I agree with virtually all the arguments for Impeachment -- but I do not agree that should be an immediate goal. Reality is that the Republicans control both houses now -- Reality is that we have no clear charges. Do not take the Clinton thing as an example -- the modern example is what the Rodino led the House Judicary Committee through, even though they had the Ervin Hearing transcripts and volumes of Grand Jury materials. The Rodino inquiry began in March of 1974, and was complete in late July 1974 -- and it is 38 volumes long. Put simply, that was the kind of inqiury that deserved the bi-partisian characterization -- and if you don't have that it will never be considered legitimate.
So what to do in this instance. I think it is pretty simple, just change the name of the polls to "Citizen Impeachment" statistics, and be done with the "formal" process. Afterall this is a President who says that the precise constitutional power balances do not apply to his administration, so why should public opinion be viewed as anything other that a "Citizen's Impeachment Index." Let's just call it that.
Beside the right to issue Subpoenas, control of the House gives a party the right to introduce tax bills -- and control of the Senate gives you control of spending bills -- and when you go back and look at how Nixon and then Ford were giggered out of Vietnam -- it was budget and control of the purse. Along with Supboenas to compell investigetion, (which can prove bad stewardship), we also need control of the budget and tax policy -- and we get those things if we control both houses. So much as we need to focus on corruption (and worse) we need to understand what "control" is really about. Big things.
I suspect that one good investigation with compelled testimony would do in Cheney and much of the rest of the Bush Machine. It is a patronage operation much like the Tweed Machine, just a little more High Tech. Fairness would involve calculating the actual costs of fraud and maladministration, and setting the progressive tax rate such as to recapture all that in perhaps two years. We don't need to impeach Bush to do that, We just need to string him up by his heels to a ceiling fan, and turn on the juice. The little guy is a coward. He'll do what is necessary to avoid the torture.
Right now the guy's only passable statistics are on dealing with terrorism. We got to get current with the question of how the ordinary family's telephone conversations contribute to understanding this. You know, ten girls are part of a clique in High School, and in the evening they spend half an hour each on the phone with each other dealing with the day's gossip. Believe me, they are networked -- but it may be about who was with whom at the flicks last weekend. (Oh -- I may be dated -- but in the 50's we burned up the phone lines with such talk -- and I don't really think it has changed.)
What does bother me is the application of the NSA technology to Politics. We all know about New Hampshire Phone Blocking -- but what if Haley Barbour's firm got privileged access to the data base and could block all Democratic Get out the Vote calls -- or perhaps substitute phony ones? (Remember the New Hampshire midnight calls for Harlem Blacks for McGovern? -- not much of a stretch actually.) To be specific, have elements of the NSA Data Base been copied and shifted to alternative ownership or guardianship? This is something that must be high priority on the investigative list. For I don't think they were looking for Taliban Terrorists at all -- I think they were looking for networked Democrats. We all know how easy it is to take data from one server and post it on another -- well???? What if you then match it up with the voting registration list and act accordingly? We need to learn how to cast the potential evil into the public realm.
Right now the issue seems to be that BushCo accessed the phone companies data bases -- (I am Quist, but AOL is probabably coioerating), -- but I think there is more to it -- I suspect they are adding other data bases to this (People on Medicare, people who signed up for Idiot Bush's drug plan) and much more -- and this is why Hillary is busy creating her own sophisticated data bases outside the realm of Dean's DNC. As John Llewellyn Lewis put it, "A Plague on both your Houses." Oh that today we had a public figure of his weight and economic significance, to say that, speak, be heard, who is not a pundit or Pol?
What to do -- well of course support Senator Leahy's demands for hearings with compelled testimony -- and force him to become leadership. Box in Spector so he cannot back off his initial reactions. Apparently Jay Rockefeller has been sick with the flu for the past week or so and had not attended Intelligence Committee briefings or Hearings -- if he can't do his thing -- then he should appoint a second. Maybe he should even attend sick and expose the others (including the briefer) on the committee to flu. (It would be good practice for Bird Flu).
I actually think that tomorrow (Friday) we will get the Rove Indictment, and everything in Media will go to that. And the Phonegate matter will be more or less downplayed, forgotten perhaps, or passed over as a one day story. We need to make certain that does not happen.
I actually think that tomorrow (Friday) we will get the Rove Indictment
Hope you are not holding your breath :)
Posted by: windansea | May 12, 2006 at 13:49