It's really quite simple. If the president broke the law, then he should be impeached. And I don't mean that in the Kay Bailey Hutchison or John McCain way. And with all the more news that is coming out, even this week alone, about how the White House knew this or the White House knew that, it's time someone put their foot down, and as Dean Wormer so eloquently said, "that foot.....is me."
I am amazed at some of the things that I have heard, even from some here, about impeaching or not impeaching (and for great reasons which might as well say that the Dems should keep their powder dry), or about how Bush should be spared so we can take down the neocons, or about how he really is out of the loop anyway, or about whatever other apologetic reason that maybe it isn't the best thing to do to start to loudly call bullshit on this already.
More below:
Why? Also quite simple. This dumbass is the face of America to the rest of the world, whether we like it or not. And the world probably knows how low his approval numbers are. And if we thought November 2004 was our last chance to redeem ourselves to the world, we were somehow given another chance.
Here's the thing. Yes, he is a dumbass. And yes, he didn't know about the Dubai deal (or at least he claims so). But he definitely knew about enough things and his subsequent behavior or reaction to these things makes it criminally stupid to NOT call for his head (disclaimer: not through violent means, of course).
What did the president know, and when did he know it? Seems to be the standard we need to meet.
Well, just for background, we can certainly start at a place that everyone seems to be overlooking. He most certainly knew these people. And there is NO way that anyone can say that he had no idea about their plans, even if he hadn't read this or the following excerpt from it:
Further, the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event - like a new Pearl Harbor. Domestic politics and industrial policy will shape the pace and content of transformation as much as the requirements of current missions.
But none of that is a crime, at least not for the Con artist-in-Chief. But he did know about this and chose to stay on vacation.
More importantly, what did he know about Iraq? Or Katrina? Or FISA? Or torture? Or the damaging of national security by leaking the name of a covert CIA agent and her front company? He fucking knew about all of it. ALL OF IT.
Each of the above, for the "let's not call bullshit and ruin the last chance we get in the eyes of the world to redeem ourselves as a country" crowd, is more than enough to impeach. He knew about ALL of it, and it really doesn't matter why he acted the way he did. And it doesn't matter either if he didn't know the consequences of his actions. Because, NONE of what he did made anyone any safer. He's the fucking president, so he better know this.
And I don't want to hear how Congress won't do it now. This message has to be everywhere. Loud and clear. I didn't get a chance to really read the comments to Steven D's diary from earlier today, but I agree with the point. It could get the Dems elected in November, and the seed has to be planted. Steven D gave the rallying call. Here is the ammo.
Let's start with Iraq.
He knew about this when he sent this to Congress, which reads:
Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)
Consistent with section 3(b) of the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 (Public Law 107-243), and based on information available to me, including that in the enclosed document, I determine that:
(1) reliance by the United States on further diplomatic and other peaceful means alone will neither (A) adequately protect the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq nor (B) likely lead to enforcement of all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq; and
(2) acting pursuant to the Constitution and Public Law 107-243 is consistent with the United States and other countries continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations, or persons who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.
He also knew about this before he even invaded Iraq, and STILL did no post invasion planning.
And we also know that he knew about this and this.
Not enough yet? OK, we know that he had these discussions with the UK, and that he said this to Richard Clarke. We also know that he knew this about the aluminum tubes when he said the following in his 2003 SOTU Address:
Our intelligence sources tell us that he has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes suitable for nuclear weapons production.
Oh yeah, don't forget that he most certainly knew this when he said this:
The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.
So that is lying to Congress, lying to American people, willfully deceiving the world by twisting the facts, exaggerating the facts, not to mention an illegal invasion of another country in violation of international law (and for you naysayers, that tends to piss off other countries who would expect action to be taken).
Hell, this week alone, we find out that he knew this and he also knew this and this too when he said this:
"I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees.
Today brings this news about what else he knew before the invasion.
And while not (yet) impeachable but certainly HIGHLY questionable, we can assume that because he was aware of this he knows that he has someone that high in his administration that is a national security risk. And the fact that this was going on around the time that he signed this very strange Executive Order which immediately led to this. He certainly knew what was going on when he said this:
"[I do] not know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information."
But wait--there's still more. He definitely knew that he was breaking the law with respect to his unconstitutional wiretapping, but he instead said this:
"This authorization is a vital tool in our war against the terrorists. It is critical to saving American lives. The American people expect me to do everything in my power, under our laws and Constitution, to protect them and their civil liberties and that is exactly what I will continue to do as long as I am president of the United States."
Don't forget the most egregious of crimes - torture. Of course, he also knew this, because he did and we know of the following:
a secret document signed by Mr Bush in February 2002 stated: "I determine that none of the provisions of Geneva apply to our conflict with al-Qaida in Afghanistan or elsewhere throughout the world."
President George Bush signed off on the establishment of a secret unit that was given advance approval to kill or capture and interrogate "high-value" suspects - considered by many to be in defiance of international law - an officially "unacknowledged" programm that was eventually transferred wholesale from Guantánamo to the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
This operation stemmed from an earlier supersecret program involving interrogation of suspected al-Qaida and Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. A memo to President Bush from White House counsel Alberto Gonzales--excerpted in Newsweek--rationalized the program by noting that we need "to quickly obtain information from captured terrorists and their sponsors in order to avoid further atrocities against American citizens." This new sort of war, he went on, renders the Geneva Conventions' limitations on interrogating enemy prisoners "obsolete" and "quaint."
This program, Hersh reports, was approved by the CIA, the National Security Agency, and the National Security Council. President Bush was "informed" of it.
So, is that enough for you? This guy may have his head up his ass, but he certainly isn't out-of-the-loop. His inferiority complex necessitates that he be part of this - so he can play the part of "big important guy".
He knew. He knew enough, and he knew early enough.
And to the world, we are the blue dress. He is the stain. And like all stains, he must be removed. Nothing else is acceptable. Anything less is shameful.