There is only one reason that Congress is not pushing forward to initiate impeachment proceedings, and that is politics. President Bush has repeatedly shown his contempt of both the Congressional and the Judicial branches of the United States Government. His latest stunt installing Fox as the Ambassador to Belgium with a recess appointment shouldn't be suprising to anyone. He already did it with a recess appointment of Bolton to the U.N. He is continuing to dismantle the EPA, even after the Supreme Court ruled against his Administration. He is stonewalling the Congressional inquiry on the firing of U.S. Attorney's, in the same manner he successfully stonewalled Fitzgerald's investigation of the outing of a covert CIA operative. These are only events of the last month.
What does a President have to do to get impeached?
Gross Incompetence?
President Bush is not responsible for the formation of Hurricane Katrina. He shares responsibility with a long list of Presidents, Congresses, Govenors, New Orlean's Mayors and many others for the inability of the New Orlean's levy system to cope with the near miss of a Cat V hurricane. Bush was not responsible for the inadequate preparation of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama prior to Katrina making landfall. President Bush is not responsible for evacuation orders being give too late for many to get out of New Orleans.
However, President Bush, his Administration, the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA are responsible for everything that happened afterwards. No local government or state has the resources or capacity to respond to a disaster on the scale of Katrina. Especially after the majority of that state's National Guard and its equipment have been activated and sent out of the country to fight a war that is the Army's responsibility. President Bush decided that his vacation was more important than responding to the biggest natural disaster crisis in the history of the United States. His Administration waited nearly a week before responding to cries of help. Even then, the response was one screw up after another. His staff and political appointees so incompetent and inept that they couldn't even deliver ice, let alone food or shelter. They did find plenty of time to appear on national TV proclaiming that everything was under control when it was apparent even to Fox News that it wasn't.
Unfortunately, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina isn't the worst example of the Bush Administration's incompetence. That dishonor would be the monumental incompetence of the Iraqi Reconstruction where the Administration has flushed Billions of dollars into rebuilding Iraq's destroyed infrastructure and it is worse today than it was when Bush declared 'Mission Accomplished.' It has been almost 4 years since Bush made that declaration and Iraq still does not have consistant electricty, water, sewage or any other basic necessities of life that we take for granted here in the United States, but then neither does New Orleans despite Bush's empty rhetoric.
Obviously, The Bush Administration's Gross Incompetence has not been enough so far to sway people. What else is his Administration going to have to botch in order for it to be enough?
Politicizing Agencies that should have no involvement in politics?
The Bush Administration has been politicizing scientific findings since he came into office. Why should it be a shock or suprising to anyone that he fired U.S. Attorney's because they wouldn't indict political enemies when there wasn't enough evidence? Be it NASA and NOAA scientists ordered to remain silent while political hacks rewrote research findings. Omitting data or rewriting findings that disproved the Administration's statements about Global Warming, Environmental Degradation or illegal activities of Industrial Pollution. Be it the dismantling of the Justice Department's Voter Rights department or the EPA or FEMA or even the Department of Health. The Bush Administration has systematically installed its political operatives into organisations who's sole purpose was to paralyze them from within. To pervert every operation to be about their politics rather than to actually serve the purpose they were created to do.
For those that tried to speak out, the Administration would immediately retaliate. Valerie Plame is a prime example. It didn't matter that outing her covert status would hurt the nation's ability to deter nuclear proliferation around the world. It didn't matter that it jeopordized on going covert intelligence operations through out the world. All that mattered was that it caused pain and suffering to someone that dared disprove the Administration's claim that Iraq tried to buy uranium. All that mattered was that they intimidate any others that might try to tell the truth about what the Administration was doing in the future.
But again that is not enough for some people to impeach Bush. How much damage does Bush have to do for them to change their minds?
How many times does Bush have violate basic Constitutional rights?
Ignoring the Writ of Habeous Corpus
Wiretaps without a warrant
Rewriting Bills passed by Congress while signing them into law
Condoning and encouraging Cruel and Unusual treatment of fellow human beings.
Ignoring Treaty obligations
Placing himself superior to all other branches of government
How many times does the Bush Administration have to violate the Bill of Rights before we finally say enough?
What more does Bush have to do to get Impeached?
At this point in time, what would Bush have to do? Congressional Democrats have said that it would be bad politically. Not only do I strongly disagree with that, I say unhesitantly that it will be bad politically if we do not impeach Bush. It obviously did not hurt the Republicans when they attempted to impeach Clinton. They won Congress and the White House and would still be in control if the Bush Administration wasn't so corrupt and incompetent. Politically, it is to the advantage of the Democrats to impeach Bush. In 2008 every candidate is going to have to defend their vote. How many Republicans are going to risk their political future for a President that has done the above? Bush's popularity is low for a reason. If the Democrat's don't impeach Bush, they are going to have a hard time explaining why in 2008.
Democrats didn't win last November because people suddenly decided they supported Democrats for no reason. Democrats won because President Bush and the Republican Congress were hopelessly incompetent and incredibly corrupt. They won, because the American people want the Democrats to stop President Bush and the Republicans from destroying the American Government from within. President Bush has shown repeatedly that he has no intention of stopping. So now it is up to the Democrats to stop him. The Constitution gave the power of impeachment to Congress so they could stop a President from doing the things that Bush has done. What are they waiting for? What more does Bush have to do for them to finally Impeach him?