George McGovern: Impeach: Fuckin’ A!

(@ 1pm – promoted by pfiore8)

Today’s Washington Post carries an Op-Ed piece by former Senator George McGovern, titled, “Why I Believe Bush Must Go”

Just a few quotes:

As we enter the eighth year of the Bush-Cheney administration, I have belatedly and painfully concluded that the only honorable course for me is to urge the impeachment of the president and the vice president.

After the 1972 presidential election, I stood clear of calls to impeach President Richard M. Nixon for his misconduct during the campaign. I thought that my joining the impeachment effort would be seen as an expression of personal vengeance toward the president who had defeated me.

Today I have made a different choice.

—snip—

Bush and Cheney are clearly guilty of numerous impeachable offenses. They have repeatedly violated the Constitution. They have transgressed national and international law. They have lied to the American people time after time. Their conduct and their barbaric policies have reduced our beloved country to a historic low in the eyes of people around the world. These are truly “high crimes and misdemeanors,” to use the constitutional standard.

—snip—

How could a once-admired, great nation fall into such a quagmire of killing, immorality and lawlessness?

It happened in part because the Bush-Cheney team repeatedly deceived Congress, the press and the public into believing that Saddam Hussein had nuclear arms and other horrifying banned weapons that were an “imminent threat” to the United States. The administration also led the public to believe that Iraq was involved in the 9/11 attacks — another blatant falsehood. Many times in recent years, I have recalled Jefferson’s observation: “Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just.”

—snip—

As former representative Elizabeth Holtzman, who played a key role in the Nixon impeachment proceedings, wrote two years ago, “it wasn’t until the most recent revelations that President Bush directed the wiretapping of hundreds, possibly thousands, of Americans, in violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) — and argued that, as Commander in Chief, he had the right in the interests of national security to override our country’s laws — that I felt the same sinking feeling in my stomach as I did during Watergate. . . . A President, any President, who maintains that he is above the law — and repeatedly violates the law — thereby commits high crimes and misdemeanors.”

I believe we have a chance to heal the wounds the nation has suffered in the opening decade of the 21st century. This recovery may take a generation and will depend on the election of a series of rational presidents and Congresses. At age 85, I won’t be around to witness the completion of the difficult rebuilding of our sorely damaged country, but I’d like to hold on long enough to see the healing begin.

There has never been a day in my adult life when I would not have sacrificed that life to save the United States from genuine danger, such as the ones we faced when I served as a bomber pilot in World War II. We must be a great nation because from time to time, we make gigantic blunders, but so far, we have survived and recovered.

Link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/…

50 comments

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    • Faheyman on January 6, 2008 at 08:30
      Author
    • Nordic on January 6, 2008 at 09:40

    where it’s basically illegal NOT to impeach them?

    I mean, seriously, if you don’t report a crime, it’s a crime.

    If you keep criminals from being pursued and indicted, you’re guilty of obstruction of justice.

    If your Uncle was a mass murderer, and you knew, and you didn’t turn him in, wouldn’t you be guilty?

    I’m not being facetious, I’m quite serious about this.  

  1. I just read it this morning.  I don’t think it will have much effect, sadly.  But I think it was important for McGovern to get it off his chest.   It is just one more piece of evidence historians of the future will have to assess what went on during our times.

  2. it was criminal not to impeach.

    There is though an emerging faction and it is global.  Things like this

    http://oldthinkernews.com/Arti

    Even Iowa shows people less inclined to accept status quo, even if they are not sure what that is.  They own the media and behind even that the system itself is picking the next pResident based upon the “who can win” meme, excluding others in debates.

  3. Here at the “Contact the Judiciary” page, and/or at the Chairman’s

    blog.  FWIW

    It may not help, but it can’t hurt to keep telling him.

    IMHO, a Congress that allows the imprisonment of US troops for not upholding their Oath to follow the orders of the Commander in Chief, but that will not uphold their own oath of office to “Uphold & Defend the Constitution” is contemptible.

  4. My friend slugbug worked on his campaign in 1972.  he is a man of conscience, and he is still a great thinker and leader.

    If my former senator, Paul Wellstone, were still alive, he would be applauding this op ed piece.  He would want us all to get on the bus for impeachment and taking our country back.

  5. of us all here (my second reading, BTW).  McGovern is such an incredible eloguent gentleman of the old school of integrity!

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