We all know the argurments pro and con for whether Democrats should initiate impeachment efforts against George W. Bush. I have somewhat lost interest in that discussion, because it is clear to me that that is not going to happen. Now I want to make the case that it is Republicans who should do it, just as it was Republicans such as Barry Goldwater who put their country above their political party to force out Richard Nixon in 1973.
First, impeaching Bush would be the quickest, most effective way for Republicans to regain moral high ground after the abuses and incompetence of the neoconservative era. This should appeal both to moderate Republicans of the Eisenhower-Goldwater mold, who should be attracted to the opportunity to do the right thing, and to the very worst of the neo-conservative Republicans themselves as a way to distance themselves from everything that has gone wrong during the past 6 years and try to shield themselves from the political consequences.
Secondly, and more importantly for Republican party loyalists is the fact that it looks like the next occupant of the White House is likely to be a Democrat. If Bush is allowed to serve out his term without some sort of serious rebuke for his excesses of power, it sets a precedent for future presidents who may be repugnant to Republicans. Can you imagine the howls of outrage if a President Hilary Clinton were to employ signing statements and exectutive privilege claims the way Bush has? Do they have a leg to stand on if they have allowed the expansion of presidential powers under Bush to go unchallenged?
So I would like to propose to all Republicans out there, and other Americans who favor impeachment to encourage their Republican representatives to support impeachment of George W. Bush. Even if he was impeached without removal from office, as Bill Clinton was, or impeached effective hours before the 2008 inaugural, Republicans (and the country) would benefit and history would look more kindly on us than is likely to be the case now.