An Ill Wind

By Nancy Greggs

"It’s an ill wind that doesn’t blow somebody some good.”

At this juncture, there are only three options for Bush and Cheney: they can resign, they can be impeached and removed from office, or they can continue to self-destruct in front of the nation until their corrupt regime comes to its inevitable end in January 2009.

And all three options are in the hands of the Republican Party.

The GOP could stop the bleeding of its own party’s credibility, and electability, by informing their president and VP that unless they agree to step down, the Republicans have no choice but to signal the Democrats that they can initiate impeachment proceedings with the GOP's support.

Alternatively, the Republicans can sit back and watch the White House and its attendant minions continue to obfuscate, lie, stall, spin, and demonstrate their defiance of the law – all to the detriment of the Party.

There is no doubt that the continuance of the Bush/Cheney administration will cause untold suffering; more troops and civilians will die in Iraq, more money will be bled from the American taxpayer, more innocent people will be the victims of injustice and torture, more American workers will lose their jobs, more children will be added to the statistics of those living in poverty, those left hungry, those left behind.

Such dire consequences inevitably mean that there is a price to be paid, and the Fates don’t care who is stuck with the tab. If Bush/Cheney do not pay the price of their wrongdoing, someone inevitably will – and that someone will be the Grand Ol’ Party.

Let’s face it, my Republican friends; after the Abramoff scandals, the convictions of people like Duke Cunningham, and the downright silliness of Gonzales’ public excuse-making, it is apparent that the word corruption is being associated with your party on an alarmingly increasing basis – and the current rash of White House refusals to comply with subpoenas, requests for documents, and the sworn testimony of government personnel underscores that perception at every turn.

The too-late mea culpas of people like Powell, and the Johnny-come-lately second thoughts of people like Lugar, will not assuage voters – even staunch Republican voters, who wonder why such statements were not made when they could have been meaningful, instead of when political expediency dictated the wisdom of proclaiming such after-the-fact regrets.

It is notable that even the most inane of right-wing pundits (and God knows there are a lot of them) have not ventured into the impeachment versus non-impeachment discussion is splitting the Democratic party minefield. Even they are aware of the obvious: impeachment, though heatedly argued within our own ranks, is not a make-or-break proposition. Democratic voters will not be rushing to the polls to vote for a Republican in ’08 should its party leaders impeach or not impeach. We on this side of the aisle are all too aware that any Democrat is more trustworthy than a Republican, regardless of whether we agree with our party’s ultimate decision on impeachment or not.

It is also notable that the current GOP presidential wannabes are appealing to their base by reverentially referring to the Great Saint Ronnie, while cautiously avoiding any mention of their party-members currently occupying the White House – in other words: “Please forget we are the party who put George W. Bush into office.” Not a resounding endorsement of their president, nor their own culpability in allowing his behavior to go unchecked.

As I stated at the outset, it is an ill wind that doesn’t blow somebody some good. And the truth of the matter is that this current ill wind – the one that carries the stench of dead American troops, of burning Iraqi cities, of corruption and defiance of the law at the highest levels of government – has only one entity to which it can blow some good: the Democratic party.

If Bush and Cheney are forced from office, the Democrats are vindicated in their oft-stated accusations that that this administration has been corrupt and self-serving all along.

If Bush and Cheney stay in office, the consequences of their failures – the debacle in Iraq, the escalation of the national debt, the detrimental effect on our economy, etc. – will be inherited by every Republican seeking election or re-election in 2008, and probably beyond.

So what’s it going to be, GOP? Will you choose to swallow your pride and cut your losses, or will you choose to slowly bleed to death as the regime you put in place and supported takes you down with it?

The ball, as they say, is in your court. But no matter how you play it, you lose – which means that America wins.

continue to obfuscate, lie, stall, spin, and demonstrate their defiance of the law – all to the detriment of the Party".

:evilgrin:

Bring it on cod boy.

:toast: from a fellow "we, the people" sort.

:-) MKJ

Bank on it.

They are in such a state of denial, they think they are untouchable. * & Dick will go down with the rat-infested GOP ship.

And to think 3 short years ago their Chief Decider Guy was telling us how much political capital he "earned". He kept charging and charging and charging....and he's pretty much bankrupted his Party.

He may have been selected pResident, but he never really had the moral authority that comes from being elected.

Shrubco has been prepping for the fourth option for years. And the vile bastard doesn't necessarily have to wait until January 2009 to put it into play.

The fourth option is martial law, and * could decide tomorrow that he's had it with bloggers unfavorably comparing him with a maggot-infested 6' high pile of steaming, stinking horseshit; because such dialog is detremental to the continued operation of the Executive branch during a time of war, martial law must be imposed to curtail it.

Actually, he really needs no catylist. Congress has already given him the authority to declare martial law for any reason he may feel appropriate. Once activated, no more Congress, elections, courts. * would assume full dictatorial power for as long as he chooses to keep it, and there is nothing citizens or Congress can legally do about it.

We ARE talking about George Bush here, after all. Does anyone really think he intends to turn over the Presidency in January, 2009?

... but I have never bought into this he'll declare martial law and cancel the elections stuff. Sorry.

That would destroy the union, alienate even most of those who would support him otherwise, and bring us to the brink of civil war.

He'd have to be even crazier than we think he is.

And I used to worry as you do. But when I look at his face these days he's exhausted. To remain resolutely impervious to all contrary opinions, and to reality itself, takes a lot out of man. He doesn't know why he's so tired. And he will NEVER admit that he was wrong.

But, honestly, I don't think he WANTS to keep being president anymore.

