Impeachment - Do it for the children

By Libby
Updated below

Since I wanted to join in on the Bastille Day Blogburst, I've been thinking all day about impeachment. My earlier post generated a fair amount of discussion but I wanted to add something new to debate for this occassion. Fortunately, Crooks and Liars came to the rescue with this clip of Bill Moyer's roundtable.

Joined by John Nichols and Bruce Fein, who are, refreshingly in these days of lopsided talking head formats, ideological opposites, they raise an important point on why we should start impeachment, late though it may seem, that I hadn't considered. While the practical effect may be moot since I still doubt impeachment could be concluded much before the end of his term, it's more than about symbolic reprimands. It establishes a precedent for accountability.

If the Congress fails to hold Bush and Cheney responsible for failing to adhere to the rule of law that cements our republic, our form of democracy will crumble as future administrations also take the unitary powers being established by the Bush regime as their own. Nichols and Fein argue that impeachment must not only be immediately begun but it must followed through to its ultimate conclusion, even if they resign, which we failed to do with Nixon. A mistake that allowed Bush and Cheney to make the same power grab again.

While I continue to think that we should also be beseeching the dastardly duo to resign at the same time, the roundtable convinced me in that five minute clip that we need to do this to protect future generations from this danger. Contact your Senators and Congressmen. Let the impeachment proceedings begin.

Update: Via Avedon again, MEC has the list of impeachable crimes.

TPM Cafe has the transcript for the whole Moyers roundtable and hones in on the key talking points.

Blogswarm for Impeachment