An Open Letter to Nancy Pelosi

[FourScore]

An Open Letter to Nancy Pelosi
by John Atcheson

Madam Speaker:

It is time to impeach George Bush and Dick Cheney.

We all know the case for doing so: the litany of this administration’s offenses is long and tragic, the damage they have wrought to our nation and the principles it was founded upon profound.

And yet many of us understood - even if we did not agree - when you said “impeachment is off the table.” Your case was credible, if not persuasive. The proceedings would have been disruptive, making progress in other areas difficult, and the fact that three of the last six presidents would have been impeached by the opposition party could have damaged the presidency and sank this nation into a permanent partisan war. It could have fed the notion that impeachment proceedings were simply another political maneuver to be used by partisans to cripple their opponents, much as partisan Republicans did with Clinton. And with two years remaining, this did seem a high price to pay for getting rid of George Bush and his partners in crime. Taking the high road had a certain nobility, even if it didn’t satisfy a hunger for justice many of us felt.

But now - with scarcely eighteen months left - you have no choice but to impeach Bush and Cheney regardless of the cost, because it has become increasingly clear that the very foundations of this nation have been assaulted as never before in our history, and to let that record stand would be an act of cowardice on your part and a dangerous precedent to future presidents.

Others have laid out the specific charges, and they are legion. But it is the nature and character of the offenses which leave you no choice. This administration has not simply broken specific provisions of arcane laws, or committed “misdemeanors.” They have sought to fundamentally rewrite the Constitution in a manner that is more to their liking. They have systematically put the interest of a political party over the interests of the nation, committing serious crimes in the process.

SNIP

Fear is democracy’s worst enemy, secrecy its greatest threat, but they are a despot’s best friend. Despots operate in secret and thrive on the ignorance it creates. They wield fear to frighten the people and paralyze opposition.

Those who would champion freedom must have the courage to confront the fear-monger and expose his stratagems and the wisdom to know when it is necessary.

SNIP

History is watching, Madam Speaker. The fate of our Republic is in your hands. We look now to you for the wisdom to know it is time, and courage to act upon it.

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/07/08/2381/

[stellanoir]

1. Blatant corruption has never been remedied by graciousness or decorum.

Set the table already or you are equally complicit as the sycophantic media and your short sighted corporate donors.

[Individualist]

2. She had the opportunity to achieve greatness

by leading actions against the criminal administration. Instead, she has chosen complicity. It's a stain on her character that her children and grandchildren will have to live with.

[Maraya1969]

3. I hope this person also sent it to Speaker Pelosi eom