In an editorial published April 18, 2009, the New York Times sets forth a persuasive case for initiating impeachment proceedings against Jay Scott Bybee, currently a Judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Bybee is, of course, the lawyer who, serving as head of the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC), supervised the development of the sickening memoranda that provided the legal justification for the Bush/Cheney torture agenda. The Times' forthright conclusion:
These memos make it clear that Mr. Bybee is unfit for a job that requires legal judgment and a respect for the Constitution. Congress should impeach him. And if the administration will not conduct a thorough investigation of these issues, then Congress has a constitutional duty to hold the executive branch accountable. If that means putting Donald Rumsfeld and Alberto Gonzales on the stand, even Dick Cheney, we are sure Americans can handle it.
Discussion of the bases for this course of action is below.
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