Impeach Gonzales: the Quickest Way to the Truth / Arianna Huffington

[Demeter]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/impeach-gonzales-the-qui_b_44228.html

In his weekend radio address, President Bush said of the investigation into the U.S. Attorney firings: "Members of Congress now face a choice: whether they will waste time and provoke an unnecessary confrontation, or whether they will join us in working to do the people's business."
...If the president continues trying to run out the clock on this scandal, Congress should immediately begin impeachment proceedings against Alberto Gonzales. It's the quickest way to the truth.

Appearing on CNN's Late Edition, Joe DiGenova said that if Congress insists on issuing subpoenas, the White House will surely contest them, and the ensuing litigation will last until the end of Bush's term. DiGenova's point was that Congress should go ahead and compromise, but my takeaway was just the opposite: if Bush's game is to stall, Congress should play the impeachment card since, as Robert Kuttner points out, "an impeachment inquiry could be completed in a matter of months."

Kuttner calls Gonzales the administration's "point man for serial assaults against the rule of law." And his sordid track record as White House counsel and AG bears this out: Guantanamo, the misuse of "national security letters," the abuse of the Patriot Act, the illegal spying on American citizens, and now his lies about his involvement in the U.S. Attorney firings.

Bush has 21 months left in office. That's far too long to continue with an Attorney General with such contempt for the law.

[texpatriot2004]

1. The * Admin. has never done the "people's business" nm

[MannyGoldstein]

2. SOMEBODY Has To be Impeached - Or At Least Censured

Congress hasn't lifted a finger to fight Bush's expansion of Executive power. In the eyes of the Courts, by not fighting it, they may be effectively EMBRACING it. (This is precisely the mechanism by which Hitler was able to grab absolute power in Germany)

Impeaching Gonzales and/or Bush, in part for their usurpation of power, would help restore claims on Congressional power.

(I'm not holding my breath, though - this crowd puts triangulation way above good governance...)

[Demeter]

3. The Only Thing Worse Than This Administratrion's Arrogance

is Congress' continuing cowardice in the face of crisis.