Washblog

     Bush exploited the tragedy of 9/11 to lead the nation into an unjustified war against an enemy unrelated to the 9/11 attacks.   This reckless, poorly planned, and mismanged war has cost the lives of over 3,700 US soldiers and has maimed amost 30,000 others.  Those soldiers still fighting in Iraq are suffering through extended tours of duty in awful conditions, amidst a religious civil war with no end in sight. Between 50,000 and 600,000 Iraqi civilians have died, with millions more displaced from their homes. The monetary costs of the war to Americans are staggering: close to half a trillion dollars so far - over $1500 per American. The costs of the war on our military's morale and readiness, on America's long-term security, and on America's reputation are incalculable.

    The Bush Administration condoned kidnapping, torture and extraordinary rendition.  It sent prisoners to languish in concentration camps with no access to trial. It spied on its citizens in violation of existing laws. It withdrew from international treaties regarding torture and climate control. It ignored the advice of scientific panels, suppressed politically inconvenient findings, fired prosecutors for partisan political reasons, was negligent in resolving the Palestian-Israeli conflict, bungled its response to Hurricane Katrina, divulged the name of a CIA agent, and still refuses to allow staff members to testify before Congress. Despite a costly war, deteriorating bridges, the reconstruction of New Orleans, a teetering medical system, substandard care at Walter Reed, the AIDS crisis, genocide in Sudan, and an $8 trillion national debt, the Administration cut taxes for the rich and allowed corruption and waste to flourish in federal agencies.  

     Regardless of one's opinion about whether America should continue fighting the war in Iraq, the persons responsible for getting us into this mess  -   and for the other violations of law and human decency  -  need to be held accountable.

    According to the U.S. Constitution, the House can impeach for "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."  Yet there is no higher Crime than knowingly distorting evidence to justify going to war.  There is no higher Crime than encouraging the torture of prisoners and herding them into concentration camps without trial or protection by the Geneva Convention.   According to Article VI of the Constitution, "all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land."  Torture, extraordinary rendition, and Guantanamo violate the United Nations Convention Against Torture and the Geneva Convention.  Other impeachable offenses include violating the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and the Fourth Amendment by intercepting domestic communications without warrant; obstruction of justice concerning the firing of U.S. Attorneys; and leaking the name of  a CIA agent.    Former Nixon lawyer John Dean has called Bush's misdeeds "Worse than Watergate." If criminal incompetence is a high Crime, the case for impeachment is a cinch.  In any case, impeachment (indictment by the House) requires merely enough evidence to warrant investigation for possible conviction by the Senate.  

    Some people argue that impeaching Bush would prevent Democrats from working on the issues that matter, such as the war in Iraq. Nothing could be further from the truth.  The best and perhaps only way to stop the waste of lives and money - and to stop Bush from invading Iran - is to cripple the Bush administration by pursuing impeachment and exposing the terrible facts. Progress on other issues too - like global warming and health care reform -  will be slow or impossible while Bush is still empowered.

     According to Senator Patty Murray, the most compelling argument against impeachment of Bush can be summarized in two words: "Dick Cheney". But  H. Res. 33, which calls for the impeachment of the Vice President, already has the support of 20 members of Congress. The Vice President shares responsibility for the many abuses of power perpetrated by this presidency.

    The Bush Presidency has been a disaster of historical proportions.  We call on all citizens with common sense and decency to join us in peaceful protest on Aug 27 in downtown Bellevue.

      Donald A. Smith

     [To add your name as a co-signer and increase the likelihood that the Seattle PI will publish this piece as a guest column, please email your  name, phone number, and address to  ThinkerFeeler@yahoo.com.]