Impeach, Impeach, Impeach By Cenk Uygur

[Demeter]

OpEdNews

Original Content at http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_cenk_uyg_070202_impeach_2c_impeach_2c_im.htm


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February 2, 2007

Impeach, Impeach, Impeach

By Cenk Uygur

Every single day the US puts out another statement about how Iran is helping in attacks against US troops in Iraq. This is nothing but complete lies. The same type of lies we heard before the Iraq War. The Iranians support the Shiites in Iraq. The insurgents laying down the IEDs against our troops and that are doing a great majority of the attacks against us are - Sunnis! The Iranians would never support the Sunnis. The Shiite militias are mainly killing Sunnis now, not US troops. This is so obvious, but unfortunately these new set of lies are challenged by so few people, just like in the lead up to the Iraq War. People are more skeptical now, but not nearly skeptical enough as the war machine revs up again.

The lies that this administration clearly told about Iraq is more than enough to impeach the president and the vice president. They purposely lied during the State of the Union speech, they lied that they knew where the weapons of mass destruction were and they lied that they were certain that Saddam had them. Certain! Really, then where are they?!....They repeatedly insinuated and outright claimed that Iraq was complicit in the attacks against us on 9/11. That is a grotesque lie. Imagine if Roosevelt had lied about who attacked us at Pearl Harbor and brought us to war with China instead of Japan. Would that not be an impeachable offense?

If you insist on a violation of law for impeachment, not just gross violation of the public trust, then the Bush administration can accommodate you there as well. They brag about how they have been in violation of a federal law for five years now. They broke the FISA law - and they admit it. Mission accomplished. Bush and Cheney are felons according to the law. Will you impeach them already?

Why do I care so much to impeach these guys? Because, unlike conventional wisdom, I don't think we are going to be able to run out the clock on them. They are going to do something even more hideous before the next two years are up. Every week, Michael Hirsh from Newsweek comes on our show and tells us we have no choice but to hold our nose for two years and wait out this administration.
But that's not true. If our legislators were truly courageous, they would have a choice. That choice is impeachment. It is completely warranted and completely necessary.

... in 2008 when the Republicans are run out of town en masse and the party is nearly finished historically, people will say, "Why didn't someone warn us?" Well, I'm warning you now. Impeachment isn't for the sake of the Democrats. They stand to gain nearly universal power if this administration actually starts a disastrous war with Iran. Nobody will vote for a Republican on the national level for another twenty years....Please, either for your own political advantage or for the antiquated idea of actually helping the country, remove these guys from power before they do more damage. Otherwise, we will all live to regret it.





Authors Bio: Cenk Uygur is co-host of The Young Turks, the new morning show for Air America Radio, 6-9AM ET. The Young Turks was the first liberal radio show to air nationwide. The program was also the first original talk show for Sirius Satellite Radio. With the move to Air America, the program can now be heard on XM Satellite Radio, as well as, your local The Young Turks is also the first live, internet TV show. The show can be seen 24 hours a day on www.theyoungturks.com.

[pat_k]

1. Those who "insist on a violation of law" need to be hit with a Big Clue Stick

In the case of Bush and Cheney we have grave violations of the law ⁽¹⁾, but impeachment absolutely does not require such violations.

Impeachment is a Political process -- an expression of our will; not a Legal process. They are Congress; not the Courts. Impeachment is defensive; not punitive. The ONLY part of "The Law" that relates to impeachment is the intentionally vague guidance provided by our Constitution.

We often here people say "You can't impeach for stupidity." That statement is flat wrong. If the House concluded that an official's stupidity or incompetence posed an intolerable threat to the nation, they could impeach for stupidity. All that is required is the political will.

People who believe that impeachment requires violations of law have fallen victim to fascist propaganda in which "The Law" -- complex legalisms and technicalities -- can trump our will and reality. When people get the intended purpose of impeachment straight they are better equipped to resist the new American fascists. It also becomes crystal clear that Bush and Cheney went WAY over "the line" years ago.

For more, see http://journals.democraticunderground.com/pat_k/20"> Lobbying for Impeachment: Take along a Big "Clue Stick"!

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(1) Bush and Cheney demonstrate their willful intent to nullify the Constitution when they assert the fascist fantasy of a "unitary authoritarian executive" that can break the law at its whim.

In their attack on the Constitution, Bush and Cheney are blatantly committing grave violations of law that go far beyond impeachable. They have committed, and are continuing to commit, crimes that are subject to the penalty of death. Namely, war crimes under U.S. Code (Title 18 section 2441) and international law and the Anti-Terrorism Act (Title 18, Section 844 paragraph e. Bomb Threat -- "mushroom clouds in 45 min").

In addition, they violate the sanctity of our civil rights with their criminal spying operation (Title 50, Section 1805).

From http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Senator/10"> Rationalizing for Inaction on Impeachment:

. . .charges have already been investigated and even adjudicated. They have admitted violating FISA -- and have tried to "defend" it (mutually exclusively) by claiming inherent authority and congressional approval. GOP Senator Specter himself has already scoffed at the defense.

The (formerly) Supreme Court has already ruled in Hamdan that Geneva applies to Gitmo. Behind the Euphemedia smokescreen of tribunal tinkering lies the reality of the decision: Three Years of War Crimes had already been committed. Similarly, the lies about WMD that terrorized the nation into war are already "old news." There is no fig leaf left.