Impeaching President Bush for Unprecedented Deception, Corruption and Greed

Impeachment? To quote Thomas Jefferson, "the impeachment the Constitution has provided is not even a scarecrow." From his pre-emptive invasion of Iraq to his brazen disregard for the Constitution, this President is becoming more transparent as the apathetic silence to his deeds grows.

This President graciously waited until April 25, three days after Earth Day, to decide on a temporary suspension on EPA air quality laws. With an average national cost of $2.91 per gallon and oil companies recording record profits, he also repealed $2 billion in tax breaks for oil companies. Sounds good, right? Don't buy it.

This President is involved in a blatant cycle of deception, corruption and power-grabbing that would be impeachable if not for the infuriating cooperation of an indifferent public and a silent opposition party with the watchdog of a corporate media fast asleep at their feet.

This President has fought bitterly in the court system to conceal the members of his Energy Task Force since 2001, although documents released from their meetings include maps of the oil reserves beneath Afghanistan and Iraq. In the Energy Policy Act of 2005, oil and gas companies received $515 million in authorized spending and $3.275 billion in new tax breaks.

This President was either woefully uninformed or didn't care how the disruption of Iraqi oil exports would affect the world economy. In 2002, Bush's chief economic advisor Laurence Lindsey said "the key issue is oil, and a regime change in Iraq would facilitate an increase in world oil." According to an April 28 AP report, Iraqi oil exports are at their lowest levels since the invasion. With prices above $70 a barrel, Iraqi production is "a significant contributing factor," according to Dalton Garis, an economist at the Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi.

This President continues to protect corrupt reconstruction efforts in Iraq. According to the April 19 issue of the Wall Street Journal,an estimated 50 cases of fraud have been filed, but many may never reach a courtroom due to a loophole in the statute used to prosecute them. Normally, such cases are sealed for a 60-day period until the government decides whether or not to participate in the lawsuit.

With the exception of one case this administration has repeatedly requested extensions, in some instances for as long as two years, to keep these cases sealed and out of the courts. When asked, a spokesman for the Department of Justice predictably said he was unable to discuss sealed cases or comment on the government's inaction in such matters.

In addition, the April 30 issue of the Boston Globe reported that Bush has used signing statements to assert his right to disobey an unprecedented number of laws. These signing statements are documents that outline any Constitutional conflicts with a president's legal interpretation of a law. During his presidency, Clinton issued 140 signing statements; Bush has used the tactic more than 750 times, often to ignore compromises necessary to pass a bill.

This President used such a signing statement to explain his disregard for the wiretapping provisions of the PATRIOT Act, and also to disagree with recent torture laws passed after Abu Ghraib. Even more troubling, he has used signing statements to consistently deny that Congress can regulate the military, citing his authority as commander in chief.

This President feels that "saving Iran is going to be his legacy," according to a government consultant at the Pentagon. In the April 17 issue of the New Yorker, Seymour Hersh said that "[t]he Bush Administration, while publicly advocating diplomacy in order to stop Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon, has increased clandestine activities inside Iran and intensified planning for a possible major air attack."

This President is no stranger to these "clandestine activities". During the build-up to the Iraqi war, US forces invaded Iraq from Turkey two months before Congress authorized the use of force in Oct. 2002. Initially, Pentagon officials denied any knowledge of the operation until reporters challenged them with specific details. Their response: "We can't comment on current or future operations."

This President dismissed any plans to attack Iran as "wild speculation," but said that "all means are acceptable in order to prevent the danger represented by Iran." Just last August, a U.S. intelligence review projected that Iran is a decade away from nuclear capability, but their recent claims of low-level uranium enrichment have stepped up the fear machine. Do you hear the war drums again?

This President's hunger for power led him to cast aside the Constitution and the balance of power it affords our republic. By seizing the war power from the Congress he can effectively wage war with whomever he pleases, including his "legacy-maker", the only non-nuclear member of the axis of evil left, Iran.

Regardless of his future plans, this President already has a true legacy: his response in the aftermath of 9/11. History will record the nationalistic fervor twisted from a nation's fear of terrorism. The history books will not forget the unprecedented goodwill toward our country that was destroyed along with any hope of a true global alliance against terrorism.

Most importantly, history will not forgive the lies and corruption surrounding Iraq and the ongoing construction of 14 "enduring bases" throughout the country along with a billion dollar American embassy, the largest in the world.

Impeachment? Not anytime soon, unfortunately. Anybody know what Monica Lewinsky is up to these days?