Commentary: Impeach The Responsible Person: George Bush
If our Constitution still means anything, impeachment hearings should start immediately, and Republicans should lead the way.
By Mick Youther
The world is waiting for America to do the right thing, and I don’t mean court-martialing a few low ranking troops for abusing Iraqi prisoners. I mean identifying the people who are truly responsible and holding them accountable for their actions.
I believe we already know who is responsible for these abuses and all the other little atrocities that are collectively known as “Operation Iraqi Freedom”. We know who it is, and we know what the Constitution demands—impeachment.
There is already ample evidence that George W. Bush deliberately deceived the American people, the Congress, and the world in his rush to war—knowing it would result in the death of both soldiers and civilians. The House of Representatives should immediately begin impeachment proceedings against Bush and any other members of his administration that are subject to impeachment. The House Republicans should take the lead in this because they can use the same speeches they used in their relentless crusade to impeach Clinton.
• “The cumulative effect of such a series of systemic abuses of the political process… points precisely toward theories of impeachment law invoked by this committee nearly 25 years ago in the matter of President Nixon. Those same theories were then, as they must be now, based on clear historical precedent, considered explicitly by our Founding Fathers, that alone among remedies to correct abuses of power or improper conduct by high public officials, stands impeachment.”-- Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA), in a letter to Judiciary Chairman Henry Hyde, 3/11/97
• “It would be wrong for you to tell America's children that some lies are all right. It would be wrong to show the rest of the world that some of our laws don't really matter.”-- Steve Chabot (R-OH), February 1999
• “The truth is still the truth, and a lie is still a lie, and the rule of law should apply to everyone, no matter what excuses are made by the president's defenders…We have done so because of our devotion to the rule of law and our fear that if the president does not suffer the legal and constitutional consequences of his actions, the impact of allowing the president to stand above the law will be felt for generations to come…”--Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), 2/8/99
• “Do we still have a government of laws and not of men? Does the law apply to some people with force and ferocity while the powerful are immune? Do we have one set of laws for the officers and another for the enlisted? Should we?”-- Henry Hyde (R-IL), 11/19/98
• “…let me tell you where it all comes down to me. If you can go back and explain to your children and your constituents how you can be truthful and misleading at the same time, good luck.”-- Rep. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), now a Senator, 2/8/99
• “And it is our highest duty today to vote for this inquiry so that if the result is there are no impeachable offenses we can move on, but if there is more to be done, then we can assure that the rule of law will not be suspended or ignored by this Congress.”-- Asa Hutchinson (R-AR), 10/8/98
• “When you have a serial violator of the oath who is chief law enforcement officer of the United States... you have a problem.”-- Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL), December 1998
• “...this President and his Administration must be held accountable for their misdeeds. If we in the House of Representatives, as the body charged with oversight of the executive branch, do not hold him accountable, then we have no legitimate claim to governing this country.”-- Bob Barr (R-GA), 11/5/97
I’ve heard all the arguments against impeachment—it’s too close to the election, the Republican controlled Congress will never impeach Bush, etc…. None of that matters. The Constitution doesn’t say when the President commits an impeachable offense, we should hope he doesn’t get reelected—it says he should be impeached.
Even if it does not succeed, the impeachment process should begin. Turn on the cameras and microphones, and start the hearings. Then each Representative can either vote for impeachment or explain how Clinton’s lies about sex were more worthy of impeachment than Bush’s lies about the reasons for war—which has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of soldiers and thousands of innocent civilians. I’d like to hear that explanation.
The Clinton impeachment was a great source of amusement to most of the world. This time we’re talking about life and death, and nobody will be laughing.
Mick Youther is retiring from his Instructor position at Southern Illinois University, so he can devote more time to Regime Change in America. You can email your comments to Mick@interventionmag.com
Copyright © 2002 - 2004 Intervention Magazine
URL of this page: www.interventionmag.com
Report a bug
( NB...WR had a bug in 7/82 WR)
interventionmag.com. |
