Impeachment Time
The Washington Post is reporting that the President has made the claim that in a matter of executive privilege, Congress may not declare a member of the executive branch to be in contempt of Congress. This claim effectively puts every major scandal of this administration beyond the reach of Congress to investigate, since without the threat of contempt, Congress cannot compel witnesses to testify.
This latest assertion of power — to literally block U.S. Attorneys from prosecuting executive branch employees — is but another reflection of the lawlessness prevailing in our country, not a new revelation. We know the administration breaks laws with impunity and believes it can. That is no longer in question. The only real question is what, if anything, we are willing to do about that.
Yes, it is true that, as various Democratic statements are claiming, this theory poses a constitutional crisis since, yet again, the President declares the other two branches of government impotent and himself omnipotent. But we have had such a crisis for the last five years. We have just chosen to ignore it, to acquiesce to it, to allow it to fester.
There is no magic force that is going to descend from the sky and strike with lighting at George Bush and Dick Cheney for so flagrantly subverting our constitutional order. The Founders created various checks for confronting tyrannical abuses of power, but they have to be activated by political will and the courage to confront it. That has been lacking. Hence, they have seized omnipotent powers with impunity.
At this point, the blame rests not with the Bush administration. They have long made clear what they believe and, especially, what they are. They have been rubbing in our faces for several years the fact that they believe they can ignore the law and do what they want because nobody is willing to do anything about it. Thus far, they have been right, and the blame rests with those who have acquiesced to it.
It has been six months since the Democrats took over Congress. Yes, they have commenced some investigations and highlighted some wrongdoing. But that is but the first step, not the ultimate step, which we desperately need. Where are the real confrontations needed to vindicate the rule of law and restore constitutional order? No reasonable person can dispute that in the absence of genuine compulsion (and perhaps even then), the administration will continue to treat “the law” as something optional, and their power as absolute. Their wrongdoing is extreme, and only equally extreme corrective measures will suffice.
The question for me and you is: what do we do about it? Yes, I’m furious, but it’s a kind of helpless and impotent rage. I can call my representative and demand that the House start impeachment proceedings, but I have absolutely no faith in the courage or resolve of the Democratic party. This is a party that has demonstrated time and again that they are prepared to be bluffed and intimidated into inaction. The leaders of the party will make an occasional stern speech, but they have yet to take any substantive action to challenge the unchecked lawlessness of the Bush administration. So what is there to do?
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