Impeach!

Impeachment is imperative for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is exercise of the authority of the legislative branch which has heretofore been usurped by the White House and a litany of signing statements, wiretapping, and other violations of the will of the people as expressed by Congress. This is a test of our Constitution, and if we fail to impeach in this case, we have demonstrated that the chief executive must do something truly extraordinary - far worse than a regular citizen's felony, to be impeached for "high crimes and misdemeanors."

I will be the first to agree that impeachment of Clinton was a mistake. He was impeached for lying under oath about a tawdry affair. Bush's crimes have had a much larger impact on our nation, our world, our economy, and our general well being than a tabloid sex scandal and they deserve to be investigated. That is the purpose of impeachment. Do not delay. Do your utmost to get Bush out as soon as possible so that he may not wage war against Iran or make other horrendous mistakes.

Sign the latest petition to support Dennis Kucinich's articles of impeachment!

War with Iran or no?

The Times reports on Bush: "President Bush has admitted to The Times that his gun-slinging rhetoric made the world believe that he was a “guy really anxious for war” in Iraq. He said that his aim now was to leave his successor a legacy of international diplomacy for tackling Iran."

And then there's this from The Guardian: "President Bush on Wednesday raised unprompted the possibility of a military strike against Tehran's presumed nuclear weapons ambitions, speaking bullishly on Iran even as he admitted having been unwise to do so previously about Iraq."

The Guardian goes on to point out that an attack on Iran is tactically "extremely difficult", but one might point out that maintaining peace on the ground in Iraq with a force far less than 20 per thousand Iraqis is tactically "extremely difficult," too.

Is it me, or is this guy a politician in the extreme, saber rattling on one hand and claiming to be less than really anxious for war on the other.

I say we should impeach him before he has an opportunity to order an Iran strike in late October. Sign up at WexlerWantsHearings.

Lies, Damn Lies, and Bushisms

Crooks and Liars » George Bush says he got the new NIE report last week: Oh, really?

When did he see that NIE report? A couple of weeks ago? Um, no. October 17 at the latest. How many lies does it take to impeach the man?

Today's call for Impeachment #3

Put Impeachment ON The Table of the House Judiciary Committee

This week Dennis Kucinich led an heroic effort to put the impeachment of Dick Cheney ON the table by requesting a floor vote on H.Res. 333. As expected, BushDemocrat Steny Hoyer moved to table the bill. And then all hell broke loose as 165 Republicans voted with Kucinich and 85 brave Democrats to force a debate on impeachment over the objections of Nancy Pelosi. To block that debate, Hoyer moved to send H.Res. 333 back to the Judiciary Committee, and this motion passed. Watch David Swanson explain the events to Paul Jay of The Real News.

Kucinich is urging Judiciary Chairman John Conyers to start hearings immediately because Cheney is desperately manipulating the National Intelligence Estimate on Iran to justify a U.S. attack, just as he did with the pre-war NIE on Iraq. But Judiciary Democrats are deeply divided on impeachment, with Robert Wexler (FL-19) calling for immediate impeachment hearings, while fellow Palm Beacher Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-20), who is close to Speaker Pelosi, told Ed Sc! hultz she adamantly opposes hearings.

So what do we do next to move impeachment forward?

1. Email all of the Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee:
http://www.democrats.com/topelosiandjudiciary
and call them:
http://www.democrats.com/house-judiciary-democrats

2. If you live in the district of a House Judiciary Committee member, call their office and tell them you're a constituent and you want immediate hearings on H.Res. 333. Then join your Congressional District Impeachment Committee http://democrats.com/cdic-find
and organize a HonkToImpeach rally http://www.democrats.com/honktoimpeach
in front of your Representative's district office. Then keep up the pressure on your Representative every way you can, including letters to the editor, op-eds, calls to local talk shows, protests at local media offices, and pointed questions at every community forum attended by your Representative.

3. If your Congress Member is not on Judiciary, ask them to cosponsor H Res 333:
http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/73

4. Ask pollsters to poll the public on impeachment, especially of Cheney: http://www.democrats.com/impeachment-poll-petition
and promote impeachment through media activism:
http://afterdowningstreet.org/node/748

5. Watch for updates and notice of a national conference call with Rep. Dennis Kucinich at http://impeachcheney.org

Today's call for Impeachment (#2)

Special to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi:

I understand that you may be concerned that impeaching President and Vice President would be unprecedented and put you in the untenable role of President over a quagmire, and one who had a substantial political role in getting yourself to that position. I must remind you of your prerogative to resign, leaving the position to Senator Byrd, who may also resign to leave the position to our Secretary of State, who is of the same party as the current President, and making her President would put to rest any concerns about partisan motivations for the impeachment.

