Hail to the Thief

There's been a lot of discussion lately on Democratic blogs like Daily Kos about whether or not Bush should be impeached now that the Democratic party is finally in a position to initiate investigations.

kos weighed in last week with this commentary which was immediately met by a firestorm of debate:

I agree with Reid.

[Reid:] The degree to which the new Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill despises Vice President Dick Cheney is a big plus for President Bush. Consider why incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid scrapped an idea to impeach Bush: "Two words: Dick Cheney," he says, joking that it would vault the veep into the Oval Office.
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It's a point which is so obvious, I wonder why the "impeach now!" people don't get it. "President Cheney" is fucking scary. I'd rather focus on solidifying our gains in Congress and taking state legislatures and governorships and the White House in 2008 than waste another second of our time over the Worst President Ever.

As far as I'm concerned, if Bush has committed impeachable offenses - and there certainly is evidence that he has - it's the duty of congress to impeach him. It shouldn't be optional or based on fears of a 'scary' President Cheney ending up in charge. Let's face it. He's already the president.

Charlie Savage of the Boston Globe details Cheney's political history and his continual push to advance the unitary executive theory which in effect means 'the will of congress be damned'.

A close look at key moments in Cheney's career -- from his political apprenticeship in the Nixon and Ford administrations to his decade in Congress and his tenure as secretary of defense under the first President Bush -- suggests that the newly empowered Democrats in Congress should not expect the White House to cooperate when they demand classified information or attempt to exert oversight in areas such as domestic surveillance or the treatment of terrorism suspects.

Peter Shane, an Ohio State University law professor, predicted that Cheney's long career of consistently pushing against restrictions on presidential power is likely to culminate in a series of uncompromising battles with Congress.

"Cheney has made this a matter of principle," Shane said. "For that reason, you are likely to hear the words 'executive privilege' over and over again during the next two years."

That comes as no surprise and I say that if the Oval Office faux monarchy wants a fight, bring it on. Cheney and his imperial-minded sidekicks have been stealing democracy from the American people for decades and their rubber-stamping Republican congress have been letting them get away with it. The results of the latest election were not just a protest against the handling of the Iraq war, they were also a strong rebuke to the way this government has handled its power. If the Republican party even thinks Americans would elect another president in '08 from within such a corrupt establishment, they have another thing coming. And if the WH wants to make the next 2 years a battle of wills, they'll hurt their party even more.

So, let Cheney have his very public tantrums as he continues to attempt to subvert democracy. He may be the gift that keeps on giving to the Democrats as he keeps obstructing their search for the truth.