McGovern Urges Impeachment Monday, January 07, 2008

I watched as much of the Republican presidential debate this weekend as I could stomach. It was incredible to see how the other candidates treated Ron Paul. He was the only one telling the truth up there, and I thought he was the only candidate that had a realistic and nuanced view of the issues. He wasn't hammering home talking points. He wasn't offering empty slogans. He wasn't fear-mongering. He wasn't commending George W. Bush for "keeping us safe" (that's when I turned the damned TV off). He was talking about how there has been a disturbing shift in American politics by accepting the idea of a preemptive war. He said that the Muslims did not hate us because we are free but because we have been invading their countries, aiding their enemies, and meddling in their politics for decades. Giuliani and Thomposon jumped at him, grinning at their opportunity to show how tough they are and mocking Ron Paul for not clearly understanding the situation.

The fact that we are even having an election irks me. It's a distraction from the problem that has smacked me in the face: a realization that I cannot trust my government. A government that condones torture has lost my consent. Everyone seems so eager to just let the Wolfowitz/Rumsfeld/Rove crew slink away into the darkness. People want to "move on", to elect a new figurehead, and forget all about Bush-Cheney like it was some sort of disturbing dream. Fools! All of you, fools! Ron Paul said it: the idea of a preemptive war represents an historic shift in American politics. You don't "forget" an historical shift in the political trajectory of a nation. If we let Bush and Cheney escape justice, then we have effectively told the politicians that you can abuse our trust and We, The People, will do nothing.

Now George McGovern, the man who lost the presidential election in 1972 to Richard Nixon, is urging that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney be impeached for their lies to the American people, their "nonsensical" war in Iraq, and their unconstitutional wiretapping program. He understands what everyone seems to be forgetting: that we cannot let crimes of this magnitude go unpunished. Impeaching this rogue administration is the first step towards reclaiming our dignity as a nation.