Rocky road to impeachment

November has suddenly become a time for revelations among the Republican Party, obviously… November has suddenly become a time for revelations among the Republican Party, obviously reeling from the solid ass-kicking it suffered on the 7th. With big shifts in power imminent, the GOP is already starting to purge itself to figure out just where it went wrong.

This sudden jolt of reality has even managed to shake up the White House a little, with the stunning announcement of Rumsfeld’s resignation. Just the thought of Bush possibly acknowledging some degree of failure is a remarkable change. The president hasn’t lost his penchant for absurd euphemisms, though, describing Rumsfeld as a “superb leader” who just “appreciates the value of bringing in a fresh perspective.” Yes, this “superb leader” is the same man who managed to get on the bad side of even the military’s press, and could only tell his critics to “back off” just a couple of weeks ago.

The Bush camp’s decision to jettison Rummy is, among other things, a sign that it is concerned about possible investigations on its Iraq policy looming in the future and, in particular, the detainee torture system headed by Rumsfeld. With Rumsfeld’s immunity as a cabinet member gone, some organizations are trying to get him charged with war crimes. But to do this now, one must venture out of the country (the Center for Constitutional Rights is taking it to Germany); thanks to the recent Military Commissions Act, Rumsfeld as a U.S. official has immunity against being tried for war crimes in American courts.

At any rate, the firing of Rumsfeld has the Democrats very pleased, as it should. It’s been a long time coming for the one man who can top Bush for ignorance and masterfully obtuse speech. But with their newfound power, the Democrats shouldn’t just be satisfied with the end of Rummy and the now likely dismissal of UN Ambassador John Bolton. There’s still bigger fish to fry.

Realistically, Congress impeaching the president will probably not come to pass. Our legislature has long been reluctant to even consider impeachment over the years, with the notable exception of the Clinton scandal. At least in its rhetoric, the new Congress that will assume office in January doesn’t sound any different. Democratic leader and House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi spoke on Wednesday that “Democrats are not about getting even,” and that impeachment is “off the table,” according to transcript on www.democracynow.org.

What exactly is Pelosi talking about? Impeaching Bush would not be so much about “getting even” as it would be holding our top leader accountable for abuses of power. Has that really become such a far-fetched idea these days?

Perhaps by “getting even,” Pelosi was referring to the Republicans’ dogged campaign to impeach Clinton for sexual misconduct back in ’98. Yet when that becomes the context, it’s harder not to wonder why the idea of impeaching Bush is being dismissed so easily. Something’s definitely askew when lying about sexual misconduct gets one president impeached, but another can screw the country over with a thankless war and escape censure.

It’s not like there isn’t enough damning evidence to stick Bush. Even if he succeeds in pleading ignorance about the mistaken WMD claims, there are still blatant abuses of power like the domestic wiretaps that could clearly convict the president. The question is whether enough people will spur Congress to reconsider impeachment or not.

There needs to be a substantial grass-roots movement to pressure Congress into considering impeachment. That’s what it took to oust Nixon; Congress wouldn’t approach the idea of impeachment until the public at large wanted it. The Republicans in ’98 had tried pushing an unpopular impeachment campaign and suffered in that year’s mid-term elections because of it.

So even though the Democrats have swept Congress, they are still testing the waters and acting cautiously — it’s been so long since they last held both houses. They are also aware that even though they clearly won the elections, the American mainstream’s political stance really still is stuck in a centrist rut, and that they owe their success in no small part to disgruntled Republican and independent voters. So right now, the speeches of Pelosi and Co. pander to the middle ground with promises of bipartisanship, as do Bush’s. But really, bipartisanship just doesn’t work in such a divided political environment as we have now, where any good compromise will still make most people sulk.

Impeaching the president is an inevitably partisan prospect, and that is probably why it won’t happen. Yet there certainly is a growing chorus for it. These recent election results are arguably an indictment of the Bush administration more than anything else, and as such, the Democrats owe it to their voters to at least give impeachment a shot.

E-mail Konrad at klk27@pitt.edu.