INDY'S WEEKLY ALTERNATIVE NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTING ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

Impeach or not to impeach

When the elections were underway I was told by one activist, “There are going to be a lot of disappointed Democrats.” That prediction was already being fulfilled before the election by Nancy Pelosi’s announcement that impeachment was off the table as far as she was concerned. Given the fact that Bush has admitted keeping Donald Rumsfeld was a pre-election ruse, we can opine that some back room negotiations were already underway, which went something like “you give us the head of Rumsfeld on a plate and we won’t impeach.” This is the first time I can remember both sides ponying up concessions before anyone has even taken office. Pelosi gave up impeachment and Bush gave up Rumsfeld. What other elements may be in this deal cutting can only be guessed at.

One thing Americans need to consider is that the Democrats were co-conspirators with the Republicans in waging war against Iraq. To ask them to consider impeachment is a lot like asking Mrs. Fox to look into the wrong-doings of Mr. Fox raiding the hen-house. When you stir the shit pot there’s bound to be plenty of stink on both sides of the aisle. I think it’s safe to say at this point that the Democratic lawmakers, many of whom play golf on the weekends with their Republican buddies, are going to protect their own. Any movement for impeachment, which is to say simple justice, is going to come from the bottom. Democrats are looking to their own political fortunes and gleeful over the prospect of having their agendas being given hope.
I wholeheartedly support the impeachment effort, in fact, the clock is ticking and we don’t have two years to see it through. Understanding that we were going to be pushing for impeachment the Democratic establishment has already been labeling impeachment efforts as motivated by a desire for political revenge. These characterizations coming from persons who only days ago were calling Bush a dangerous liar are clearly motivated by concerns other than simple justice. It isn’t revenge to ask that the Congress look into allegations of misrepresentation of intelligence data.