Editorials

Memory is physical as well as mental. If my memory serves me correctly, in a drawer somewhere in our house, perhaps in the bookshelf in our living room, we used to have (and perhaps still do) a fading yellowed copy of something headed “Bill of Impeachment.” I’m pretty sure it was from 1967 or thereabouts, and I’m pretty sure that John Conyers, the smart, dapper young congressman from Detroit, and Robert Drinan, the only Jesuit ever elected to Congress from Massachusetts or any other state, joined about 10 House colleagues in proposing impeaching Lyndon Johnson over his pursuit of the Vietnam War. That impeachment action came to naught, unless you count Johnson’s eventual decision not to run again. There have been other occasions in the intervening years when impeachment has been started, but only Bill Clinton ever faced an actual trial.  

In retrospect the crimes all of the culprits were accused of and probably committed were trivial compared to the current situation. Granted, the Vietnam War was a big mistake, but by and large it was an honest mistake. Granted, Nixon et al. were crooks, though they claimed not to be, but their crimes were limited in scope, and were carried out simply for crass political advantage. Clinton’s crime was two-fold: committing adultery in the White House and lying about it. But it was still small potatoes. 

By comparison, the crimes of which the current administration stands accused are major, and go to the very fabric of our political system. It’s not just that George W. Bush and his appointees have broken the law regarding domestic spying on Americans, which has happened before. What’s really shocking is that they refuse to lie about it. It’s not just that military operatives under Bush’s command have violated laws and treaties concerning torture, it’s that they admit it and are not ashamed. If Bill Clinton could be impeached for shady sex, surely overt unblushing defiance of the laws of the United States is an impeachable offense. Congressman Conyers, no longer young but still dapper and smart, has been crying for impeachment for some months now, and he’s starting to sound like the prophet Elijah. 

Thursday’s e-mail brought a mass Internet petition with Barbara Boxer’s name prominent, which implored Sen. Arlen Specter to investigate the Bush wiretaps. That’s a fine idea, but the administration’s defiance of law has now gotten to a level so serious that a run of the mill Senate investigation is not an adequate remedy. This can be gauged by the actions of judges both liberal and conservative this week: the resignation of one judge from the secret spying oversight tribunal, which has been emasculated by being ignored, and the decision by a conservative appeals panel not to transfer Jose Padilla from military to civil jurisdiction, thwarting a transparent administration effort to avoid judicial review of its tactics. Whatever opinions these assorted judges might have on substantive questions, they appear to agree that this country is supposed to be under the rule of law.  

This time of year many people in the East Bay, where we know from the rule of law and have fine representation in Congress by Boxer and Barbara Lee, will be dispersing to Whence We Came, other parts of the nation not necessarily so enlightened. This is an ideal opportunity to change the tone of discussion at holiday parties from “ain’t it awful” to “this is what we can do.” It’s becoming increasingly clear that the problem with this administration is not just one or two little lapses, but a pervasive contempt for constitutional law which can only be cured by removing George Bush from office.  

It really wouldn’t be that difficult to orchestrate a grass-roots movement from all over the country to do something about it. Not many members of Congress are as completely secure in their districts as Conyers and Lee, but many of the Democrats around the country are for all intents and purposes facing easy re-election campaigns. There are even some Republicans who still believe in the Constitution. More of them should be persuaded to get on the impeachment bandwagon.  

Face-to-face lobbying is the most effective, and representatives will be back home in their districts for the holidays. Go call on them, and ask your brother-in-law and your mother and your old roommate to come along. Quote Ben Franklin: “Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.” It’s time to move this discussion from the Internet, where bloggers are mainly exhorting other dwellers in the blogosphere, into the real world.  

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