Dear readers: take action!

Wondering about the Presidential line of succession?

Today's call for impeachment

To preserve any meaningful authority on Capitol Hill, Congress must impeach the President for his multitudinous crimes against our country. These offenses are far worse than lying under oath about philandering, worse even than breaking into political opponents' offices and political espionage. Congress must impeach this President and his Vice President so that it may exercise its supervisory authority over the Executive Branch under future administrations. The liberties taken by this administration for itself from the Congress and the People are far too great.

This impeachment is imperative, not only for the citizens of the United Sates and the continued democracy we enjoy, but also for the citizens of the world, as it is likely that without impeachment, this President will rush to war with Iran completely de-stabilizing the Middle East and advancing the cause of terror around the globe through the indiscriminate use of military force.

I do not make these statements lightly, and I consider myself a political centrist. I have taken the time to understand the issues and attempt to reconcile the situation with the possible courses of action, and, as I have explained in a previous letter, impeachment is the only reasonable course of action.

We cannot wait for the next election for a change in administration. Iraq will not wait. Iran will not wait. Our freedom will not wait. The Congress must not wait, or by inaction condone these unacceptable actions.

Dear reader, take action now.

Dear Congress: We must not invade Iran; Impeach now.

Dear Congress:

I have written you several times on various topics. This is my most important message by far. War against Iran is unconscionable and must be avoided. While some of the ideas I present here may be different from your thinking, I urge you to give them very serious consideration because the consequences of taking the wrong path are dire. I have included references with further reading on each point to assist you in your careful consideration.

The military is readying for war against Iran.[1] “All the Air Operation Planning and Asset Tasking are finished. That means that all the targets have been chosen, prioritized, and tasked to specific aircraft, bases, carriers, missile cruisers and so forth.”[2] Six nuclear missiles moved from North Dakota to Barksdale AFB, Louisiana last week.[3] “Barksdale Air Force Base is being used as a jumping off point for Middle East operations.”[4] I suspect the mistake was not the movement of missiles but in our hearing of it.

War against Iran is fraught with negative aspects that far outweigh any perceived gains.[5] Perhaps engaging in such a war would delay Iranian nuclear capabilities, and that would be a desirable goal, but at what cost? Iran has allies in Russia[6] and China[7], both nuclear powers. Europe has not been a strong supporter of our invasion of Iraq and would likely be even less supportive of our invasion of Iran, even if the attack were limited to strategic dismantling of their nuclear capabilities. In fact, considered from the point of view of an uninvolved country, the United States invading yet another sovereign country would look like the expansion of the German empire at the onset of World War II.[8] Furthermore, there are not enough troops to support additional military action, beyond today’s commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan.[9] The attacks would fuel the fire of hatred against the United States for extending its military might to the Middle East resulting in increased terrorism.[10] Nations which disapproved of the U.S. invasion of Iraq would rightly have a stronger reaction against an unauthorized attack on Iran. Invading Iran now would invite a draft to defend our homeland against attacks from terrorists and civilized nations alike.[11]

The Executive Branch has demonstrated a propensity to stretch its authority beyond that granted by Congress and the Constitution.[12] This President has used more signing statements than all previous Presidents combined. He has used them as a line-item veto that cannot be overridden.[13] He has taken the concept of unitary executive to a new level.[14] He has imprisoned innocent people at Guantánamo Bay with no opportunity to contest their detention.[15] He has ordered the torture of prisoners.[16] He has instituted programs to spy on citizens without authorization[17]. He has declared that he has the authority to open anyone’s mail.[18] Through these actions, Bush has violated laws that were enacted specifically to prevent these sorts of abuses of executive authority.

Guns and bombs cannot rid the world of the evil scourge of terrorism.[19] The exercise of military might will promote terrorism, anger targets, deliberate or accidental, and even disable some terrorists, but, “For every terrorist killed, two more are created to take his place. The terror never goes away until the political conditions that create it go away.”[20] I support a “war on terror,” but it must not be waged with bombs, guns, and missiles, but rather by allowing the rule of law to run its course, thereby demonstrating that the system actually works - to the benefit of all those who are frustrated because of their unfortunate situations.

