A week or so ago I wrote the following to a good friend who is in sympathetic association with the Democrats:
Next time you see them, please give a message to Ted Kennedy and Harry Reid for me: If Bush manipulated intelligence data and lied us into an unnecessary war, then they should persuade some of their friends in the House to produce the evidence and introduce articles of impeachment.
My friend replied, guessing that
Reid and Kennedy want to look at an investigation of how the bad intelligence was used before they call for the impeachment — which I agree using the standard of the ’97 house republicans would lead directly to an impeachment.
Now comes Morton Kondracke, asking on RealClearPolitics, “Will Democratic Charges That Bush ‘Lied’ Lead To His Impeachment?”
If the Democrats believe a third of what they’re saying, they would be irresponsible not to press for impeachment.
“If the Democrats believe a third of what they’re saying, they would be irresponsible not to press for impeachment.”
Since the Democrats have such great influence on the House agenda. Sounds like more of a waste of time. Do you think the House would move on impeachment?
I don’t know, but it might — if presented with evidence, instead of merely inflated partisan rhetoric, that the president lied. I know I would support the impeachment of any president who “lied us into and unnecessary war.” But at the moment the question isn’t what the House would do; it’s what the Democrats really believe. If they really believed they had evidence that the president lied us into war, they shouldn’t let the possibility that the House majority might not agree with them keep them from practicing what they preach.
‘I know I would support the impeachment of any president who “lied us into and unnecessary war.” ‘
Cheney said that the Atta/Iraq connection was ‘pretty well confirmed.’ He later said that he never said this. Is this enough of a lie?
‘If they really believed they had evidence that the president lied us into war, they shouldn’t let the possibility that the House majority might not agree with them keep them from practicing what they preach.’
So you want articles of impeachment drawn up by nancy pelosi?
“Cheney said that the Atta/Iraq connection was ‘pretty well confirmed.’ He later said that he never said this. Is this enough of a lie?”
If this is true, it’s still not enough of a lie, because we didn’t go to war because Cheney said there as a connection between Iraq and Mohammed Atta.
No, what they’re saying is that Bush somehow magically knew that Hussein had no WMDs, when all the rest of the world thought he did, and he lied about that so we would go to war. Which is really stupid, when you think about it, because he would have to have known that we would go in and not find any.
“If this is true, it’s still not enough of a lie, because we didn’t go to war because Cheney said there as a connection between Iraq and Mohammed Atta.”
Can you let me know what statements we did go to war over?
Henry Waxman compiled a set of misleading statements under the title of ‘Iraq on the Record.’. It contains 237 misleading statements by the administration.
Is that enough? I mean, maybe its enough to justify the House voting for the indictment part of impeachment — with the Senate then voting on the merits?
“No, what they’re saying is that Bush somehow magically knew that Hussein had no WMDs”
Its more that Bush knew about doubts we had, and doubtful things were presented as fact. Well, not actually bush perhaps, but people understanding these things and making these decisions.
“Can you let me know what statements we did go to war over?”
I supported the war, and I’m disappointed with the outcome. But from the start I thought it was primarily intended to bring democracy to Iraq as the best way of ending terrorism, to end the sanctions which were no longer tenable, and to remove one of the worst tyrants in the world (outside of Kim Jong Il) who twice attempted wide-scale slaughter of his own people (the first attempt amounted to near genocide) and twice invaded neighboring countries for the expressed purpose of gaining control of the region’s oil. WMD was only a small part of it. Sullivan and Hitchens have written on this.
I’ll admit to this, though. I expected to find WMD in Iraq. And my nightmare was that the next plane that flew into a building would carry a germ of some sort.
Dom
Put Your Money Where Your Big Fat Mouth Is
Great post by John Rosenberg at Discriminations. If I hear Bush lied yada yada yada one more time, I think I’ll vomit. As John says, if the Democrats are so certain that Bush did even 50% of what they are
I am tending to think that all the recent kerfuffle from the Democrats (starting with their surprise secret session in the Senate) is a real start to a serious attempt on their part to start impeachment proceedings against Bush. I suspect that they want that word “impeachment” to resound in the news as much as possible next year. Which just happens to be a Congressional election year, wouldn’t you know. I doubt very much, though, that most of the Democrats (in the Congress, at the least) believe a word of their phony charges. For them, it’s the charge that matters, not its truth or falsity.
Note to actus: I will waste not a moment of my time replying to anything you might write in reply here. I probably won’t even waste a moment of my time reading anything you might write in reply. But, you have a nice life, okay?
“Note to actus: I will waste not a moment of my time replying to anything you might write in reply here. I probably won’t even waste a moment of my time reading anything you might write in reply. But, you have a nice life, okay?”
If they do push impeachment, the point will be to force the GOP members of congress to either identify with or against the president. They get enough with, they can tie that person to the unpopular president, hurting that member. They get enough against, and we got ourselves and impeachment.
“Its more that Bush knew about doubts we had, and doubtful things were presented as fact. Well, not actually bush perhaps, but people understanding these things and making these decisions.”
You think this rises to the level of an impeachable offense?
“You think this rises to the level of an impeachable offense? ”
Ya. I believe in command responsibility. Specially on big decisions.
Note to Democrats: Put up or shut up.
If you’ve got real evidence that Bush knowingly, deliberately lied and deceived the American people in order to go to war, then produce it and move for impeachment.