I shouldn't have to qualify my comments below with the statement of my respect and admiration for Senator Feingold. So I won't. This is a response to a specific diary only and should not be interpreted as anything more.,
Feingold is in blockquotes.
It is clear that there are many people in this country, including myself, who demand accountability from this Administration for the terrible mess it made in Iraq and its egregious and even illegal power grabs throughout its six-plus years in power. I believe that the President and Vice President may well have committed impeachable offenses.
May have Senator? It has been proven beyond all doubt that Mr. Bush lied to the American people repeatedly regarding weapons in Iraq to sell the war. Yet the wording of your above statement excludes lying to sell a war as one of the egregious and even illegal act. This isn't about the "mess."
I would argue that there is no more egregious and illegal act than deliberately going before the American people and knowingly providing false information with the intent to take us to war.
But with so many important issues facing this country and so much work to be done, I am concerned about the great deal of time multiple impeachment trials would take away from the Congress working on the problems of the country.
The time it would take for the House to consider articles of impeachment, and for the Senate to conduct multiple trials, would make it very difficult, if not impossible, for Congress to do what it was elected to do – end the war and address some of the other terrible mistakes this Administration has made over the past six and a half years.
Perhaps. But to use this as an excuse is to fail to grasp what impeaching Cheney and Bush really means. This is not just about accountability. And it is not political payback. This is about the future of our country. It is about what we stand for and what we want our country to be. It is about the power of the presidency, not just under Bush, but for all president to come.
The seriousness of our condition, both here at home, and abroad, cannot be overstated.
Are we a country of lawlessness and unchecked executive power? Are we a country that lies to the world community, and yet expects their trust? Are we a country that sanctions with passivity the vision of American preeminence and unilateral, militant domination?
The failure to rebuke this administration is a de facto endorsement of lawlessness, the agenda of the neocons, and their insane policies of aggression. It is a statement to the world that, while we may not all agree with torture, illegal warfare, the Bush doctrine, the utilization of deceit, and the violation of the law and our constitution, our objections do not rise to the level of interfering with the next election.
I fully respect the anger and frustration many Americans feel with this Administration. I share much of it. But on balance, I think Congress’s time is much better spent ending the war in Iraq, conducting the oversight that was absent for the last six years, and advancing progressive legislation.
This borders on offensive. This statement effectively reduces the advocacy for impeachment as the rantings of an angry mob instead of the thoughtful deliberation of informed citizens who care deeply about what their country is becoming and what nightmares lay in store if we don't correct the dangerous precedents set by this administration.
Would we like to see the Democrats finally stand up and kick George Bush's little ass back to Crawford? Of course. But this is much bigger than that.
And lastly, what the hell kind of progressive legislation are you thinking you can get passed with a veto proof majority? Any amendments you slip into a piece of legislation that would be signed by George Bush will most certainly not be worth it.
This is the time to reclaim our country. To set a correction. And to say to the world, we made a mistake. Only then will we secure our future from another George Bush. And only then will we begin the process of of reestablishing our good standing in the world.