The war on terror is not justification for expanding executive authority beyond the will of the Congress and the people.[21] The threat is real, but it is small. “As political scientist John Mueller notes, in most years allergic reactions to peanuts, deer in the road and lightning have all killed about the same number of Americans as terrorism. In 2001, their banner year, terrorists killed one twelfth as many Americans as the flu and one fifteenth the number killed by car accidents.”[22] For this we should give up our liberties? Benjamin Franklin: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”[23]

Something will happen to agitate the relationship, and that will be used as a pretense for going to war.[24] For Vietnam, it was the Gulf of Tonkin incident. For World War I, it was the assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand. For the 2003 invasion of Iraq, it was Saddam Hussein’s resistance to IAEA inspections. Bush may seize on any casus belli, and when he does, we must remember the consequences of our actions and choose restraint rather than race into a quagmire much worse than what we have seen in Iraq.

Congressional authority for the use of military force against Iran should not be obtainable. As your voting constituent, I urge you to oppose any such measure. As a member of Congress, it is your responsibility to consider the measure and act appropriately. Perhaps if Iran were to sustain an attack against the United States on U.S. soil, it could be worthwhile taking the battle to their country. With any less provocation, an attack will be much more like United States imperial expansion[25] and will likely destabilize the region, if not the world, further.

Our executives may stretch their authority to engaging Iran in a conflict based on that casus belli without Congressional authority. The Executive Branch has demonstrated disregard for the will of Congress and may do so again by ordering a strike against Iran even without authorization from Congress. They may hold up some obscure authorization or Article II of the Constitution, which, when read backwards through red glasses seems to say the President has a power never before exercised, and the document, through their distorted view, authorizes the action.

The President and Vice President must be impeached immediately – before the President orders an attack against Iran.[26] The consequences of an attack on Iran are dire. The consequences of another President who exercises so much unchecked authority are dire.[27] The consequences of failure to impeach may be so severe as the end of our Constitutional democracy, be that at the hands of our adversaries or by our own hands for failure to observe our liberties slipping through our fingers.

As your constituent, I urge you to defend our country. Defend the liberties we fought to achieve. Defend the Constitution our soldiers have died to protect. Defend the freedoms we hold dear. Defend us from a President who would shred the Constitution[28] and lead us into a magnificent death spiral.

Sincerely,

James E. Scarborough

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[1] Rosen, James. “U.S. Officials Begin Crafting Iran Bombing Plan.” Fox News, September 12, 2007. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,296450,00.html

[2] “We Are Going To Hit Iran...Bigtime.” September 2, 2007. http://rense.com/general78/we.htm

[3] Jelinek, Pauline. “Nuclear Bombs Mistakenly Flown Over US.” Associated Press, September 5, 2007 http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/09/05/ap4086085.html

[4] Johnson, Larry. “Staging Nuke for Iran?” September 5, 2007. http://tpmcafe.com/blog/coffeehouse/2007/sep/05/staging_nuke_for_iran

[5] Salama, Sammy and Karen Ruster. “A Preemptive Attack on Iran's Nuclear Facilities: Possible Consequences.” Monterey Institute of International Studies, Center for Nonproliferation Studies, September 9, 2004. http://cns.miis.edu/pubs/week/040812.htm

[6] Beehner, Lionel. “Russia-Iran Arms Trade.” Council on Foreign Relations, November 1, 2006. http://www.cfr.org/publication/11869/

[7] Deen, Thalif. “How to Curb China's Arms Trade.” Asia Times Online, June 14, 2006. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/HF14Ad01.html

[8] Jayne, Edward. “31 Similarities Between Hitler and President Bush.” Dissident Voice, August 29, 2004. http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Articles3/Jayne_Hitler-Bush.htm

[9] Associated Press. “Study: Army stretched to breaking point.” USA Today, January 24, 2006. http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-01-24-army-study_x.htm

[10] Priest, Dana. “Attacking Iran May Trigger Terrorism: U.S. Experts Wary of Military Action Over Nuclear Program.” Washington Post, April 2, 2006. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/01/AR2006040100981.html

