I think Josh is late to the realization that the Bush Administration is so lawless it may require impeachment as a corrective, if for no other reason than to prevent the precedent it will otherwise leave. I do, however, share his hesitation in practical terms. Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold’s long-standing (and recently revived) effort to censure the president is Russ’ way of dealing with this dilemma - but the fact that it has had so little traction speaks for itself. The effect of Feingold’s proposed censure is modest enough - modest enough that for impact as a corrective it should have been done sooner. The problem in ‘correcting’ the Bush Administration is that too little is offered too infrequently and too late. Feingold first proposed censure March 13, 2006 - even then it was a modest effort to deal with what Feingold believed was President Bush breaking the law. Censure provides for no penalties - it is simply an “official” condemnation by the Senate for the actions specified in it. If the U.S. Senate cannot even officially condemn President Bush for his actions in office, then what are we left with? Beyond the Bush Presidency, look at the precedent established of being able to ignore the Constitution (not to mention congress and the courts). That is Josh’s realization and, like I said, it’s one I’ve held now for a while. We know at least some of the damage the Bush Administration has done to the United States - but even with what we know, the damage is likely to have long-lasting effects through precedent. People that care about this country, no matter what party, should think about it. You can’t put the genie back into the bottle.
The genius of the American Constitution is often said to be that it treats people as they are, not as they ought to be - in the famous words of The Federalist 51:
“If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.”
When we deny the corrective measures in the Constitution designed for political over-reach, we set precedent to treat politicians as they ought to be. We need to treat President Bush as he is - just like those that follow him.
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