Bush Impeachment Panel

Hedda and I went over to Busboys & Poets for a forum discussing the possibility of impeaching President Bush. From the BB&P events page:

Forum on the Impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. Are the president and vice president subject to the law or above the law? How can they be held accountable? Should they be held accountable? Have the president and vice president committed any impeachable offenses? (Arrive early and order lunch.)

It was an interesting time, with lots of interesting people. Of course, the general conensus in the room was that his actions not only violate domestic law, but also that they violate international law. Several times, parallels were drawn to the Nuremberg Trials. A bit surprising, though, was the earnest desire in the room for the legislature to grow a spine and take back the powers they have granted the executive over the years, finally setting right the imbalance of power favoring the latter.

Of considerable amusement was when Kevin Zeese mentioned Ralph Nader’s views on the impeachment. He was one of the first to propose it - in fact it was a common campaign issue during his recent 2004 presidential run. When Kevin mentioned that Ralph also supported Bill Clinton’s impeachment for lying under oath, only three people in the room clapped - and two of them were Hedda and myself.

Kevin really put on a good show. He is running for U.S. Senate in Maryland, and I think he will put on a formidable campaign. For example, one questioner asked whether or not there would be any chance of impeachment if the Republicans continued their stranglehold on Congress. David Swanson fumbled with a long, rambling response that merely dodged the question, but Kevin took the mic and made clear that impeachment is not a partisan issue, it is a constitutional issue. The man has violated our law, and the law requires his removal from office. I captured a video of his closing remarks, as well.

Cindy Sheehan was also there. I had not heard her speak before, and she comes across as quite an average person. She is quite aware of the facts and the situation, however, and she speaks quite plainly and emotionally. I can see why the pundits have had a hard time handling her.

I took several photos of the impeachment forum, as well.