I wish I could disagree with it more.
With House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi telling us that Democrats will not try to impeach Bush now or later, we have an admission that the rule of law is now dead in America. At least it's dead with Nancy Pelosi. She wants to appease us with legislative perks. Her strategy: It doesn't matter that we've lost the Constitution, we'll make it up to you with a better drug prescription plan. (She smiles… Applause!)
I don't see any real signs of life anywhere else in Congress either. Apparently we are to accept and believe that… - Bush and his cabal did not commit impeachable offenses, or
- We have entered a new chapter in America where some people are now above the law. In fact, what she is telling us is that the Constitution doesn't matter any more, that administrations rule rather than serve, and from now on some government officials will be accountable to no one… ever.
Obviously, Bush and his cabal have committed impeachable offenses. I drew up list of
five articles of impeachment several weeks ago against Bush, but several of these articles also apply to Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld or Gonzales. Some of these involve violations of statutory law, others are violations international law for which presidents of other nations have been brought before international war crimes tribunals, and some are just abuse of power.
The second point Mr. Goldman makes is true
at this time. The Republican Party is now dominated by extremists who have no intention of impeaching a Republican president for lying about the threat posed by Iraq prior to a war that amounted to naked imperialism rather than any
bona fide national security matter. As long as the GOP controls both Houses of Congress, especially the House of Representatives, the second point remains the case.
The question is whether that will change when the Democrats take control of the House in January.
Ms. Pelosi's remarks over the weekend were not encouraging on the surface. However, beneath the surface she left open the possibility of impeachment. Ms. Pelosi has stated that a Democratic congress will open investigations. Presumably, this means investigations of the manipulation of intelligence prior to the war, of torture in Guantánamo, Abu Ghraib, Bagram Air Base and other offshore facilities in the neoconservative network of gulags, the administration of reconstruction in Iraq, including both corporate corruption aided and abetted by the Bush regime and Mr. Bremer's 100 decrees in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the NSA warrantless wiretapping program in violation of the Fourth Amendment, the indefinite incarceration of American citizens in violation of the Sixth Amendment, and the unmasking of an undercover agent for purely political reasons.
If the Democrats take over Congress and don't use their subpoena power to investigate serious wrong doing by the regime that will lead to multiple impeachment trials, then Mr. Goldman's complaints will be valid. But the Democrats need to be given a clear opportunity to blow the chance first.