If Congressional Democrats Cared More About the Troops than Politics They Would Impeach Cheney

[McCamy Taylor]

As Congressional Democrats cave in and give Bush-Cheney everything they want to continue their war for oil, it has become clear that the Democratic leadership cares more about political power than about protecting the lives of US troops who are dying in Iraq and Iraqi civilians (including children) who are dying, too.

There is a very simple way that the Democrats in Congress could end this war. First, they need to impeach Alberto Gonzales, the White House Counsel who pretends to be Attorney General. It does not matter whom he is replaced with. Even Orin Hatch or Ted Olsen will be better than Gonzo, because neither of those men will openly conspire with W. and Cheney and Rove to break the law. They have their own careers to think about.

Once the rule of law has been restored to the US, Congress needs to start impeachment proceedings against VP Dick Cheney. Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald has already handed them a case on a silver platter. He can not indict the man. It is up to Congress.

Unfortunately, the Democrats in Congress seem unwilling to impeach Cheney, perhaps because they are afraid that this will give an advantage to one of the Republicans running for president. If this is why they are hesitating to act, they should be ashamed of themselves. They also should remember that association with the Bush administration is not necessarily going to benefit Rudi or McCain or Mitt or Condi or whomever W. selects to replace Cheney. Indeed, if Bush picks a VP who is then nominated to run un 2008, that candidate would carry the burden of defending all of W.'s failed policies.

The benefits of removing Cheney from the scene ASAP are obvious. He is one of the chief architects of the war, and he is one the main culprits when it comes to abuses of exective power. He encourages W. to do most of the illegal shit he does. Without Cheney egging him on, W. would be less inclined to buck Congress and the will of the people.

Also, Cheney is W.'s impeachment insurance. His Spiro Agnew. If Cheney is out of the picture, then W. has to worry that he is next. He has to wonder if Congress might decide to hold him accountable for his illegal warrantless wiretap program that some have said rises to the level of an impeachable offense.

The beauty of impeachment is that it probably would not be necessary to remove Cheney from office (though I would love to see it done). Just threatening to start the proceedings, with the public hearings, evidence about crimes related to Plame, Halliburton, etc. should be enough to get Cheney to put pressure on W. to compromise with Congress about the Iraq War. After all, Bush-Cheney-Rice are not keeping our troops in Iraq out of any sense of patriotism or idealism. They are doing it so that Halliburton and Chevron and Shell can make money from Iraq's oil field. Impeach Cheney and the War in Iraq will no longer be a money making proposition for Dick and Halliburton. If the House Judiciary Committee starts impeachment hearings against Cheney that risk bankrupting him and Hallibuton by exposing the way that his company got contracts in that country, that will be bad for business, so he will have an incentive to cut a (business) deal with Congress. And Cheney is the real power behind the throne. If he will not make a deal, then remove him from office, and let W. try running the country by himself (good luck!)

Bush, Cheney, Rice, Kissinger--they are all scum oil men who barter human lives including the lives of US service men and women for oil profit. Impeachment is too good for them--but it is a start.

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. Your key statement - "they should be ashamed of themselves"...nt