Impeach Alberto First: Still a good idea, three months later

[babylonsister]

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/8999

Impeach Alberto First: Still a good idea, three months later.
by Matthew Hubbard | Jul 27 2007


As Little Orphan Annie used to say, "You've gotta toot your own horn or get run over." As I mentioned in a previous post nearly three months ago, the first order of business in the impeachment process should be getting rid of Alberto Gonzales. For the first time I can recall, Keith Olbermann asked it as a question to one of his guests. Thank Odin it wasn't the smirking Craig Crawford, the closest thing to Joe Lieberman's shadow that Keith has on as a regular contributor.

It's time for the Democrats to do two good things at the same time. One is to placate the exceedingly annoyed base. On a lot of the left-wing blogs, talk of a third party is running high. Just as the Republicans are in trouble if the right wing Christians stay home on election day, Dems could be looking at a bad November 2008 if they can't get us to pull the lever for them. The second good thing is of a much higher level, to return the respect for the rule of law.

When Paris Hilton was sent to jail, then released in the early hours of her third day, the judge got pissed. According to some observers, what happened to her was nearly standard treatment for someone who did her particular crime, but no matter. The judge felt the public would see it as favoritism for the rich, a different law for her and people like her than for the rest of us, so she served half her 45 day sentence instead of less than one tenth. The public seemed satisfied.

Then, the public who pays attention beyond Entertainment Tonight saw what happens when you have real power, not mere money. Scooter Libby was found guilty of lying an obstructing justice. George Bush decided what the correct sentence should be. Weeks later, a judge said Dick Cheney and others could not be tried for leaking Valerie Plame's name to the press because talking to the press is what they do for a living. The real second level of the justice system becomes apparent, a class of people completely beyond the reach of the law as practiced by our Justice Department and the judges the Republicans have appointed. Now, Congress is our last hope to return the rule of law.

As I wrote before, I think it's possible Gonzales can be impeached AND convicted. The first half is easy; just get Nancy Pelosi away from her latest photo op long enough to do her job. The conviction in the Senate is no cakewalk, but any senator up for re-election in 2008 will have lotsa 'splainin' 2 do as to why this pathetic lying fuck Gonzales should be the number one law enforcement officer in the country.

Let me say something nice about George W. Bush for half a paragraph. He's not Dick Cheney. According to the new puff piece about Cheney, it was Bush who pushed Rumsfeld out the door, and Cheney didn't like it. Robert Gates has actually shown some humility and flexibiity, though his under-secretary is obviously still loyal to Cheney. On the other hand, Bush clings to the sniveling dog Gonzales out of misplaced loyalty. Gates may be better than Rumsfeld, to Bush's credit, Gonzales is much MUCH worse than Ashcroft, and that is to George W. Bush's neverending shame.

I certainly wasn't the first to call for Gonzales' impeachment, but do take some small measure of pride that I am not the last. We have to keep the idea out there, largely because the Democrats in Washington live in a bizarre echo chamber where Tony Snow is considered a voice of reason. It is possible, it is important and we can see a measure of tangible success as soon as the House passes the articles of impeachment. Call your representative to make sure they know how you feel.

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[lordsummerisle]

1. Great post

and if the spineless Dems won't impeach then maybe they can somehow use to their advantage that we have a bumbling, dishonest and incompetent AG...