Bush sidesteps over 750 laws, cites "executive privilege"

My Democratic Congressman recently sent me this letter in reference to the impeachment of Bush/Cheney:

Dear Richard,

Thank you for allowing me to listen to your concerns regarding the possible impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney. I understand your frustrations regarding their failed leadership, but impeachment is not the appropriate response to leaders with poor judgment.

While it may be true that President Bush and Vice President Cheney lied to the American people and took us to war based on lies and deceptions, our efforts should be directed in a more positive direction - building a better nation for all of us.

The path our nation was on prior to last November was morally unacceptable. Today, the Democratic majority is leading our country back to the basics. We are fiscally responsible and socially progressive.

Thank you once again sharing for your concerns with me. Let's work together, and we really will build a better future for everyone.


Sincerely,

Steve Kagen, MD
Member of Congress

True, I voted for this guy, and, no, I don't think the other wiseacre would be doing a better job, but c'mon, "poor judgment"? Is it really only "poor judgment" that got us into an eternal, untenable War on Terror? "Poor judgment" is what my senile grandpa uses when merging onto the highway, what Bush/Cheney's exhibited is a blend of arrogance, ignorance and malice, resulting in profit for their corporate string-pullers - just look at the 20/80 division between the Iraqis' share of their country's oil revenue and American Transnationals' - and thousands of dead American boys and girls in order to bring this to fruition.

Domestically, Bush has been the first president to symbolically incinerate our most venerated contribution to the world stage, our constitution, and piss on its ashes. Robbing both the Congress and the Courts of their oversight powers, Bush has cried executive privilege more than any other commander-in-chief in history, elevating his position dangerously above the law. In fact, he's sidestepped over 750 laws during his tenure. And we're not talking small potatoes, we're talking a real disregard for important laws such as his aggressive resistance to the ban on torture and his liberal use of signing statements, which alter bills without the approval, or even notification, of Congress.

Clinton may have had a few black spots on his record, but that infamous white one wasn't one of them. If impeachment isn't a real option for Bush and/or Cheney this isn't a real democracy. Murtha has recently stated that there are four ways to persuade a president: 1) elections, 2) public opinion, 3) the power of the purse and 4) impeachment. Well, we've tried three out of the four which have lead to the Military Commissions Act, decriminalization of torture, a culture of fear, the Patriot Act, two disastrous wars, journalistic docility, Walter Reed, Hurricane Katrina and on and on and on. So, what has been displayed to the point of nausea, Dr. Kagen, hasn't simply been "poor judgment" as you so diplomatically phrase it, it's the most impeachable offense of them all - recklessness.