to escalate there by increasing the number of troops and the budget. The threat of bombing, or even nuking Iran is another offensive move on Bush's part- very offensive to most of us, who are hostages in the game of nuclear chicken. Bush's belligerence is soaking up the energy of Congress, and also of the people's movement for peace and justice.

As any strategist knows, a good offense is the best defense. Bush knows this well, and responded to his defeat in November by announcing the "surge" for Iraq. Congress seems to be reactive only.

What better way to put Bush and Cheney on the defensive than to start impeachment hearings? They would be so busy preparing their responses to Conyers' House Judiciary Committee that they would have no time to cause more mischief. This would be the surest way to prevent war in Iran. The only way to stop Bush and Cheney is to get them out of office, or at least put their legitimacy in such doubt, via impeachment hearings, that the military would refuse to follow their orders.

Bush has made it plain that his aggressiveness is unbounded. He may get us all killed by the end of the year if he isn't stopped. Or have provoked such chaos that he can get away with imposing a full police state. The pundits are telling us that the attack on Iran may start in March or April. We have very little time to prevent it.

Congress is sticking to its guns,- no impeachment. There HAS to be an ironclad deal in place that is enforced by the Democratic Party- there's no other explanation for the drastic turnaround by John Conyers, who two years ago was ready to lead a people's movement for impeachment.

During the campaign, the excuse given for taking impeachment "off the table" was that it would turn off voters. Now that the Democrats have a majority in both Houses, there's no excuse. Now that Patrick Fitzgerald has already done much of the investigative legwork for impeachment via the Plame case, there's no excuse. Now that Bush has plainly demonstrated his contempt for the people's will, there's no excuse. Now that the Pentagon has backed up the Downing Street memo with its own study on how "intelligence was fixed around the policy" to justify invading Iraq, there's no excuse. Now that Bush is preparing to launch a military disaster, there's no excuse.

What can We the People do?

1) Face the fact that Congress will not protect us from the hijackers of our government. Don't keep waiting and hoping. Come to terms with reality. In six weeks there has been no effort by Congress to set limits on the power of Bush and Cheney. There have been feeble attempts to keep them from grabbing more and more, and those attempts are pathetic. Our Representatives are not representing us- face it.

2) Stop getting distracted- by "surges", the 2008 election, sudden deaths of stars, whatever. We are in a state of emergency- could well get nuked before the year is over. Keep focused on impeachment.

3) Talk to your friends and relatives. Let them know how worried we are, and how disgusted with Congress's performance. Spread the word that something needs to be done. Get people aroused. Especially contact people in your local police and fire departments- educate them about the illegitimacy of this regime, and the legality of impeachment and demands for it. We want "first-responders" on our side, if it comes to a showdown- eg if martial law is declared.

4) Bombard your Congressperson- call in to radio shows, go to the local breakfasts, picket your local office, write lots of letters- let him/her know that you want impeachment.

5) Join an impeachment group. Check www.impeachBush.meetup.com for a group near you, or www.pdamerica.org/impeach-wg.php

6) Tune in to the summit on impeachment taking place in NYC this weekend- reports will be at www.worldcantwait.org/

7) Wear your politics- put an impeach bumper sticker on your car, a sign in your window, a button on your jacket. Let the world know that impeachment is on the table as far as you're concerned.

8) Use your creativity in the service of impeachment- write, paint, sing- whatever you do best.

9) Look a child in the eye- your own if you have one- and promise that you will do your best to make sure he/she can live in a free sane country, under the US Constitution, 10 years from now.

10) Pray, pray hard.

In the name of the Prince of Peace, Carol Wolman