"Impeachment" is whispered in the corridors of power and muttered in anger throughout the land. There is plenty of grounds- lying us into Iraq, allowing the outing of a CIA agent, lying to Congress about the cost of Medicare "reform", many other matters.
The Bush cabal maintains its grip on Congress, which has to implement impeachment. The members of the Progressive Caucus in the House are cautiously laying the groundwork by demanding key documents. They feel they must have an ironclad case before proceeding, and since Bush is expert at stonewalling, they are making little progress.
The best hope for impeachment lies with a strong grassroots movement. The desire is there- recent polls for the president are dismal. The American people no longer believe or trust him. If Rep. John Conyers hears from enough of us, he will move ahead with the impeachment process. As the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, he has the key position. As the second most senior member of the House, sitting on the Committee during the hearings against Nixon and Clinton, he has the experience. A close friend of Martin Luther King, Jr., he has the political will and leadership ability. But he needs to know that the people are behind him.
As people sign, and take a petition to collect more signatures, they are encouraged and empowered. They start to recall that ultimate authority in this country rests with "we the people". It is vested in our representatives in Congress. The executive branch is there to carry out the will of the people, not to impose its will upon us. This is why the American revolution was fought- to rid ourselves of concentrated executive power, such as a monarchy or an imperial presidency.
The second "i" word is indictment, and rumors are swirling that Patrick Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor appointed by John Ashcroft to investigate the outing of Valerie Plame, is preparing indictments against a number of key administration officials, starting with Bush and Cheney, and extending to some of their supporters in Congress. According to Tom Flocco, a number have already been issued.
What is an indictment? It is a formal accusation charging a person with a crime. It is often handed down by a grand jury, such as the one that has been hearing testimony in the Plamegate situation. The next step is a trial, to see whether the accusations are true. I'm not sure of the procedure when those indicted are federal officials. Impeachment is also a formal accusation of a crime, and the subsequent trial is conducted by the Senate, as it was for Bill Clinton, who was not convicted.
Often, people who are indicted are placed under arrest, and only released if bail is allowed. It's hard to imagine that Fitzgerald has the muscle to arrest Bush and Cheney. I can picture a shootout between a posse of federal marshalls from Chicago, and the secret service pledged to defend the president.
In any case, the support of the public for the work of Fitzgerald and the grand jury is crucial if justice is to be done. The people want and deserve justice. The God we worship, the God of the Bible, the God that Bush claims to revere, is a God of justice.
Psalm 97: 2Clouds and darkness are round about Him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of His throne.
If we work at arousing the people to the necessity for impeachment at the same time that Fitzgerald does what he needs to do, we will rid the government of the plague that has descended upon us.
In the name of the Prince of Peace, Carol Wolman
Carol S. Wolman. MD is a psychiatrist and lifelong peace activist. She hosts http://groups.yahoo.com/group/peacemakersbiblestudy/
email: cwolman@mcn.org