[11] Harkin, Tom. “LETTER: Bush has no choice but to reinstate draft” Iowa State Daily, October 26, 2004. http://media.www.iowastatedaily.com/media/storage/paper818/news/2004/10/26/HotTopics/Letter.Bush.Has.No.Choice.But.To.Reinstate.Draft-1101799.shtml

[12] Van Bergen, Jennifer. “The Unitary Executive: Is The Doctrine Behind the Bush Presidency Consistent with a Democratic State?” FindLaw, January 9, 2006. http://writ.news.findlaw.com/commentary/20060109_bergen.html

[13] Feinstein, Dianne. Address to the Queen’s Bench Bar Association, May 30, 2006. http://feinstein.senate.gov/06releases/r-queens-bench0601.htm

[14] Mayer, Jane. “The Hidden Power: The legal mind behind the White House’s war on terror.” New Yorker, July 3, 2006. http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/07/03/060703fa_fact1

[15] “Innocent, but in limbo at Guantánamo.” Christian Science Monitor, February 13, 2006. http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0213/p03s03-usju.html

[16] “Guantanamo Tactics 'Tantamount to Torture' -NY Times” Reuters, November 30, 2004. http://web.archive.org/web/20041208194345/http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6951969

[17] Risen, James and Eric Lichtblau. “Bush Lets U.S. Spy on Callers Without Courts.” New York Times, December 16, 2005 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/16/politics/16program.html?ex=1292389200&en=e32070e08c623ac1&ei=5089

[18] Baram, Marcus, et al. “Bush: Government Can Open Your Mail.” ABC News, January 4, 2007. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2770381&page=1

[19] Chomsky, Noam. “Distorted Morality: America's War on Terror?” Harvard University, February 6, 2002. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article13936.htm

[20] Rockwell, Lew, quoted in Gorka Erostarbe. “Lew Rockwell Interviewed for the Basque Daily, Euskaldunon Egunkaria” Lew Rockwell, October 24, 2001. http://www.lewrockwell.com/rockwell/basque.html

[21] Eland, Ivan. “An Imperial Presidency Based on Constitutional Quicksand.” The Independent Institute, January 9, 2006. http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1651

[22] Friedman, Ben. “The War on Hype: Risk to U.S. of Withering Terrorist Hit is Overblown.” San Francisco Chronicle, February 19, 2006. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/02/19/INGDDH8E2T1.DTL&type=printable

[23] Franklin, Benjamin. Pennsylvania Assembly: Reply to the Governor, November 11, 1755.—The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, ed. Leonard W. Labaree, vol. 6, p. 242 (1963). http://www.bartleby.com/73/1056.html

[24] Atcheson, John. “Casus Belli, Anyone?: Prediction: This nation will go to war with Iran, and it will do so with the full consent of Congress.” http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0219-26.htm

[25] Grichar, Jim. “The Axis of Deceit – Still Pushing for U.S. Imperial Expansion!” Lew Rockwell, May 23, 2003. http://www.lewrockwell.com/grichar/grichar18.html

[26] Roberts, Paul Craig. “Impeach Now Or Face the End of Constitutional Democracy.” Counterpunch, July 16, 2007 http://www.counterpunch.org/roberts07162007.html

[27] Holtzman, Elizabeth. “The Impeachment of George W. Bush” The Nation, January 11, 2006. http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060130/holtzman

[28] Thompson, Doug. “Bush on the Constitution: ‘It’s just a goddamned piece of paper’” Capitol Hill Blue, December 5, 2005. http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_7779.shtml

Now who flip-flops?

Ok, so when we have a President who listens to the people and adjusts his position, he gets called a "flip-flop." When we have one who takes a stand, regardless of how wrong it is, he's hailed as a great leader. Greatness requires smarts, not just resolve. Honesty helps, too.

First Paris, now Scooter. Who's next?

Paris Hilton got plenty of publicity for her cushy treatment in jail (and particularly for being let out after just a few days). Now, the one scapegoat for the entire Bush administration got off easy - instead of 36 months in prison and a $250k fine, Bush commutes his sentence so he only has to pay the fine - and what do you want to bet it won't come from his personal checking account. I would say it reminds me of Ford's pardon of Nixon, but in that case, the pardon really did just silence the worthless hullabaloo whereas this just demonstrates that the administration is acting above the law. Disgusting. When can we impeach these jokers?