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TechnoratiTime is Right For Impeachment Vote
Stoughton will vote next Tuesday on the audacious question of whether the president and vice president of the United States should be impeached.
It won't be the first community in the nation to do so. Earlier this month, more than three dozen town meetings in Vermont did so, and cities across the country have held referendums calling for Congress to hold President Bush and Vice President Cheney to account for manipulating the intelligence that led this country into an unnecessary war, for authorizing warrantless wiretaps and other forms of spying, for encouraging torture and extraordinary rendition, for seeking to punish political critics, and for other acts that would seem to fit under the heading of "high crimes and misdemeanors."
But it seems as if Stoughton may be voting at precisely the right moment.
Former Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough had me on his MSNBC show the other night to talk about impeachment.
It was a smart, civil discussion that treated the prospect of impeaching the president as a serious matter.
Scarborough took the lead in suggesting that Bush's biggest problem might be that Republicans in the House and Senate do not appear to be rallying around the president. The host's sentiments were echoed by two other guests, columnist Mike Barnicle and Salon's Joan Walsh.
The impetus for the show was Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel's ongoing discussion of the impeachment prospect -- Hagel's more a speculator than a supporter of sanctioning Bush -- and a new column by Robert Novak that suggests Bush has dwindling support in Congress.
Speaking about impeachment on ABC's "This Week," Hagel said, "Any president who says I don't care' or I will not respond to what the people of this country are saying about Iraq or anything else' or I don't care what the Congress does, I am going to proceed' -- if a president really believes that, then there (are) ways to deal with that."
Novak wrote, "The I-word (incompetence) is used by Republicans in describing the Bush administration generally. Several of them I talked to described a trifecta of incompetence: the Walter Reed hospital scandal, the FBI's misuse of the Patriot Act and the U.S. attorneys firing fiasco. We always have claimed that we were the party of better management,' one House leader told me. How can we claim that anymore?' "
Scarborough asked whether Bush could count on Republicans to block moves by Democrats to hold him to account.
When a conservative commentator who was on the front lines of Newt Gingrich's "Republican revolution" entertains a thoughtful conversation about the politics and processes of impeachment on a major cable news network, it should be clear that the cloistered conversation about sanctioning this president has begun to open up.
What I told Scarborough is what I have been saying in public forums for the past several weeks: We are nearing an impeachment moment. The Alberto Gonzales scandal, the under-covered but very real controversy involving abuses of the Patriot Act, and the president's increasingly belligerent refusals to treat Congress as a co-equal branch of government are putting the discussion of presidential accountability onto the table from which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tried to remove it.
Does this mean Bush and Cheney will be impeached? That, of course, will be decided by the people. Impeachment at its best is always an organic process; it needs popular support or it fizzles -- as with the attempt by House Republican leaders to remove former President Clinton.
While the people saved Clinton -- by signaling to their representatives that they opposed sanctioning a president for his personal morals -- it does not appear that they are inclined to protect Bush.
With each new revelation about what Gonzales did at the behest of the Bush White House to politicize prosecutions by U.S. attorneys, the revulsion with the way this president has disregarded the Constitution and the rule of law becomes more intense. And citizens are not cutting their president much slack.
A new USA Today/Gallup Poll conducted over the weekend shows that, by nearly 3 to 1, Americans want Congress to issue subpoenas to force White House officials to testify in the Gonzales case. Sixty-eight percent of those surveyed say the president should drop his claim of executive privilege in this matter, while only 26 percent agree with the reasoning Bush has used to try to block a meaningful inquiry.
If the president wants to fight with Congress over how to read the Constitution, it appears that the people will back Congress.
As Hagel says, "This is not a monarchy. There are ways to deal with (executive excess). And I would hope the president understands that."
If not, perhaps Stoughton, and other communities like it across the country, will remind him -- just as they will remind Congress that it is time to take the "I" issue up.
