As if the lies that took us to Iraq were not enough. As if the knowing use of bad intelligence wasn’t enough. As if the ever- shifting justifications for this war were not enough. As if the use of torture by and at the behest of the United States was not enough. As if the disclosure of classified information to retaliate against a critic of the war policy was not enough. As if the shroud of secrecy that binds this administration was not enough. As if the squandering of hundreds of billions of dollars in support of this war at a time when we can’t find the money to rebuild one of our great cities, when millions of us go without health care and when the federal government has reneged on its commitment to public education was not enough.
Now, after all that, now we have the disclosure that the president personally ordered and continues to order the interception of telephone and e-mail communications of thousands of U.S. citizens and residents on U.S. soil without search warrants, without court authorization of any sort and without any basis in the constitution or laws of this land.
Now we have had enough....
The House of Representatives and the Senate have both begun to show in recent weeks an ability to look beyond partisan struggles when confronted by an arrogant, messianic and dishonest president. They have refused to extend the USA Patriot Act without significant changes. They have, despite the president’s veto threat, insisted upon a clear prohibition of the use of torture by our government. They have resisted his cuts in basic governmental services to finance the president’s tax cuts for the wealthy. They have (so far) refused the president’s demand to savage the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. And, most significantly, leaders of both parties have expressed their shock and outrage at George Bush’s orders to his agencies to spy upon fellow Americans.
This presidency has three more years to run. We cannot afford to wait that long for a change in leadership. We can no longer risk our values, our history and our liberty.
We have, finally, had enough.
It’s time for Congress to begin proceedings under Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution to impeach and remove George W. Bush and his Vice President from office.http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051226/OPINION02/512260312/1014