Impeach Bush

In less than five years Bush has radically transformed the presidency into the kind of dictatorial position our founding fathers feared most. He has not just asserted that the President has absolute power that cannot be checked or restrained by the courts or Congress, he has consolidated and expanded this power in ways that could prove to be irreversible. Bush's most long-lasting legacy may very well end up being that he singled-handily destroyed our Republic and pushed our nation into the deepest depths of despotism.

The President can now unilaterally order the abduction of people both here and abroad and detain them at will, without trial, oversight or restraint. He can seize medical records, business documents, reading lists, and other private information on tens of thousands of Americans without any kind of check. He can search people's home without notifying them, torture suspects, seize people's property and money without charging them with a crime, and shield all executive actions from public scrutiny. It is doubtful that any future President will give up this power or the premise that the power cannot be checked or restrained by the courts or Congress.

While it is unlikely, it's possible that Bush's hubris could be his downfall. His executive order authorizing intelligence agencies to wire tap U.S. citizens without a warrant of any kind clearly violates U.S. law. His only legal defense so far, best articulated by Condoleeza Rice on the Sunday talk shows, is that Congress cannot pass laws restricting the ability of the President to wire tap whoever he wants because the president has the constitutional authority as commander-in-chief to do what he wants. Bush is not just violating U.S. law. He is saying the President is above the law and that there is nothing Congress or the courts can do to restrain his will. These are crimes of the highest order.

One can only hope - and let's face it, all we have left is hope - that Congress will soon begin impeachment proceedings. If we can impeach a President for lying to a grand jury about a blow job (and we should), we should most certainly impeach a President for violating U.S. law and claiming he is above the law. Is it a stretch to think that a Republican Congress would impeach a Republican president? Yes. But, all friends of liberty should begin calling for impeachment. The Republic dangles on the cliff of oblivion and only the impeachment and removal of this President can save it.