John Nichols' new book is THE GENIUS OF IMPEACHMENT: The Founders' Cure for Royalism. Rolling Stone's Tim Dickinson hails it as a "nervy, acerbic, passionately argued history-cum-polemic [that] combines a rich examination of the parliamentary roots and past use of the 'heroic medicine' that is impeachment with a call for Democratic leaders to 'reclaim and reuse the most vital tool handed to us by the founders for the defense of our most basic liberties.'"
Copyright © 2007 The Capital Times
27 Comments so far
Show AllYes, I agree that just sitting it out is not an answer. I was asking a rhetorical question. But it does seem to be what the Democrats want to do and this would be highly irresponsible and it would do this country a great disservice.
Impeachment is the only answer to help ensure that some future administration bent on creating an "Imperial Presidency" doesn't happen. It would also educate a public that is in great need of an education and knowledge of the facts concerning the high crimes of our current leaders and lies promoted by this administration.
To change the topic for a moment, I would like to say that I like Dennis Kucinich. I would be proud to vote for him. But how can we get him elected with the present electoral system we have? It would have to be grass roots from start to finish. And we can't depend on Move on any more. They have moved on, but in the wrong direction. I guess they have breathed the toxic air of politics and now their thinking has been disturbed. After all his years in public office, Kucinich (and a few others)have gained an immunity to the toxicity of power. They have remained public servants rather than try to be our masters.
Now, how do we get the attention of the media? Again, I believe a nationwide strike is the best option. As I have written elsewhere, nobody would have to travel anywhere. No group would need to seek permission to do this. Nobody would be arrested. And nobody would have to deal with the hatred and violence that often occur during demonstations. It would be the easiest and fastest event to organize.
Can we do this?
You gotta have a trial before we can cut off their heads. First things first!
Re the issue of fascism raised by Hybridoma see and decide for yourself where America stands. I have my views.
Sorry, the link for advice on fascism is http://www.rense.com/general37/char.htm
I think we're past the time for impeachment. We need to bring back the guillotine in the public square!
RichM March 31st, 2007 2:06 am
Agree -- good post.
Keep beating your representatives on the head about getting out of Iraq --
And, I have no problem with pushing impeachment; actually, INVESTIGATIONS of what this administration has done -- for the RECORD.
Aa Rich has said . . . if these people aren't held accountable, others will move along from this starting line.
We have to ban corporations from ANY participation in our elections.
We have to nationalize our natural resources --
why should a few private citizens control our oil/gas?
We have to understand the HUGE threat of Global Warming -- and get electric cars on our roads.
GM was leasing them for between $250 and $500 each month. We can have government subsidies and in a few years have most of the gasoline driven cars replaced.
As for our MILITARY economy -- YES!!!
Roosevelt, for one understood the depression's threat to capitalism which had failed over and again before that time. Truman understood that capitalism was insufficient for the Post WWII economy -- that we'd probably have another depression. So they decided on a military economy.
Granted, we do have military fanatics who believe all of this crap. Brig. Gen. Smedly Darlington Butler, of course, figured it out quickly. We have to ban any profits from war or the manufacture of weapons.
General strike -- yeah!!!
IMPEACH -- yeah !!!
RichM:
Couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks for the post.
My own argument for impeachment, "Note to U.S.: Impeach or Die," is at http://www.ericlarsen.net/foodforthought9.1.0.2007.html
The emergency is greater than I ever thought it might become. And time is running out.
Eric Larsen
http://www.ericlarsen.net
Yes, I emailed my senators. I am for Kucinich, too!
With unintentional hilarity, BcdErick imagines that everyone else here is "ranting," while only he is "thinking." As an example of his deep insight, he gives us this: "And what's the point of impeachment anyway? The Democrats don't have the votes. The only intelligent option is to look to the future, specifically 2008."
The point of an attempted impeachment is that it would 1) force a compelling exposure of Bush's enormous crimes to a public that doesn't fully grasp the seriousness of the crimes, 2) demonstrate that a large portion of the American polity rejects these crimes, and 3) might possibly succeed in removing Bush from office. The attempt would have great value even if it did NOT succeed in removing Bush. But the process itself, as testimony was taken & evidence was made public, might make success more likely as the process went forward. It was not obvious at the beginning of the Watergate hearings that Nixon would be forced from office. Rather, it became obvious, only after many months, because additional information was brought into public view.
