Rep. John Conyers, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, appeared Sunday on This Week with George Stephanopoulos He predicted more cooperation from the White House as the calls for impeachment grow. Rawstory has the story and video.
Conyers emphasized that his committee is continuing to negotiate with the White House, and told Stephanopoulos, "We're hoping that as the cries for Cheney and Bush now reach 46% and 58%, respectively, for impeachment, that we could begin to become a little bit more cooperative, if not even amicable in trying to get to the truth of these matters."
Well that was certainly short, but I was glad to hear Conyers use the term "election fraud" instead of the term "voter fraud". I am also glad Conyers is aware of, and mentioned, the growing numbers of citizens that favor impeachment. 58% polled favoring the impeachment of Cheney sounds like political capital and a public mandate to me.
However, I respectfully disagree with Chairman Conyers that congress will see greater cooperation. The behavior coming from the White House is childlike and just as a child will continue to defy the 'rule of household laws' as long as as he/she knows that mom or dad will never follow through, the same can be said for impeachment. As long as impeachment is off the table and the White House knows it, they don't care if 100% of the people want impeachment. Moreover, they are so sociologically detached from others (Sociopathic personality) that they do not feel empathy for others. They only react to, and are motivated by, stimuli that directly affects them. This article from MedicineNet gives some insight on the disorder.
Diagnostic criteria for antisocial personality include a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others and inability or unwillingness to conform to what are considered to be the norms of society.
The disorder involves a history of chronic antisocial behavior that begins before the age of 15 and continues into adulthood. The disorder is manifested by a pattern of irresponsible and antisocial behavior as indicated by academic failure, poor job performance, illegal activities, recklessness, and impulsive behavior. Symptoms may include dysphoria, an inability to tolerate boredom, feeling victimized, and a diminished capacity for intimacy.
Antisocial personality disorder, also known as psychopathic personality or sociopathic personality often brings a person into conflict with society as a consequence of a pattern of behavior that is amoral and unethical. Complications that might arise from having this disorder include: frequent imprisonment for unlawful behavior, alcoholism and drug abuse.
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People affected with the disorder rarely seek therapy, but might be forced into it because of a "run in" with the law. So far, there has been little success in treating antisocial behavior and personality. ....
This is our President and he unfit for office. Medically speaking, the prognosis for this disorder is poor. The only effective way known to deal with persons affected with this disorder is to match your value system to theirs, for there is little hope in changing their system of values.
Hence, there is little hope to change his destructive behavior.
In engaging the patient with antisocial personality disorder, it is useful to join with the patient's worldview, which may include a need for control and a sense of entitlement. In this context, entitlement refers to people who believe their needs are more important than the needs of others. Entitlement may include rationalization of negative behavior (such as robbery or lying). People with antisocial personality disorder may evidence little empathy for their victims. If incarcerated, they may believe they should be released immediately. In an AOD treatment program, they may describe themselves as being unique and requiring special treatment.
The primary motivation of the patient with antisocial personality disorder is to be right and to be successful. It is useful to work with this motivation, not against it. Although this motivation may not reflect socially acceptable reasons for changing behavior, it does offer a point from which to begin treatment. Wanting to be clean and sober, to keep a job, to avoid jail, and to become the chair of an AA meeting are reasonable goals, despite a self-serving appearance. Therapists may help patients by working with patients' worldview, rather than by trying to change their value system to match those of the therapist or of society.
So, even if the entire nation wanted them to be impeached, they would only know and care, that THEY would NOT be impeached. They would only know and care, that THEY would NOT have consequences. Therefore, if the above is true, "normal" rules of persuasion do not apply. They will continue to behave as before: stonewalling and delaying. Meanwhile, our sons and daughters will continue to be slaughtered in a contrived, ill conceived war to enrich the privledged.
No, I am afraid impeachment is an empty threat as long as they know it will not be used. In order to give the threat of impeachment some teeth, you must place impeachment back on the table. A good place to start would be to impeach the Attorney General Al Gonzales for contenancing torture, authorizing illegal spying, lying to Congress, and undermining the DoJ by the partisan purging of 9 US Attorneys.
Perhaps then, you might get a little more cooperation.