Forward to Impeachment?

The Nation has a sober, well-reasoned piece by Watergate-era U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman about why the time has come to call for the impeachment of George W. Bush.

Of course, this is all cart-before-the-horse talk unless the Democrats win at least the House in November. There are also pragmatic issues to consider. Having two back-to-back presidents go through impeachment hearings sets an awful precedent. More importantly, removing Bush from office could result in Dick Cheney becoming president. After Dick, the current line of succession is Dennis Hastert, Ted Stevens, Condi Rice, John Snow, Donald Rumsfeld, Alberto Gonzales...and I’ll just stop right there.

Bush isn’t even trying to deny that authorizing warrantless surveillance against Americans violated the law. Instead, his lawless justifications amount to a fiat expanding executive powers in a manner that undermines the Constitution he swore to uphold. The implications of letting them get away with this could potentially affect all aspects of public life. Sentinent Americans need to ask themselves if Bush’s endless-by-definition “War on Terror” is worth abandoning constitutional government for without a fight.