The time has come for the Bush opposition to change the tone of the national debate. It is time to move past the game of catching President Bush telling lies. It is time to discuss an early end to the Bush Presidency as a realistic goal we can, and should, work toward seeing.
For the past few years it was indeed important to document President Bush's mendacity. But some time not so long ago, America passed the tipping point with respect to President Bush's basic character. Catching him in lies now, is merely more of the same. "But what are ya gonna do about it?" people shrug.
The first thing to be done is to re-focus the national debate. The time has come for prominent voices to tell these people exactly what they can do about it. The time has come for people to hear that the President can be censured. It is time to believe corrupt incumbents can be turned out in '06. And yes, it is time to believe the President can be impeached. It is time for the liberal conversation to express confidence.
[con't in extended body]
Please turn your attention to a couple events from the past week. Seymour Hersh's article regarding the Iran war planning is a blockbuster. Still discussion in various anti-Bush media is focused far more on the old Iraqi hydrogen gas trucks. Over the past week or two, different retired General officers pop up every other day to call for Rumsfelds' resignation. But liberal discussion is more apt to debate what the meaning of the word leak, leak.
That Bush lied about the gas trucks is no revelation. That Bush seems determined to attack Iran - while perhaps also not exactly a "revelation", is still deadly serious. But President Bush will not assure the Pentagon itself that he will not resort to a first-use of nuclear weapons. This is gigantic news. Gigantic news and still, two days later it was largely flushed from the news cycle.
Whatever might be said about the Sy Hersh article, his sources for it lie in the Pentagon. These sources cannot read the President's mind. They cannot tell if the nuclear threat is mere bluff, or serious Bush intent. Either way, a significant element in the Pentagon is scared enough to take this dead seriously.
Active duty officers face an ethical dilemma when faced with civilian orders they feel unwise. Retired officers are free to speak their minds. The favorite political outlet for active duty officers is, therefore, their recently retired counterparts. Some retired military officers have long been critical of the Iraq war. But recently the number has dramatically increased. And these new voices have a common talking point: Sec'y Rumsfeld must go.
Imagine that, several press conferences called all to drive home a common talking point. We're used to seeing this. We're just not used to seeing it used against members of the Bush cabinet. But we know what it means when we see it.
Taken together with the Pentagon unrest, as reported by Mr. Hersh, we are left with the picture of the Pentagon at war with its President. This is not a step taken lightly by anyone wearing three or four stars. These events of the past week reflect a Pentagon that has decided its President, if left unchecked, is a threat to national security.
That might sound melodramatic; so let it be phrased in terms of mere ruthless political calculation. The typical American no longer likes nor trusts Bush. Some important Pentagon folks no longer like nor trust Bush. They want to help the typical Americans to at least neutralize Bush. But unlike the typical American, they have extremely, extremely high security classifications. They know where some skeletons are in some closets.
These Pentagon people, whomever they are, however many of them there are, are sending America a message: We have also had enough. Let's get this guy.
All the above is to say why it is time to turn the conversation away from celebrating gotchas. As Murray Waas said, all the elements are now out in the open. People are just not yet seeing the larger whole. Let us move towards the day they do.
Bush is vulnerable, extremely so, and the final collapse can happen faster than people expect. What looked only marginally possible in '07, impeachment, is not out of the question this summer or fall. And if not impeachment in '06, well, Senator Feingold's censure resolution is not looking so very out of the mainstream anymore.
Seize the initiative. Turn the conversation from complaining to a call to action. Write Congress and organize demonstrations. The word of the day is pessimism and more pressure. The GOP line is wavering. Turn up the heat. Put the GOP to rout.
Let the buglers on the left flank sound, Charge.