A decision by Congress to pursue impeachment is not an option, it is a sworn duty. It is time for Congress to stand up and defend the Constitution against the blatant violations and illegalities of this Administration. Our Founding Fathers bestowed upon Congress the power of impeachment, and it is now time that we use it to defend the rule of law from this corrupt Administration. - Rep. Robert Wexler

The past 48 hours have been exciting. Something I’ve been waiting for over the past several years has finally come to pass. Impeachment has been presented and proposed by Mr. Kucinich and co-sponsored by Mr. Wexler. While it’s not a surprise that these two are involved in the presentation of the 35 articles of impeachment - as both have worked tirelessly towards impeaching both George W. Bush and Dick Chaney - it is significant because it continues to add credibility to the case against President Bush.

The fight for impeachment has been an uphill battle. On the coat tails of the ridiculous mockery of the system that was the Clinton impeachment fiasco, many people are gun shy. So much so that the America that was more than willing to try and impeach Clinton for minor sexual dalliances and the lies that followed during the cover up, has now sat idly during 350 scandals most of which have been far more damaging to the health, well-being, and integrity of the office of the President and the United States.

Unfortunately, the fight for impeachment is, has been, and will continue to be, an uphill battle. Impeachment has found significant resistance among the upper echelons of the Democratic Party. Nancy Pelosi in particular has spearheaded a resistance movement focused on killing and discrediting any attempt at impeachment. She has repeatedly stated that “impeachment is off the table” and more recently that any attempt at impeachment would be a “distraction”. In the last 48 hours it’s a sentiment I’ve heard echoed by friends, family and strangers - typically accompanied by the question, “Isn’t it too late at this point in the game? What’s the point?”

Now, perhaps more than ever, impeachment is necessary

The truth is that by the time the impeachment process picks up momentum and goes into full swing Bush will be close to /out of office anyway. I don’t think you’ll find many people that disagree on that point. That does not, however, in any way negate the current need for activation of the impeachment process.

The impeachment process is needed to reveal factual information, create a whistle-blower-friendly environment, force media coverage, encourage perspective, make a statement to the international community, establish a point for the historical record, and to track down key data to be used against Bush and Cheney after this administration ends.

• Revealing Factual Information - The general public already has access to amazing amounts of information about Bush’s gross misconduct. However, the dissemination and credibility of that information has been largely ignored or maligned. Freedoms of Information Act filings have been used by the ACLU and others to gain the release of important troubling documents. Despite these actions, significant pieces of information that would shed light/validate other existing information/whistle-blower’s claims, has been retained under the Nixonesque guise of national secrets. The impeachment process would give Congress access to these documents, and to a lesser extent the American people while entering that data into the official record. This data could then be used at a later date for review of Bush and the administration as a whole.
• Whistle Blowers - There have been so many over the course of this administration it’s hard to keep them all straight. These individuals have come forward time and time again, only to be largely ignored, harassed, assaulted, and in some cases imprisoned. The most high profile example of which is the case of Mr. and Mrs. Wilson (Plame). Though others - more recently such as Scott McClellan’s book and the recent FBI raid in May on the office charged with protecting whistle blowers. Mr. Bloch was accused of abusing his authority to investigate cases, retaliating against employees, and repeatedly dismissing whistle blower cases with minimal examination based on a political agenda.
• Force Media Coverage - Almost 8 years later and I finally find myself in a position where I can say, beyond reasonable doubt, “I told you so”. On issues of impeachment, anti-corruption, public opinion, and questions of morality the Main Stream Media (MSM) has been guilty of gross negligence and bias over the last several years. Recent revelations (The Pentagon Propaganda Campaign, Scott McClellan, Murdock’s Statements etc.) have illustrated the sad state of the American MSM. Major public events which demand media coverage are necessary to catch the eyes, ears and hearts of average American Joes. Not only would the impeachment process force MSM attention on the issues, it would focus the spotlight on various sub scandals and issues tied to this administration which have fallen “out of sight/out of mind” and/or been swept under the rug.
• Encouraging Perspective - Despite everything that has occurred over the past 7 years there are still major segments of the American population that, while moving away from their approval for Bush, still look favorably on the actions, sentiments, atmosphere and behavior his administration has fostered. Impeachment would go a long way toward accelerating the current shift in perspective and begin the healing process. Further, it would serve to destabilize the power hungry politicians who are still loyal/more than willing to associate with Bush, the administration and its policies. One prime case being John McCain.
• The International Community - The modern marketplace is global. Like it or not, the U.S. is inescapably influenced and bound to the world economy. To that end, our presence within the world sphere is paramount to the success, health and safety of the United States; especially that of American business men/women and travelers. The actions of the Bush administration and the American people in their previous support for that administration have severely damaged our position and credibility in the global environment. The impact of that lost credibility goes far beyond the simple “Oh well, we don’t need them” mentality of the early 00’s. It impacts the way we interact with the world and the way our future generations perceive that global environment. The impeachment process would declare to the world, “We were lost, but we have found ourselves.” It would show once again why America is the greatest country in the world and why, despite the occasional hiccups and flaws, American democracy is supreme.
• Historical Record -Failure to begin the impeachment process sets a terrible precedent. While future presidents will no doubt work to reverse the damage the Bush administration and Congress have done, part of that process will rely on precedent. If we fail to take action against Bush our inaction validates those behaviors as acceptable. These behaviors are NOT acceptable and for my part, I refuse to sit by idly and let it be said that our generation failed America, the constitution, and the world.
• Key Data - This will not be over when Bush leaves office. In fact, it’s very possible that what we are seeing today is little more than the quiet beginnings of a landslide. We face a very real future where the United States of America, more specifically our President and select members of his administration, will face international war crimes charges. The ramifications of their legacy on domestic issues are staggering. As previously mentioned, the information and data an impeachment investigation - especially on the 35 diverse counts Kucinich has offered - will help establish a firm, factual, foundation for future exploration and action.

With those factors in mind I hope you will join me in continuing to push for accountability and impeachment. The house votes today to determine if the Impeachment Bill will go before the Judiciary Committee. I urge you all to keep careful track of how your representatives vote and to ask yourself - what is best for America?

View the full 35 articles and in-depth explanations here.