Consequences for the nation if Bush is not impeached

[Don Claybrook]

If we end up with a situation in which Bush is not impeached, or at least censured by the congress, where does that leave us?

It leaves us with an Executive that says he knowingly violated laws and the Constitution of the United States, and that he intends to keep doing this. It leaves us with an Executive who is completely above the law. He has, after all, admitted this crime. What’s to stop him from breaking any law, anytime he pleases? If his weak and useless justifications are allowed to stand, these same weak justifications can be used to ignore any law he wishes to ignore. How about that two-term limit Amendment? Sorry, not in a time of war when national security is at stake. You don’t switch horses halfway through the race, etc.

If Bush is not impeached and made to stand trial, this will very likely mean that the Republicans in Congress have completely abdicated their roles and given most of the power of the Legislative branch to the Executive. They will have raped the Constitution while weakening their own positions. And they know this to be true.

I would like to think that if I were a Republican, even a Bush fan, I’d be ready for impeachment if only to save the nation from destruction at the hands of a few. I would like to think that if Bill Clinton had done something like this, I’d have called for his impeachment.

If Bush gets off on this one, the implications are far greater than a handful of thugs getting by with a crime. We will have given up the whole notion of checks and balances, and we will have sealed our eventual fate, I think.

Does the non-neocon wing of the GOP understand this? Are they speaking of it quietly amongst themselves? Bush himself, by admitting his crime, has set this up as an all-or-nothing shot. After all, you can’t make a resolution stating, “the president will hereafter abide by all laws”, when he’s already said that he doesn’t have to stay within the law. Removal from office or dictatorship—can anyone see middle-ground between these two extremes?

This goes way beyond my longstanding desire to see the fraud removed from office. It seems imperative now. I'd like to hear your thoughts along these lines.