I've believed, for years, that Dubya never was commander-in-chief; he was the puppet for his neocon owners. With his handlers falling out of power, will he continue to take direction from them, or will he actually serve the nation by working for (and with) the Democratic Congress?
There are media rumors of Bush "reaching out" in response to Democrats in the aftermath of the elections. Hmm. . . is he reaching out in a handshake (as a gesture of intended collaboration) or to slap their faces (in anticipation of vetoing anything they legislate)? I hope Congress will provide him some "guidance" in deciding how to reach back.
I believe the threat of impeachment should be used manipulatively, with subtlety at first, by Congress. Here's what I want the Democrats' message to Bush to be:
Dubya, you and your cronies have made a terrible mess of things. We intend to clean it up.
If you work with us to clean it up, we will allow you to serve out the remainder of your term unchallenged. You may have a chance to forge a real legacy, seen in history as a failed president who recovered some integrity and benevolence.
If you block us in our efforts to clean up your mess, we will quickly tire of legislative work, and will have a lot of time on our hands. In our boredom and frustration, we will have nothing better to do than remove you from office. Once you're impeached, we are likely to pursue war crimes charges. History will regard you as a disgrace.
The choice is yours. Regard your options, and their consequences, carefully when you consider vetoing any legislation we will be sending your way.