As soon as the election results came in, Nancy Pelosi assured the Republicans that there would be no Democratic effort to impeach the President, thereby removing the one weapon we have that might exercise some control over this runaway train of a President. This, together with warnings from Republicans, such as the excellent Chuck Hagel, seemed to put the matter to rest. But without impeachment what can be done to restore this Republic, and keep it from further harm to itself and the world? Nobody believes that the Democrats will remove the funding of our soldiers, so what now does George Bush have to fear? As Commander-in-Chief he can continue to execute this war with criminal incompetence until so many soldiers have been killed that he has destroyed the backbone and morale of the army, and completed the task of destroying American credibility throughout the world. He will not be up for reelection, so there will be no political accountability. He remains the Commander-in-Chief, with as much power to do harm as he ever had, and perhaps less reason to exercise caution that before. His entire career has been about diversionary tactics, shape shifting, ambushing opponents with smears, and most important, the refusal to be held accountable for his acts. What better way to distract from the war he has lost in Iraq than by starting another in Iran? If you can't shrink a catastrophe, at the very least you can expand it into a cataclysm.
What cannot be said enough is that so many ordinary Americans understood that the war in Iraq could only lead to disaster, why then did our Republican leaders fail to do so? Because they lacked the vision and the judgment and the honesty necessary for their office. You cannot impose Democracy on another people, particularly a people who have never in their history known a democratic government. The very idea of imposing Democracy is an oxymoron. And the minute you start imposing Democracy abroad you lose it at home.
What is the impeachable offense, other than lying to America and to the world about the WMD's? First and foremost, stupidity. There is a point in which bad judgment is a crime, or as the diplomat Count Metternich said of some 19th Century misadventure, it is worse than a crime, it is a mistake. As a result of George Bush and Dick Cheney's mistake, the republic is at risk. That is what impeachment is about - removing those whose disgraceful actions have put the country in danger. It is not a vindictive act, it is the most patriotic act, to be used sparingly, only when the country has no alterative. In the coming months there will surely be enough Bush & Company mistakes exposed, coupled with evidence of the most venal corruption, sufficient for ten impeachments. All we need is one. It must happen or there will be no accountability, and without accountability, no correction of the course. Are we to accept in our leaders something we would not accept in our own children - lies, excuses, and outrageous bad behavior? If ever impeachment was necessary, this is the time. It will not tear the country apart; it will help to heal it.