Impeach George W. Bush Ad Ill-Conceived

The National Impeachment Network is planning to run ads in California, urging citizens to demand the impeachment of George w. Bush. From Raw Story:

The National Impeachment Network is planning to run an advertisement on California television during the months of December and January 2009 which advocates for the impeachment of President George W. Bush.

Headed by Ralph Lopez, diarist at the left-leaning Daily Kos, the National Impeachment Network is supported by grassroots groups such as Code Pink, Veterans for Peace and Republicans for Impeachment.

The group is soliciting donations on its website to run the ad nationwide.

Here's the ad, followed by my commentary.



First things first: I object to the use of photographs depicting soldiers' funerals. I understand the impulse of the true believer to persuade by any means necessary, but exploitation is exploitation. If you can't make your case without it, perhaps your case isn't that strong.

On the subject of impeaching Bush, maybe I'm a lousy progressive, but I don't see the point now. Whether Bush and his cohorts are ever held to account is another matter, but there is nothing in this video that wasn't known in 2004, when this country re-elected him.

The sad fact is, he made enough people feel safer that they were willing to overlook almost anything. That includes our duly-elected Congress. The progressive movement, huge yet diffuse, could not muster the force to overwhelm it. Their success was in changing the conversation, setting the stage for a more vital dialogue in this past election.

While impeachment may not be the answer, an accounting should be done. Unfortunately, I don't see that the massive comeuppance that many are looking for will ever happen. That moment where the accused spills his guts on the witness stand, and then is hauled away in irons, faces insurmountable obstacles.

Sure, the country is in turmoil, and the new administration wants to keep looking forward. I expect many to be disappointed with the way Barack Obama handles this. He campaigned as the only major candidate to oppose the war. But his task, now, is to lead this country out of a huge mess, and he can only do it with the help of accomplices to the Iraq war. He was elected by millions of them, to lead millions more.

Balancing that need to move forward with the demands for justice will be a Solomonic task. He should be held to it, but it won't be accomplished in a matter of weeks, and the full measure of it can never be achieved.

Tommy Christopher and Caleb Howe co-host "Unusable Signal",on BlogTalkRadio, Tues through Thurs at 10pm, and Fri, and Sat at 11pm. (Eastern) Click here for the Unusable Signal homepage.