July 16, 2007
The "I" Word
In the interest of building better citizens all of us here at Dakota have to insist that you watch Bill Moyers excellent (and balanced) video (in two parts) on the issue of impeachment.
As John Nichols of "The Nation" says during the discussion "Do not mistake impeachment for a constitutional crisis, it is the CURE for a constitutional crisis."
Yale Law Professor and blogger, Jack Balkin agrees that this administration is playing "consititutional hardball" and does not think this issue should be left to dissipate;.
At this point in Bush's Presidency three things matter above all others. They motivate this final round of constitutional hardball: The first is keeping secret what the President and his advisers have done. The second is running out the clock to prevent any significant dismantling of his policies until his term ends. The third is doing whatever he can proactively to ensure that later governments do not hold him or his associates accountable for any acts of constitutional hardball or other illegalities practiced during his term in office.If the NSA program and the Torture Memos were examples of the second round of constitutional hardball, the Libby commutation and Harriet Meiers' refusal to testify before Congress are examples of the third round. Although his Presidency now seems to be a failure, Bush's third round of constitutional hardball may be every bit as important as the first two. That is because if Bush is never held accountable for what he did in office, future presidents will be greatly tempted to adopt features of his practices. If they temper his innovations and his excesses only slightly, they will still seem quite admirable and restrained in comparison to Bush. As a result, if Congress and the public do not decisively reject Bush's policies and practices, some particularly unsavory features of his Presidency will survive in future Administrations. If that happens, Bush's previous acts of constitutional hardball will have paid off after all. He may not have created a new and lasting constitutional regime, but he will have introduced long-lasting weaknesses and elements of decay into our constitutional system.
As Robert Link, reminds us in the comments, the entire constitutional grab for power by the Bush administration is based on a crock of chowder, as he refers us to a much earlier piece by the Reverend Robert Thomas Hayes, "Why You Can't 'War"'on 'Terror'"
So Nancy, honey, take off those kid gloves. yYu are dealing with The Pirates of the Constitutuion, and the only thing they will understand is the cold water at the end of the plank.
Photo note: a metaphorophoto - yellow toad extending itself grotesquely through distortions under an umbrella, . Are we being too partisan?
Posted by Dakota at July 16, 2007 12:32 PM