As for the wisdom of forgetting about impeachment and just "looking to 2008," this is essentially taking the position, "Oh well, we have committed terrible war crimes, mass murder, & deep violations of the Constitution & international treaties. Oh well, so what." // There is no reason at all to suppose that 2008 will cure the problem. The Republican nominee will be McCain or Giuliani, neither of whom differs sharply from Bush in foreign policy. The Democrat will be one of the "big 3" -- all of whom support the War on Terror, with all its attendant lies. All of them will keep large numbers of troops in the Middle East; none of them will even speak about possible cuts in military spending. Only the rhetoric will change, and some troops may be transferred to other fighting locations. The US attempt to dominate the world's oil regions will not change.
So, the "intelligence" of just shrugging one's shoulders & forgetting about impeaching criminals in high office, & merely hoping that 2008 will be better, amounts to simply refusing to recognize how serious the crimes have been, & what it does to a society to avert its eyes from its own crimes. This is a prescription for institutionalizing criminal behavior -- not for curing it.
So much ranting, some much emotion and so little thinking. The chance that Bush/Cheney are going to be impeached can be calculated with exquisite accuracy. It's zero. This has very little to do with what Bush/Cheney may or may not have done. But there isn't the slightest doubt that an attempt at impeachment would be a catastrophe for the Democratic party. It would energize the Republican faithful and Bushs aapproval ratings would rise. That's what happened with the Clinton impeachment. Some of the posters here claim they speak for the "American People". Nonsense. The country is polarized right down the middle, half left leaning, half right leaning. But there is one thing that at least 60%-70% of the public agree on, they hate petty politics as it is practiced in Washington. Lot's people on this site like to gloat that Bushs' public approval rating is near 30% These same folks never mention that the public approval rating of Congress is headed back to the 20's where it was last year. The public approval rating of the media is near single digits. And what's the point of impeachment anyway? The Democrats don't have the votes. The only intelligent option is to look to the future, specifically 2008.
Erick: And so how many more people have to die while you're waiting for the 2008 election? How does sitting on the sidelines help to correct the systemic problems of our "democracy" that no longer represents the people of this nation?
The issues we face today are not political. They are fundamental. And they didn't just start with this corrupt administration. The fact is that they are just delivering the death blow and the American people can no longer sit idly by while they do it. It sets a REALLY bad precident for future administrations of any stripe. I agree with many of the previous posters that IMPEACHMENT and procecution of these criminals is REQUIRED to save our democracy.
Our Constitution and Bill of Rights are in tatters. America is now viewed as a terrorist instead of a good citizen of the international community.
Kucinich will carry the Articles of Impeachment back to Congress if he knows that he has the support he needs to actually get the job done. We can't leave him twisting in the wind again. That means that organizations that already exist need to be prodded into a united and coherent action plan to send that message to Kucinich. Our job now is to let organizations like Common Cause, MoveOn, the Progressive States Network, and others know what actions they need to initiate. Many already have petitions and actions for impeachment going right now. We need to get them to turn up the heat and the volumn!
United we stand. Divided we fall.
For now I think I'll write Kucinich and let him know that he has my support for his Articles of Impeachment. I think I will also let him know that I would support and vote for him if he ran for President as an Independent.
P.S. I know that Americans can multi-task, so while your getting impeachment off the ground, also get involved in making election and campaign finance reform happen BEFORE the next election. Lots of great stuff is happening over at Commoncause.org, Nationalpopularvote.com, and fairvote.org. While your at it, support the "Fair Elections Act Now" introduced by Senators Durbin and Spector. Common Cause has a petition you can sign.
CORRECTION FROM PREVIOUS ENTRY
it should read....
