Impeachment Must Happen

Approval ratings for the terrible twosome in the White House are some of the lowest in American history. The whole world is sick to death of the dangerous arrogance of Dick Cheney and the clumsy bullying and lies of George Bush. The country is bled white from their larceny and the world is in turmoil as a result of their bloodthirsty bumbling.

As the 2008 elections draw nearer, it’s all too easy to push aside the idea of impeachment and opt for circus atmosphere of the political free for all that grips our nation every four years. It is a mistake to believe that a change of face in the Oval Office will end our long nightmare. It most certainly will not.

We cannot allow this dirty chapter of American history to be swept under the carpet before we even understand the breadth and depth of the depravity of this administration. Congress must set aside its self-serving political concerns and attend to the people’s business; that of investigating and if necessary, indicting George Bush and Dick Cheney. Impeachment is just a fancy word for investigation and indictment.

In the same way we cannot expect our nation to be secure if we don’t understand what threatens us from without, we cannot expect the nation to be secure if we don’t understand what threatens us from within.

Articles of Impeachment against Dick Cheney were filed months ago. On November 7th, Rep. Dennis Kucinich read out the charges against Cheney on the floor of the House of Representatives. The allegations were chilling and well documented. If you had just arrived from another planet, you couldn’t help but wonder how a single individual could do so much harm in such a short span of time. The next thing that would come to mind is why no one stopped him.

Congress shamed itself by voting to push impeachment off the floor and into the permanent limbo of a moribund judiciary committee, effectively obstructing justice. Some believe their failure to act is treason.
These same dishonorable members of congress are trying to re-direct our attention away from their failure to act by waving elections in our faces and complaining that mpeachment will take too much time. It doesn't take nearly as much time as their fruitless efforts to overcome presidential vetos, their interminable foot dragging and sad attempts to manipulate public opinion.

Why can't congress see that it is not a healthy for a nation to ceremonially usher its war criminals, thieves and liars out the front door as if they were honorable men.

Elections, if they are fair and transparent (ours are not) give us an opportunity to choose our representatives and leaders. They were never meant to address gross abuses of power, war crimes, felonies or the fraud and larceny that are the stock and trade of the Bush administration. Impeachment gets top billing in the Constitution. It is mentioned no less than six times.

Elections will not address the hundreds of thousands who have died in an unnecessary war or honor their sacrifice. Elections will not prevent the government from spying on you without cause nor restore your right to privacy. It will not prevent you from being incarcerated indefinitely or having your assets seized because the president said so. Elections will not guarantee that you won't be tortured or kidnapped and flown to another country. Elections will not keep your own military from being used against you. It will not restore the rule of law or the integrity of the Judiciary. It will not restore the powers stolen from Congress and the American people by thia president. Elections will not prevent this nation or any other from making war at will and stealing their resources. They will not restore the delicate balance of the global community shattered by broken treaties and unchecked lust for domination and illegitimate power.

Elections will not prevent a president Clinton from declaring you an enemy combatant and sending you to Guantanamo. It won’t prevent a president Obama from sweeping up Americans and holding them indefinitely. It won’t prevent a president Guiliani from illegally and immorally murdering millions of Iranians because he thinks their evil. It won’t prevent a president Romney from seizing your home and assets because he says you are impeding operations in Iraq. It won’t prevent a president Thompson from exempting himself, his entire administration and his political supporters from the rule of law. It won’t prevent any president from leaving the nation unprotected by ignoring or rewriting the intelligence to suit his or her political agenda. Elections won’t guarantee that anyone you elect to lead or represent you has to tell you, congress or the judiciary the truth.

The Constitution states that the government is serve the people. We have the right to know if our elected leaders have violated our trust and abused their power. We are entitled to a serious investigation, immune to state secrets and executive privilege with the evidence made public.

There is no more important work for congress to do than this. A nation cannot stand for long on a rotten foundation. The Constitution is the bedrock upon which our nation rests.
Unscrupulous men and women have damaged that foundation. They have suspended the rule of law by which our nation governs itself. This must not stand.

The genius of the Constitution is that it contains the remedy for its own healing, it’s own restoration. That remedy is impeachment. Not elections. Impeachment.

Carol DW