TimesArgus.com - We Are Vermont

Impeachment won't serve the truth



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Published: December 2, 2008

Impeachment of President Bush, as recommended by several recent letter writers, and a "truth commission," as proposed by The Times Argus editorial of Nov. 12, would be useful exercises for those who feel a need to vent their animosity toward the outgoing administration. Expensive and distracting, these show trials would probably not, however, serve the cause of "truth," except for those who have already decided what the "truth" is.

The war in Iraq, which is the real issue here, has, like all wars, been hell. Like all wars it has also resulted in atrocities, some even committed by those fighting on behalf of worthwhile, even noble, causes. Criminal behavior, including massacre and torture, should be prosecuted as crimes, with the same weight given to evidence and possible extenuating circumstances, as in other criminal trials.

Actions taken in the prosecution of the war should not, however, be confused with the decision to go to war in the first place. Whether that decision was right or wrong will be a subject for future historians, and there are strong arguments on both sides. Wouldn't it be ironic, for example, if future investigators were to discover that Saddam Hussein really did have weapons of mass destruction under development and would have used them if given a chance? His military suppliers in France, Germany, and Russia – all self interested opponents of U.S. policy – could have squirreled the evidence out of the country while U.N. weapons inspectors were being denied immediate access to suspected sites.

Although our Iraq policy has not yet brought enlightened democratic government to the Arab world, as idealistic neoconservatives had hoped, it is also true that our country has not been bombed by Middle East terrorists since 9/11. Could that be due to President Bush's pre-emptive policies at home and abroad? I don't know. Neither do the people clamoring for war crimes trials or "truth" commissions.

In proposing a truth commission, The Times Argus creates a false, invidious analogy between apartheid – a brutal social injustice – and Bush administration actions which, however inept or mistaken, were designed largely to protect and emancipate.

Andy Leader

North Middlesex







READER COMMENTS


Why can't Leahy bravely lead the charge? He's been in Washington since before the Disco Era. Though he's now number 4 in the Senate for seniority, he's still seen as a follower - not a leader. He seems to be too content to simply coast on the Judiciary Committee and then come home several times a month to have buildings named after him.
-- Posted by Jeff Andrews on Wed, Dec 3, 2008, 11:57 am EST

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Contrary to what Andy Leader has to say about impeachment procedings against President Bush (and Vice-President Dick Cheney for that matter), it is not just "useful exercises". Personally, I think he may be correct regarding "truth commissions", depending on how they are created, the powers they have, etc. But why create a "truth commission" when the Constitution already provides a way to deal with matters such as these - namely, impeachment.

I don't think the protection of the Constitution from the abuses of power by this Imperial Presidency is just a "useful exercise". After all, we are not just talking about the Iraq War and the lies that were told to justify this conflict, but MANY other abuses of power, including illegal wiretaps, torture and many other acts against not only International Law, but the Laws of the United States as well.

I don't think this can be better clarified than the discussion that Bill Moyers had with Bruce Fein and John Nichols on the Bill Moyers Journal on July 13, 2007. I cannot include the entire transcript of that discussion here, but if you look it up on the internet you will easily find it. Read it - it is well worth your time.

Now, before anyone starts ranting about Bill Moyers belonging to the "left-wing media", please realize that one of his guests was Bruce Fein, who wrote the first article of impeachment against President Clinton. Bruce Fein did so because perjury is a legal crime. And Fein believed no one is above the law. A constitutional scholar, Bruce Fein served in the Justice Department during the Reagan administration and as general counsel of the Federal Communications Commission. Bruce Fein has been affiliated with conservative think tanks such as the American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation and now writes a weekly column for THE WASHINGTON TIMES and Politico.com.

The other guest was John Nichols, the Washington correspondent for THE NATION and an associate editor of the CAPITOL TIMES. Among his many books is this most recent one, THE GENIUS OF IMPEACHMENT: THE FOUNDERS' CURE FOR ROYALISM.

To give you just ONE good example of many things that were pointed out in that discussion was the following: "You are seeing impeachment as a constitutional crisis. Impeachment is the cure for a constitutional crisis".

Unfortunately, our Congress lacks the giants of the past, and both the leadership of Congress, as well as the vast majority of it's members, lack the fortitude to have followed through with impeachment when it was possible. Alas, with the waning days of this administration, it is without a doubt that no such proceedings will take place. And for that, I am deeply distressed - as we now have a government that will not due it's sworn duty to uphold the Constitution of this great country.

Dennis Works
Waterbury, VT
-- Posted by Dennis Works on Tue, Dec 2, 2008, 9:20 am EST

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