Impeachment is absolutely essential to restore our constitutional form of government.
Upon assuming the presidency, Bush appointed Ken Lay's nominee to head the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The FERC then stood idly by while Enron used a phony energy crisis to bilk California consumers of $50 billion. Bush was urgently and repeatedly warned, in the summer of 2001, that Bin Laden was planning an attack on American soil, yet he was dismissive of these warnings did nothing to protect our nation. After the fact he blamed the intelligence agencies. Bush then used 9/11, and misrepresented the intelligence, in order to stampede the nation to war in Iraq. He again blamed the intelligence agencies in order to cover his lies. He authorized the use of torture and illegal domestic spying. Bush was warned years in advance that the New Orleans levees were a disaster waiting to happen, yet his administration systematically cut the funds for their maintenance. The resulting disaster has exiled a large number of Democratic voters in a closely contested state. In these disasters of their own making, Cheney's former employer and other contractors then got to reap fat profits in no-bid contracts.
What we have here is an ongoing criminal enterprise in the White House. The new congress may no longer pass compliant legislation, but, absent impeachment, Bush & Cheney are not about to cease and desist from these sorts of acts. Anyone who thinks otherwise is dreaming. To allow these extreme abuses to go unpunished is to condone them, and give the green light to more of the same by Bush and future administrations. Impeachment is absolutely essential to restore our constitutional form of government.
Anyone who would argue that we must not impeach out of considerations of political expediency is, for starters, wrong on the facts. According to a Newsweek poll, a majority of Americans support impeachment. This is what the current congress was elected to do. If congress fails to perform, I for one, will give up on the political process in disgust, and I doubt I am the only one. A failure to impeach will sink the Democratic Party, and deservedly so. Let the right-wing commentators howl about vengeance or what-have-you. Progressives are never going to please them, no matter what, and anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool. These people are bullies and the only way to deal with a bully is to put him in his place, in this case, starting at the top.
But there is a higher consideration. To advocate allowing a criminal enterprise to continue, when one has the power to stop it, is morally bankrupt. Anyone who would advocate for this is no better than an accessory-after-the-fact.