Why Bush Hasn’t Been Impeached: Failure of Leadership, Not The People

by paradox

Gary Kimiya of Salon was brave enough to take on the extremely daunting task of trying to explain why Bush hasn’t been impeached in 2,800 words, and his excellent summation of factors—Democratic weakness, denial of violent nationalism, “wartime” ascendancy, Republican unity, successful fraud, rule of law stolen, reason and epistemology diminished, evasion of prosecution—are thorough enough, but at it’s very core base Kamiya’s arguments flow from this premise: politicians and the media respond to the will of the people, they’re not the primary elements in creating and leading the people’s will. The people are.

Not. “Leader’s lead,” His Dickless, the worst of all time, always says when’s he’s about to murder more innocents or break another law. Howard Dean ran a hugely successful campaign from nowhere on the simple proposition that it was “people-powered,” endless exhortations to the fact that yes, really, people could have power. In this time and place in the United States the people are led, they don’t lead their representatives.

“A society without memory, driven by ephemeral emotions, which demands no consistency from its leaders but only gusty patriotism, is a society that is not about to engage in the painful self-examination that impeachment would mean.”

In no way is this a work to demonstrate Mr. Kamiya wrong, a presumption I would never undertake, I don’t have the qualifications or talent to do so. Action by leadership or will of the people isn’t an on/off black or white proposition, and there is no way to empirically know the correct answer. I just happen to give more weight to the proposition that if Democrats and the media lead (instead of enabling), impeachment would instantly proceed and succeed, not that Democrats and the media are waiting around for some magical mystical day when the will of people inspires them divinely for good democracy.

Cost-benefit analysis by Democrats in aversion to impeachment isn’t savvy politics, it’s leadership weakness. Impeachment requires work, media talent, and cooperative skills Democrats haven't summoned. “Bad politics” is a skinny rationalization for doing nothing and failing to perceive the true threat of Bush.

Kamiya states that Bush’s crimes are too great, that their wellspring of violent nationalism, denial, dishonesty and immaturity won’t and can’t be confronted by the populace. In fact it’s a total lack of leadership talent not up to the difficult—but certainly not impossible—task of showing the people why the worst of all time must immediately go. That's what impeachment hearings do.

The greatest hole in Kamiya’s premise is that the American people have a neutral media, a real political journalism corps that consistently delivers the truth so the people can decide what to do. It’s simply laughable, the corporate propaganda filter the American people must use to perceive reality and threats is horribly strong and pervasive.

There is no respect and adherence to the rule of law because no pundits pound the table with it, they write about hair instead. There is no memory because the media makes sure it’s never published. The Straussian rationalization that Bush meant well because Saddam was a threat is a rank media failure: Saddam was never a threat in any way. A real journalism corps never would have let that rationalization for lying take root in the first place.

Spin is accepted and no logic employed because the main conveyor of fact and events—the “journalism” corps—precisely insists that reason, facts and truth be hidden as much as possible. Their mission is to enable, not inform, and until that changes the will of the people can never be formulated or even expressed, the mechanism to do so is plain busted.

Some would state that with real journalism gone Democrats can never summon the bravery to lead. I don’t agree, although it does make me much more sympathetic and forgiving toward Reid and Pelosi.

Kamiya is precisely correct in the sacrosanct element to “wartime,” the patriotic duty to support the troops, country and President when in harm’s way. Bush has fully exploited it, and combined with criminal Republican leadership, Democratic weakness, and an enabling “journalism” corps here we are, the worst of all time with 16 more months totally free to commit more atrocities, no impeachment in sight.

Stopping him means Democrats would have to lead. Lead with a caucus strategy, a media strategy, a netroots strategy, then summon the energy and courage of their lives to defend the country and impeach Bush. Democrats haven’t summoned the talent the bravery to do so—yet. If they did the American people would follow, circumventing the clumsy media filter isn’t hard, and we all would finally stop being persecuted with the worst of all time and his heinous war.