Impeachment Discussion- Coming Soon To Political Circles Near You

"If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy."
-James Madison

Between controversial and new revelations about the buildup to the Iraq war to continued stonewalling on numerous investigations to the President's declaration of unlimited executive power in light of revelations about his warrantless domestic spying, the question of whether it is necessary to impeach President Bush has reached the mainstream. Bush's loyal supporters are quick to dismiss this, yet the issues surrounding all this (executive overreach, domestic spying, and war) are the same ones that led Congress to seek impeachment hearings against President Nixon. When Nixon's hearings began, he still had many supporters despite sinking approval (as Bush does now), but the facts came to light through the process and he was forced to resign as impeachment loomed over. And it was his abuses that spawned the very surveillance/national security laws that the President has broken here.

This isn't just about political issues or ideology (nor it is an objection to an agressive war against terrorism, as Karl Rove wishes to frame it), this cuts to the most basic foundation of our system of government and our Constitutional rights. Whatever the end result, there is no doubt in my mind that impeachment hearings have become absolutely necessary once again.

A new in-depth article discusses this- the likelihood of it and how we got here:
The case for impeachment

It's not just for radicals anymore

I recommend reading the full article. It's long, but detailed. They note that-

Clinton was impeached when all the legal experts say he shouldn't have been. So Bush could clearly be held to account for crimes that are more serious than lying about an extramarital blow job. What is being alleged against the Bush administration are misdeeds that have resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, the torture of people in US custody, blatant and unapologetic violations of the Fourth Amendment, and the shredding of American credibility around the world – all of which are ongoing, claiming new victims everyday.

That's why the advocates of impeachment say we can't afford to wait two years for another election. Besides, they say, stopping the imperial ambitions of a president is precisely why the founders created the tool of impeachment.

Bold added by me

Also-

At the very least, Trupiano said, Congress needs to aggressively push for answers to troubling questions about why the administration invaded Iraq and what the president's team is doing under the guise of keeping the nation safe from terrorists. Call that oversight, accountability, or impeachment, but Trupiano said it's a job Congress has failed to do.

"Impeachment is a process, it's not an indictment," he said. "We need to lay out the case, then we ask the American people to sign on. We just want the truth. Is there anything more nonpartisan than the truth?"

All this is in light of recent polls showing 52% "want Congress to impeach President Bush if he wiretapped American citizens without a judge's approval". That this isn't reflected in the mainstream political dialogue- yet- doesn't matter. No doubt the politicians and media are cautious to approach this. And that's understandable after the Clinton debacle. But the support for it is there.

As the article notes, "the public sentiment [is] way ahead of the political leadership" on impeachment.

This after Bush's defense in the State of the Union did little to convince anyone-
LA Times: Bush Stretches to Defend Surveillance-
The president's justification for his spy program has disputable roots, as do some of the facts and figures he put forth in his speech.

Defending the surveillance program [is] crucial in a time of war, Bush said ... However, warrantless surveillance within the United States for national security purposes was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1972 — long after Lincoln, Wilson and Roosevelt stopped issuing orders. That led to the 1978 passage of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that Bush essentially bypassed in authorizing the program after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Let's hope Arlen Specter's hearings act as a check and balance, not a rubberstamp once again for this President.

On that note, I think the money quote from the Bay-Guardian article is this:

As long as the Republican-controlled Congress is willing to play a subservient role to the president, this might not be a problem. But if the public demands accountability and Bush and Cheney refuse to give up their imperial stands, impeachment might not just become an option. It may become the only option.

Bingo.

I end with a slew of links, all addressing the President's NSA program and his imperial posturing...

-NY Times: Senate Panel Rebuffed on Documents on U.S. Spying

-CNN.com: Democrat: White House built 'wall' around spy program

-Boston Globe: Specialists doubt legality of wiretaps-
Many rebut assertion of presidential powers

-Slate: Sign Here
Presidential signing statements are more than just executive branch lunacy.

-Washington Post: Bad Targeting