Panic on the streets of DC
Panic on the streets of Washington
I wonder to myself
Could life ever be sane again?
Hang the blessed JD
Hang the JD hang the JD hang the JD,
Hang the JD.

So, I think that Congress should impeach President Bush. Sober, more in anger than in sadness, etc., etc., I do declare that I believe so, and strongly.

Not that my voice carries very far on political issues—I only say so here, declaring it on my modest public forum, because I have no congressional representatives to lobby.

Among other misdemeanors, President Bush has wasted American blood and treasure and expanded dangerously executive authority through signing statements, broad executive orders, and other innovative measures. Nevertheless, up to this point, the political cost of impeachment struck me as too high a price for the Democrats to pay to address Bush administration abuses. And I can't say I see a whole lot of upshot to installing Vice President Cheney in the Oval Office.

But today, the Bush administration asserted that "the Justice Department will never be allowed to pursue contempt charges initiated by Congress against White House officials once the president has invoked executive privilege." A breathtaking claim—my heart actually raced when I read it. It's too much to take. President Bush has attempted to nullify an important check of the legislature; if the Congress takes no action, he has succeeded. I'm not certain how Congress can resist this claim—through a show of force? by deploying the Capitol Police to arrest Harriet Miers et al.? What then? If it's a game of chicken between the executive and legislative branches, impeachment is way preferable to force.

It's crucial that the power of the executive branch be curtailed before another president takes office. Even if President Bush is only slapping the Congress in order to ensure that no one in the administration pays any penalty for its crimes—that's what I believe—limitless executive authority, or a "term-limited monarchy" as I've seen it phrased elsewhere, is not power that should be entertained. And it's not one that the next President will give up willingly.

Impeachment is bound to provoke a national crisis, but the fact of the matter is, the crisis is already there. I say, impeach them!

On a lighter note: Scroll down to 86 for a message of hope. (Via A White Bear.)