That Didn't Take Long

One key difference between Democrats and Republicans is clearly visible on the issue of impeachment of the President. Even the nuttiest, most leftward-leaning Democrat seems to understand that impeachment is a serious process, requiring misdeeds in office of the highest order and involving not just removal from office but criminal proceedings. Republicans seem to think of it as an electoral do-over to oust somebody they just don't like all that much.

So, less than a month into Obama's first term, the far right has started to take up the cry for impeachment. Huffington Post has the story here.

I can recall, when many of us were calling for impeachment of GWB over the war in Iraq, the total mismanagement of disaster relief for the various hurricanes (Katrina included), the myriad signing statements that stated whether the [mal]administration would enforce or even recognize Congressional legislation, the whole domestic spying apparatus and other substantial misdeeds, that many moderate Democrats advised against it. Their reasoning was that seeking the removal of the President (and Vice President, as would have been necessary) would seem petty and vengeful after the Clinton business, and that such tools must be used cautiously. They admonished us that should we proceed with such a step the nation would be plunged into similar proceedings the next time a Democrat was elected President: somehow they believed if they refrained, the opposition would do the same.

Their hesitancy forced us to live through eight years of gross incompetence, blatant partisanship, and wanton disregard for any authority - domestic or international - in pursuit of an agenda even now not entirely clear beyond perpetual US predominance in the globe and Republican predominance in the US, obliteration of any and all opposition, and squandering federal funds and public resources to enrich a scant few. All that while poor policy decisions, infinitesimal oversight efforts and gross overspending laid the foundation for the current economic train wreck and the discrediting of the US on the global stage. Those of us who knew our opposition better tried to remind them that the far right had no such qualms, and would agitate for such for far less cause (as had already been proved) - to no avail.

As it turns out, the far right has not even the slightest hesitation to call for this most serious option, and seems ready to do this on the least plausible and flimsiest of grounds.