Base to Bush: It's Over-- WaPo

[TexasLawyer]

Base to Bush: It's Over

By Byron York
Sunday, July 8, 2007; Page B01

Let's say you're a Republican president, a bit more than midway through your second term. You're scrambling to salvage what you can of a deeply unpopular war, you're facing a line of subpoenas from Democrats in Congress and your poll ratings are in the basement. What do you do?

You estrange the very Republicans whose backing you need the most.

That's precisely what President Bush has managed to accomplish during the two big political developments of recent weeks: the commutation of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's prison sentence and the defeat of comprehensive immigration reform. But the president's problems with the GOP base go beyond those awkward headlines.

Republicans aren't mad at Bush for the same reasons that Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and the devotees of MoveOn.org are; there's no new anti-Bush consensus among left and right. No, conservatives are unhappy because the president allied himself with Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) over an immigration deal that leaned too far toward amnesty for illegal immigrants. They're unhappy because Bush has shown little interest in fiscal responsibility and limited government. And they're unhappy, above all, because he hasn't won the war in Iraq.

<snip>

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/06/AR2007070602003.html

[UnyieldingHierophant]

1. It seems Mr. York has a firm grasp of the obvious.

[babylonsister]

2. Consider that source! nt

[Cooley Hurd]

11. There's no do-overs in politics, Byron...

...YOU (Byron) inflated this admin and now YOU must attone for it. Try the Japanese way:

[Phredicles]

3. Memo to Pelosi: At this rate, you're risking getting outflanked on impeachment,

And if you think our party is having a tough time shaking the mega-wuss label now...:evilfrown:

[greenman3610]

4. no impeachment till the repubs are begging for it.

[Phredicles]

5. On the bright side, we may be getting there.

[Kahuna]

8. Right. And the Dems should never fail to point out that impeachment

is off the table because the bush enabling repubs in office will never support it.

[tridim]

6. Maybe that's a smart move at this point..

The fallout from this Impeachment will be softer if we let the Republicans start it, or at least co-sponsor it with the Dems. There are MAJOR problems to solve after BushCo is gone and we need the support of everyone.

[AndyTiedye]

7. Impeachment Will Have to be a Bipartisan Process

If we are to remove Bush and Cheney from office, that requires 2/3 in the Senate.
Some Republicans need to vote for it.

[Kahuna]

9. The repubs have to start it and if the Dems were smart....

:eyes:; they would accuse the pubs of continuing to enable bushco unless THEY take out their own trash.

[Skittles]

10. Skittles to base: go fuck yourselves

bush fatigue has finally set in, and all it cost was 4 airliners, the WTC towers, the city of New Orleans, over 3600 dead American soldiers, 1,000,000 dead Iraqi civilians, Habeas Corpus, the respect of the entire world, our jobs, our economy, our self-respect. GO FUCK YOURSELVES.

[Harry Monroe]

12. Earth to Bush: Go Fuck Yourself

[pat_k]

13. Only impeachment says "Game Over"

[Lindsey]

14. Is there any hope they'd resign or is there so much they've done that

it couldn't possibly be an option? Unless, Cheney resigned for health reasons and someone came in as V.P. to help clean up as much of the mess as they can. Maybe Rove didn't think that his 100 year plan might fail...but God only knows...they could still SO pull something of. I hope our guys/gals know how smart and vicious these people are.

[Prophet 451]

15. No chance

Consider what we already know of this lot. Respect for the rule of law: nil. Respect for public opinion: zero. Respect for political process: non-existant.

This lot don't care about bipartisan or even partisan support. They've carefully engineered things so they can more or less rule by fiat. Cheney won't go because he's been the puppet-master all this time and he's too in love with his own power. Bush is both not bright enough to understand the trouble he's in and too arrogant to care.

Besides, if they resign, there's a very real danger they'll be indicted teh second they step out the door.

[pat_k]

17. Actually, it's VERY possible. Not because Bush and Cheney. . .

. . ., suddenly develop a conscience, but because Republicans Senators are going to loathe the choice impeachment would force on them -- and they are going to do everything in their power to escape having to make that choice, as described in http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=293112&mesg_id=293220">Post #17

[Prophet 451]

18. Depends on how they can hold the party

A lot of it is going to depend on the internal discipline of the party but I just don't see either of those guys resigning (unless Cheney resigns for "health reasons" and somehow remains the power behind the throne as mobsters occasionally do).

[pat_k]

16. Resignation most likely given the choice impeachment forces on Repub Senators

If the House sends charges up to the Senate we could see a long line of Republicans marching to the White House to put pressure (lots of pressure) on Bush and Cheney to resign to spare the Senate from being forced to choose between

• Voting to defend torture, abuse of signing statements to usurp legislative power, and the fascist fantasy of "unitary" authoritarian power. (Unitary Executive Hillary anyone??)
  
  or


• Voting to hand the keys to Pelosi.

If the House impeached Monday, we could see Bush and Cheney resign and hand the WH keys to a successor confirmed in emergency session by Friday. (President Danforth anyone?)

Of course, the White House outlaws could refuse. There may be enough fascist minions in the Senate to save their asses, but contrary to beltway "conventional wisdom" (almost always the opposite of reality), resignation or removal is not just possible, it may be probable.

Consider:

• Republican Senators voted 90-9 to pass McCain's anti-torture amendment. Bush attempted to nullify that law by scribbling a statement exempting himself.
  
  Even if more than 18 of the 90 are willing to defend the blatantly unconstitutional notion that the Office of the President has absolute power that renders Members of the Senate powerless, they are not going to be happy about being forced to do it. Even those who buy the fascist "unitary" fantasy aren't gonna want to give up their power (these guys have pretty big egos).


• Twenty-one Republican Senators are facing the voters in 2008. Even if more than 18 of them are willing to defend torture, most of them are already scrambling over each other to "distance" themselves from the Pariah in Chief and his minion. They will not be happy campers about being forced to "stand with" them. They'll be doing everything in their power to escape that fate.

It may just be Bush's signature on the signing statements and Executive Orders, but both he and Cheney declare themselves an intolerable threat every time they publicly invoke "unitary" authoritarian power. You can't impeach one without the other.

We have plenty of proof that they are actually committing War Crimes at Gitmo and in their secret prisons overseas, but even if we didn't have proof, the signing statements and claims to absolute power prove willful intent to nullify the principle of consent, which is the SOLE moral principle on which our Constitution, and therefore the nation, is founded.

The grounds for impeachment are crucial. Their claim to absolute power is the intolerable violation. They are openly daring Congress to challenge that claim as they violate Title 18, Sec 2441 (War Crimes) and FISA. The case is incredibly simple. Bush and Cheney condemn themselves with their own words and orders. The basics are already well-known to the public. There is no legitimate defense. By going after the claim at the center of their war on the Constitution, the Congressional leadership become champions of the People's Government and the Constitution (pretty inspiring stuff).

The outcome doesn't actually matter. Impeachment even without removal is a victory. It is a declaration that reminds Americans that they are the sovereign power in the USA. That declaration transforms the dynamics and puts us back us back on the path to creating a "more perfect union." Even if we "lose" we live on to fight another day. If the 110th Congress fails to impeach and remove, 2/3rds of the 111th could set the record straight by impeaching and voting them guilty "in absentia."

[Jade Fox]

19. More "gee, who knew this guy was so bad?" from those who.....

gave Bush everything he wanted, carte blanche. May he take you all down with him.

[Cha]

20. Fuck repubicons...greedy oily

pukes.