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Friday, Sept 15, 2007
Bush Speech on
Iraq and Democrats on Impeachment
Since George W. Bush
is completely ignoring the views of both the vast majority of American
citizens and the majority of the members of Congress concerning the
ending of the Iraq War, impeachment hearings should be started. Bush
will not conform to democratic norms. He will not respect public
opinion or democracy. There are plenty of reasons to hold immediate
joint impeachment hearings for both Bush and Cheney.
It is obvious that
Bush is relying on his devoted minority following of Congressional
Republicans to obstruct withdrawal from Iraq. The same Republican
minority has been able to block meaningful legal reforms and most
progressive legislation. For most of Bush’s terms in office,
Republicans were in the majority and blocked all investigations into
law-breaking by the Bush White House.
Iraq and many of the
other Bush-connected scandals are connected. The White House inspired
and directed outing of CIA agent Valerie Palme for political reasons
related to her husband’s opposition to invading Iraq based on lies is
closely connected. The obstruction of justice issue in that instance
remains unresolved.
Crimes, like
warrantless wiretapping in direct violation of federal law, go
unpunished. The political firing on US prosecutors, who were unwilling
to use their offices to influence elections in favor of Republicans,
still have not been honestly investigated. Prosecutions of White House
operatives should already be underway. Political interference in civil
rights, labor rulings, voting rights, environmental and consumer
lawsuits by Bush appointees may have violated the law. We need open,
public, televised hearings.
Executive privilege
claims, non-existent executive power claims, excessive government
secrecy and Presidential signing statements have all been abused by
Bush and/or Cheney. The abuses amount to “high crimes and
misdemeanors” when viewed in total. The pattern is one of a White
House who routinely ignores both the rule of law and the will of the
people.
Impeachment hearings
would reveal the contempt Bush Republicans have for honest, open
Government. They would reveal the contempt Bush and Cheney have for
democratic processes, honest elections and the will of the people.
They would show abuses of power. They would show financial corruption
in the form of politically-connected government contracting that
include FEMA, Iraq, Homeland Security and much more.
How energy
legislation was crafted, as a result of the secret Cheney Energy
Taskforce actions and recommendations should be publicly investigated
in impeachment hearings. The same thing can be said about how
prescription drugs were added to Medicare, in a way that benefited
drug companies at the expense of taxpayers thanks to the Bush White
House.
Only revealing the
true nature of Bush Republicans by holding impeachment hearings will
force enough Republican Senators and House members to abandon Bush on
the issue of Iraq. Republicans, who continue to stand with Bush once
the facts are televised live in impeachment hearings, will be turned
out of office even in the reddest of states. Impeachment will force
Republicans to bend to the will of the people or be voted out of
office.
Bush/Cheney
impeachment hearings would not be on trumped-up, essential personal
failings. They would be dealing with abusive and incompetent
performance in office, public corruption by officeholders and
Constitutional issues. These types of issues are why our Founding
Fathers designed a system where Presidents and Vice Presidents can be
impeached. Even if Bush and Cheney were not removed from office,
impeachment hearings would be good for American Democracy…. And world
peace!
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Written by Stephen
Crockett (co-host of Democratic Talk Radio
http://www.DemocraticTalkRadio.com ).
Mail: P.O. Box 283, Earleville, Maryland
21919. Phone: 443-907-2367. Email:
midsouthcm@aol.com .
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