They simply don't have the nerve to declare martial law.

simply cannot be expressed in anything approaching polite conversation. Their greatest remaining ability is that which enables them to completely ignore the bloody guts in which they stand hip deep. The stench of the rotting corpses of Iraq and New Orleans has sickened the entire world, yet they continue to insist that we misapprehend the fragrance of roses.

The machinations of the Bush/Cheney administration have already made it the most despicable in our brief history. Those who cheered them on, propped them up, made excuses for them and tampered with Constitutional intent for their benefit will indeed pay a price. So will all those on our side of the aisle who could have done something, anything, but chose not to. Thus, so will we all pay a terrible price.

The GOP has spent far too much of its coin developing the hubris that would prefer to bleed to death as the Bush regime gasps toward its final breaths. That same hubris is what allows them to portray the rape and pillage of our national integrity as something honorable. And this presents us with the simple need to do better, to be better.

When we come through it, and I believe we must because the alternative is too horrible to contemplate, we'll do what Americans have come to be known for - we'll wipe our hands on our britches, and pick up whatever brooms and hammers are called for, and we'll set about cleaning up the mess and restoring our country and our national dignity. And in the course of all that, should we come across a surviving Republican, we can hold out a calloused Democratic hand in invitation to rejoin the brotherhood that places the good of the country above every other consideration.

... should we come across a surviving Republican, we can hold out a calloused Democratic hand in invitation to rejoin the brotherhood that places the good of the country above every other consideration."

That is an incredible statement! I think you need to spend less time reading my threads and more time creating your own, my friend. You are a talented wordsmith in your own right, and we all would benefit by hearing more from you.

We are fortunate to have some really talented writers here at DU!

Julie

when served alongside kind words. Thank you! And I have every intention of continuing to read your threads. Failure to read or listen to the words of others has taken our alleged leaders into dangerous waters, and there is no reason to follow their poor example. So, you keep writing and I'll keep reading - not my fault if your words are inspiring!

I enjoy your writing style. I look forward to reading more from you!

:hi:

Julie

I gave my recommendation hours ago, when I had no time to post...

You are a treasure!

:patriot:

It's not worth the lives of our troops or any of the other destruction, but at least there is the fact that nobody will be able to claim that conservative policies work except, of course, for the die hards who will say that somehow Bushco was hindered from fully implimenting its revolutionary policies. (by what--bad old Democrats criticizing them?)

Both The Nation and The American Prospect have recently written articles on this subject--the return of an era of Democratic Majority, thanks to Bushco.

Wish someone would ask Rove how that "permanent Republican majority" thing is working out ... or maybe he said "permanent Democratic majority" and was just misquoted.

I cannot do otherwise.

and that is to do something so heinous between now and the 2008 election that they will be "reluctantly forced" to declare martial law and cancel said election -- and effectively make themselves dictators for life . . .

and who would stop them? . . . the Congress, which can't call them to account for even one of their myriad crimes? . . . the Supreme Court, their handpicked arbiters of all things legal? . . . the military, where most of the true professionals have either resigned or been ousted? . . . who would stop them? . . .

hey, creating a crisis to consolidate power worked once . . . why wouldn't they do it again, particularly when all of their other options will likely result in their arrest, trial, and conviction for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and assorted other "crimes and misdemeanors" . . .

... I don't buy into the "fourth option" thing, not by a longshot.

I'm being simplistic here for brevity's sake, but in order to take over the US government and cancel elections, the president planning to do so would have to have the support an overwhelming majority of the populace (which would diminish the possibility of any immediate violent reaction (such as riots), would have to have the unflagging support of the military, the unwaivering support of police forces across the country, as well as the compliance of his own party leaders.

George W. Bush has:
(a)none
(b)of
(c)the
(d)above

In the great scheme of things, Bush is a pissant nobody; the real power lies with Cheney. And as rich and powerful as Cheney is, there are those richer and more powerful - and a dictatorship would be wildly detrimental to their wallets.

won't play.

.
Your writings are the first thing literally, that I go lookin' fer in the morning. You are able to capture the lose thoughts, ideas and conclusions and weave them into concise and clear essays. Your style is readable and intelligent. Thank you for your sane efforts.

The fourth option,

"... that is to do something so heinous between now and the 2008 election that they will be "reluctantly forced" to declare martial law and cancel said election -- and effectively make themselves dictators for life . . ."

This CAN happen here! Give Cheney credit. He plays a long game. The prisons are already being built. The military has already been purged. The justice departments are compromised.

Wrap an attack (like the Reichstag Fire in Germany in 1933) that destroys an icon of USA to scare the people, blame terrorists and, voila, a made to order cause to suspend free speech and create a coup d'etat. The people may riot but they might not.

This scenario is about he only one left to the right that does not leave the junta open to legal trials after they leave office. shrub may pardon his whole administration (including himself) on 20 January 2009, but this will not stop their being rendered to the International Court Of Justice in the Netherlands.
.

... of Republican candidates trying to distance themselves from Bush while embracing Reagan is that, in all the insanity of the last six years, they've forgotten why Bush became their candidate in the first place.

There were plenty of smarter, sharper, more experienced and even more telegenic candidates in 2000. The reason Bush ultimately trumped them was his brand name. And the reason that name carried so much weight was only partially motivated by his father having been president before him.

The irony is that he was chosen because the Republican bumper stickers in '80 and '84 read thusly: Reagan/Bush.

Now, all of a sudden, the GOP'ers are going around symbolically crossing out the second half of that sticker, trying to make you forget that Shrub Jr. was sold to America as the spiritual successor to Saint Ronnie, exactly the same way that every one of them are attempting to market themselves.

:kick: Previously recommended.

My choice, articulated here by Will Pitt some days back, is to impeach Cheney and keep Bush, effectively gutting Bushco but allowing maximum damage to the GOP during the remainder of the current term.

... the GOP couldn't, but I certainly could!