The "I" Word

LEIGH POMEROY

"The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors." - Article II, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution

"Do we need to impeach him to bring some focus to this man's life?" - Garrison Keillor

The "i" word is being whispered a lot but rarely mentioned aloud in polite company. That's because those who believe that the President has committed "high crimes and misdemeanors" realize the total impracticality of pursuing the "i" process when the President's party controls the House of Representatives. End of discussion.

But should it be? What if the Republicans lose big in November? What if some of the President's party finally admit that, hey, this guy really did take the U.S. into a very costly and useless war based on false pretenses? I would think that at least some of them might feel a bit concerned that they were lied to.

I know I would.

And it wouldn't matter if the person who deceived me were Republican, Democrat, Green, Libertarian or what. A lie is a lie is a lie. But over 2300 Americans killed is a fact. Over 17,000 Americans wounded is a fact. Over $250 billion spent already on the war is a fact. Tens of thousand of Iraqis killed and injured is a fact. (Some say hundreds of thousands....)

When I was a kid and I lied to my parents to get what I wanted, and they found out... WHAP! I'd get the hairbrush on my bare bottom. Not quite Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo standards, but it was effective. It taught me the value of truth and trust at a very early age.

Some would argue that deception is just part of the practice of politics. That may unfortunately be true, but it doesn't make it right.

And it certainly doesn't serve to strengthen this ongoing experiment we call "democracy".

For further discussion, see:

• "What to Do When the Emperor Has No Clothes" by Garrison Keillor
  
• "Vermont towns endorse move to impeach Bush" from the San Jose Mercury-News
• "Impeaching George W. Bush" from AlterNet
• "The Case for Impeachment" from Harper's
• "Resolution to Impeach Bush-Cheney Passes 7-3" from BeyondChron
• "What Does 'High Crimes and Misdemeanors' Mean?" from The Claremont Institute (NOTE: This article was written in 1998 to give a legal argument for impeaching President Clinton. Its discussion of the crimes that justify impeachment is more than ever apropos today.)