David, don't you have a new year's party to go to? Blogging at 01:56. Really!
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/6219/More Fear of Impeachment Punditry
By davidswanson
Created 2006/01/01 - 01:56
By David Swanson
This is a new one: a column arguing that we should not impeach Bush because he's so dangerous, his crimes so serious, and the lies he's told so widespread. With friends like these...
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_gerald_r_051231_bush_impeachment_3a_go.htmDecember 31, 2005
Bush Impeachment: Go for the Field goal
By Gerald Rellick
Recent calls for George Bush’s impeachment for his transgressions against the Constitution, the rule of law, and the citizens of the United States, have encountered opposition even from those who, while in agreement with the legal arguments, believe it’s futile to go down this path because of the enormous odds against success. Not only are both Houses of Congress controlled by Republicans, but many Democrats are reluctant to challenge the president on war-related issues while American troops are serving in harm’s way.
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The situation with George Bush and the war in Iraq is different. The chaos, death and devastation we witness there daily– two and half years after the invasion – is the direct result of deceit and fraud by the President of the United States. No reasonable person can conclude otherwise. So how can we argue that Bush is not deserving of impeachment? The honest answer is we can’t. But the agony of impeachment is such that many will find some form of rationalization and denial that will allow them to look away. The ironic truth is that it is easier to impeach a president when there is little at stake for the country. George Bush’s crimes are so serious that the prospect of impeachment frightens many, and justifiably so.
I see two major downsides to moving forward with impeachment for Bush’s most serious offenses, those related to the Iraq war. First, there are concerns about Bush’s mental stability. Rumors of Bush’s rants and raves with his staff are not comforting. Nor are rumors that he is drinking again. No less credible a writer than Alexander Cockburn felt comfortable in citing the drinking rumor in a recent column: “As Hitler did before him, Bush raves on about imagined victories. Spare a thought for the First Lady who has to endure his demented and possibly drunken harangues over supper. The word around Washington is that he's drinking again.” While Cockburn can be inflammatory, and Hitler analogies are always dicey, his words capture a sense that many in the country have about George Bush’s mental and emotional shortcomings.
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A second concern is the effect on troop morale and performance. It is one thing for Congress to debate the merits of the war, but quite another to impeach the president for his failings as commander in chief while U.S. troops are engaged in combat operations. At the uniformed military level, a change of commanders can be effected immediately. But not so with the president. Impeachment is a slow process. While investigation and inquiry could move forward (e.g., the Conyers House Resolution 635), formal impeachment would almost certainly have to be preceded by an agreed on plan between Congress and the executive branch for removal of troops from Iraq. But in the end, only the president can give this order, and Bush would be expected to play his commander in chief role to full advantage, as he’s done all along since 9/11.
So what are we to do? Allow George Bush to run roughshod over the Constitution and the law and continue abusing his office? No, something must be done to reign in a rogue president and to avoid changing the balance of power between the legislative and executive branches that would have serious long range consequences for the United States and the world.
more.........
Gerald S. Rellick, Ph.D., worked in the defense sector of the aerospace industry for 22 years. He now teaches in the California Community College system. He can be reached at grellick@hotmail.com.
Authors Website:
http://civillibertarian.blogspot.com/ :rofl:
Really!