Rethinking the Bush impeachment

It’s the summer and it’s the one time that my editor allows me to write columns that don’t necessarily have a gay slant. With that in mind, here are some of my views of current events.

Foremost, of course, is our endearing President George “Wrong Way” Bush: If there’s a wrong way on a policy, he’ll find it. Hurricanes, military hospital malfeasance and illegal phone taps, not to mention two wars (one of which was based on poor intelligence), are just the top of the list. Many are calling for impeachment. Anyone who reads this column knows that I’m no fan of G.W. Bush. But impeachment would be a disaster.

While history will most likely view this president as one of the worst and probably prove that he deserves impeachment, impeachment at this time could create a situation that could bring this country into a constitutional crisis.

First is the process of impeachment. It is a complex process and would preoccupy all three branches of government at a time that we need to have our legislative branch correcting the wrongs of Bush: the legislative branch in putting him on trial, the judicial branch weighing in on the legality of Congressional actions and requests and the executive branch defending the president. A government standstill in the midst of two wars and countless problems at home is not the best use of Congress’ time and our money.

Next is what happens if we impeach the president: Vice President Dick Cheney becomes our new Commander-in-Chief. Only about 17 percent of Americans would be happy with Dick in the Oval Office, according to recent popularity surveys. And it seems that many of the harsher policies coming out of the White House are already devised by Darth Vader, uh, Dick Cheney. Those calling for impeachment of Bush have also called for a Cheney impeachment as well. Here’s where the slippery slope gets even slicker.

If, by any chance, we reach that point, the Republicans and neo-conservatives would claim the impeachments were really a coup d’etat by Democrats since third in line is none other than the Speaker of the House, Democrat Nancy Pelosi.

With Senate Republicans deserting the president in droves, and with less then a year and a half to go of this reckless, criminal and incredibly unenlightened administration, it is best to let Wrong Way Bush remain as a lame duck. But it is my sincerest hope that after the 2008 election, Wrong Way gets the attention his policies deserve by countless Congressional investigations and Wrong Way will be forced to finally defend his policies by questions from an angry American public through their representatives.

Mark Segal is PGN publisher. His column appears weekly.