"Anybody who FOLLOWS either the twisted ethics or deranged mentaility of the neo-con cabale"
needs to see a "psychiatrist"……
"Anybody who doubts either the twisted ethics or deranged mentaility of the theocon cabale"
needs to see a "psychiatrist"......
Hybridoma your suppositions about fascism is THEdefinition of fascism coined by its 20th. century founding father Benito Mussolini.
RichM is also right about the neesd not only to throw these bums out but to undo all that they have done.
Anybody who doubts either the twisted ethics or deranged mentaility of the theocon cabale now running things needs to read, "American Fascists, The Christian Right and the War on America" by Chris Hedges.
hybridoma2001 - I don't think there's really any such thing as "simply sitting it out until their terms in office have ended." If these gangsters leave office with no action taken against them, all those who follow them in office will be basically the same. All will use the precedents of what Bush & Cheney have done, to justify similar machinations. All the crimes, all the secrecy, all the lies -- there will never be any end of it. The current gang is establishing a precedent; if it's not rejected, it becomes "the norm."
The basic conflict is the corporate oligarchy against the rest of the population. In this conflict, the media are "on the side" of the oligarchy. In fact, they are part of the oligarchy themselves -- charter members, so to speak.
A massive general strike is a good idea. That's the kind of idea worth developing.
Are you folks asleep or what !?! Have you written your representatives yet? Get movin'!!!!!
Would it be fair to say "Facsism" instead of "Corporatism"? I know the definition in the dictionary defines facsism as a right wing form of government that prohibits other political parties, but for some reason I also believed that it was a form of government controlled and run by corporate interests as well.
But back to impeachment. I too feel that the political will simply isn't there to begin articles of impeachment. The only way I can imagine this changing is if the people raise hell. I don't believe there has ever been a stronger case for impeaching both the president and his grey eminence: Dick Cheney.
Can this happen? I hope so. These men and those who advise them are criminals and enemies of the state. The media could be the one form of getting the political parties to realize that impeachment is neccessary. However, since corporations basically contol what we know about the government and since the goverment has so much control over the media, this is unlikely to happen. What would it take to get the media to do its job as the watchdog of government? A massive, nationwide general strike? This would be something neither the press nor the TV stations could ignore.
I've heard this idea mentioned by more than a few people. Now we need the larger organizations to put this at the top of their agenda. It's not impossible to do. I also believe that a nationwide strike would receive a great amout of support.
That's all I can think of at the moment. Are there any other ideas that don't involve simply sitting it out until their terms in office have ended? I hope so. There has been an unbelievable amount of destruction of this once great nation. To wait any longer would be foolish. If the administration is able to begin its plans against the nation of Iran, the fallout wouldn't only be radioactive. We have to do something now before even worse crimes are committed.
Is it common knowledge that Speaker Pelosi threatened Conyers with his House Judiciary Chairmanship if he dared to bring the impeachment resolution up in his committee??? And that if he even entertained ANY repreentatives motion for impeachmen, she would strip him of his chairmanship. Now that's real democratic, no? How dare she decide for all of us that impeachment is off the table?????
I'm all for impeachment -- in fact, if these 2 criminals are not impeached, the country formerly known as "America" will have truly ceased to exist. (And there are less than 2 years left for this.)
However, simply to impeach them, or even to impeach & prosecute them for high crimes, would not be enough to repair the damage that's been done. If impeachment is undertaken just to remove these two from office, without an understanding of the disease which allowed our country to be hijacked and ruled by vicious gangsters for 6 years, it will amount to merely treating the symptoms without affecting the underlying disease. (namvet67 makes much the same point, above.)
The disease is corporatism, which inevitably leads to rule by corporations, & to militarism & imperialism. It's silly to think it's just Bush & Cheney. The truth is, it's both big parties, and the media -- all of whom jointly reflect the interests of the US ruling class. The core of America's economy, ever since WWII, has increasingly been weapons-related research & production, and it's not much of an exaggeration to say that we are now ruled by the military-industrial-congressional (MIC) complex. Our function, as individuals, has been reduced to working for this complex, paying for it thru taxes, & being cannon fodder for it. Yet for some "mysterious" reason, the idea of cutting the MIC down to size is never even mentioned in political campaigns. (When both parties speak of "keeping America strong," this is a euphemism for spending even more on the MIC.)
