Impeachment a Transcendent Act

Impeachment a Transcendent Act
By Bruce Toien

One of our most courageous advocates for democracy, Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), last week declared on the House floor that "impeachment may well be the only remedy which remains to stop a war of aggression against Iran."

He is right. We -- and the world -- cannot wait. It is time to impeach the top members of this Administration *NOW*. For a while I was swayed by the arguments of the pragmatists that Oversight and Investigation are too important to be compromised by pursuing uncertain impeachment proceedings. But I've come back to the position that America can actually walk and chew gum at the same time.

Why the hurry? Well here's why. It's not us, it's this Administration that is in an hurry -- in a hurry to take us into a new war with Iran, in a hurry to plunder our resources both natural and human, in a hurry to finish sacking our Treasury, in a hurry to administer the coup de grace upon the remnants of our American democracy, in a hurry to send more brave Americans to their deaths. To paraphrase Martin Luther King, "We cannot wait".

Impeachment is not about retribution, much as many of us would savor it. It's about the rule of law. The Bush Administration has been accused of many heinous acts. I think it's only fair that they finally get their "day in court" to answer the charges and face their accusers.
In particular, there are two primary reasons for introducing Articles of Impeachment right away:

1) To stop ongoing large-scale criminal behavior as quickly as possible 2) To demonstrate to the world and to ourselves that we are still a good and just nation of laws, not of men -- that we are an asset, not a danger, to the world community, that nations need not arm themselves against us

And what a magnificent legacy we could leave, to do what no great power in history has ever done: Regulate our own power, even in the absence of external constraints.

That's why impeachment of the Bush Administration at this time would be a transcendent act.
-- Bruce Toien

Authors Bio: Bruce Toien is a software engineer and database developer in the Portland area, with an interest in the interaction between technology and society. He and his wife and enjoy the many opportunities for outdoor life in the Pacific Northwest.