In terms of getting impeachment to happen, my guess is that it's flatly impossible. I'd love to be wrong about this, but I'm not. The Democrats are not going to impeach Bush, after closely collaborating with him for 6 years. And the "public" is too docile & disorganized to demand impeachment. One major reason for this is that most Bush opponents still cling to the Democrats, wrongly believing that they can be pressured into acting in the public interest.
Was it not it a committee of republicans who went to Nixon that finally convinced him it was time to go? The similarity, I fear, ends there, for this one will not go, willingly; though go he must.
e-mail every Rep. it is our duty, as patriots for this great country, to remove these 2 from office, get laws changed so it doesn't happen again, and set up a meeting with Sadamm and alot of these MF. Unite!
!!!!!!!!!!!! EMERGENCY CALL TO ACTION !!!!!!!!!!!
I don't think Bush has any intention of vetoing the Supplemental funding bill if it ever gets to his desk. One of the benchmarks he has to certify turns Iraq's oil over to the major American and British oil companies is buried in this Supplemental!
Please read Richard Beham's "George Bush's Land Mine" just posted here on Common Dreams. Excerpt:
"The Iraqi Parliament has before it today, in fact, a bill called the hydrocarbon law, and it does call for revenue sharing among Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds. For President Bush, this is a must-have law, and it is the only "benchmark" that truly matters to his Administration.
Yes, revenue sharing is there-essentially in fine print, essentially trivial. The bill is long and complex, it has been years in the making, and its primary purpose is transformational in scope: a radical and wholesale reconstruction-virtual privatization-of the currently nationalized Iraqi oil industry.
If passed, the law will make available to Exxon/Mobil, Chevron/Texaco, BP/Amoco, and Royal Dutch/Shell about 4/5's of the stupendous petroleum reserves in Iraq. That is the wretched goal of the Bush Administration, and in his speech setting the revenue-sharing "benchmark" Mr. Bush consciously avoided any hint of it.
The legislation pending now in Washington requires the President to certify to Congress by next October that the benchmarks have been met-specifically that the Iraqi hydrocarbon law has been passed. That's the land mine: he will certify the American and British oil companies have access to Iraqi oil. This is not likely what Congress intended, but it is precisely what Mr. Bush has sought for the better part of six years.
It is why we went to war."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ACT NOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We have to contact every member in the Congress that is on the panel to reconcile the House and Senate version of the Supplemental funding bill that just passed both houses of Congress. This "benchmark" has to be stripped out of this bill before it goes to Shrub's desk!
GO! GO! GO!!!
P.S. I'm going to go on over to Move On and see what the can do.
Thanks.
IMPEACH NOW!! Let Kucinich know that the time is now right for him to introduce his Articles of Impeachment. If he knows that the American public will badger their "representatives", and not again leave him twisting in the wind, he will take heart and act. I don't buy the arguement that we the people can be beaten by the corporatocracy. Not anymore. We the people are beginning to find our voice and it is getting louder by the day. I will not be quiet, immobilized, or depressed anymore just because of how things have always been. I'm in the mood to take my country and our democracy back! I'm ready for the good fight! Are you?
Of course the time is right. It has been right for years now. The problem is that our Congress is occupied by corporations that benefit from the policy spewed forth from the White House. A king is much easier to deal with that an elected body of people. Corporations use their lobbyists to bypass the congress. Impeaching Bush won't change the system. People have to control the Constitution - not the American Chamber of Commerce.
Hoa Binh
I agree with gsemsel. This chicken shit Congress will do nothing to reverse the damage done by this Administration. We are the laughing stock of the civilized world. People from other countries cannot believe we have such a bunch of idiots running this country.
Impeachment? Don't hold your breath.