Hillary for Emperor

By David Swanson

I've decided to drop my advocacy for the impeachment of Cheney or Bush and focus on something more realistic: making Senator Hillary Clinton our next emperor. After all, when the candidate is someone good, you should want them to have as much power as possible. Bear with me a minute, and I think you may agree.

Now, electing Clinton as the 44th President is one thing, and that would be wonderful. But what makes that task truly historic and worth devoting our energies to for the next year and a half, or longer if the election is disputed, are the extra benefits.

First, we would be giving Hillary Clinton the undisputed right to spy on her political opponents without any warrants or judicial review. President Bush spies on whoever he wants, without legal justification or explanation. A federal court has ruled that spying a felony. Bush openly admits that he does it. And Congress has rolled over and given Bush the A-OK. At first Congress's acquiescence disturbed me, but then I caught on to the strategy. The Democrats running the Congress want Hillary to have the same power. Pretty smart, huh?

Second, we would be bestowing on Hillary just as surely as Paris Hilton is going to inherit hotels, the right to kidnap people without telling anyone, to hold people in secret dungeons without notifying their families or any legal counsel, to ship people off to foreign lands to be tortured, and to torture people herself or murder them. Are you watching your back, Grover Norquist? Now might be the time for that radical surgery you've been considering, Rush.

Oh well, sure, you may be thinking, but Congress could make those practices illegal again.

But don't you get it? That's the beauty of this. All of those practices always were illegal and still are. And if Congress says otherwise, Hillary can draft a terse little "signing statement" and tell them to stick it up their conservative male… and another thing, come to think of it, is what Hillary can do with the Department of Homeland Security, after renaming it the Department of It Takes a Village. She can hire some relatively articulate schmuck to periodically announce that his gut tells him the right wing conspiracy is infiltrating our towns and planning an attack. Added bonus: it'll actually be true. So, Hillary will be able to seize even more power than Cheney and Bush did!

Wow, I almost peed in my pants there. Calming down for a second, let's be serious. The point of electing Clinton as the new emperor is that nothing she says will have to be true. If she wants to launch a war, she can make up a bunch of bull, feed it to Congress, threaten to accuse them of being wimpier than a girl, and start the $%&%^** bombing! And if the lies come out, it won't matter, because we've already established that under Bush and Cheney. And perhaps just as importantly, we've established that the Emperor can simply not tell anyone what's happening and take the money they need from the Pentagon and just do it. Talk about a dream scenario. Ka-ching!!

Oh, and if you're starting to think that the media might revert to, you know, practicing journalism, that's covered. Bush and Cheney have established that an emperor can hire reporters, bribe reporters, blacklist reporters, produce your own media – even including phony video news reports – and lock the media out of war coverage. They've even targeted reporters in their war and killed them. Then they've paid newspapers in a country they're occupying to print what they want. And the genius of letting them get away with it is that Hillary is smarter than they are and will do a more effective job of using all the same tricks now that they've been established as acceptable.

But here's the really tricky part, and I readily admit that this is the weak link in this chain. A fundamental ingredient in the recipe for turning the presidency into an imperial throne has been our willingness to look the other way when the president steals elections. How can we make sure that Hillary Clinton has the power to steal elections without first stealing an election for her? It's the ultimate chickenhawk and egg dilemma, and it's important that we think it through.

There's going to be a temptation to get the public overwhelmingly behind the Democrats by impeaching Cheney and Bush. The thinking would run something like this: "If we give the public what it wants and show that we stand for the rule of law and are capable of enforcing it, we'll win with such a huge margin that nobody will be able to steal the victory from us. And if we fail to convict Cheney or Bush in the Senate, the Republican senators who block it will be out on their ears. We win either way."

I assume you've already spotted the problem: if you reinstate the rule of law, then you might elect Hillary as President, but she won't be Emperor.

So, let me suggest a different approach: Cut a deal. Cut a secret deal with Bush and Cheney. Hillary will pardon them and Halliburton of any crimes, honor their service, place a monument to them on the National Mall, and rename the occupation of Iraq, "Operation Dick and Dubya". Only a Democrat can promise those things. In exchange, both camps will agree to steal the election for Hillary.

Then… watch out world! And, Sean Hannity? Get yourself a personal Blackwater contingent.

I think this can be done. I know it sounds utopian. The biggest danger, I think, is that Republicans will catch on too soon and start saying things like Bruce Fein said on Bill Moyers' show last weekend, start pushing the old quaint idea that impeachment protects us all.

powers still in place, they'll shit their depends.

Almost.

Pukes live in fear of equal power... You can bet the farm and aunt fanny's brocaded wedding dress they are going to fix executive powers to a minimum....even try to diminish the veto power of the next presidency... These assh*les are soooo transparent, they make me itchy!

Here is what I saw..As much as I appreciate Moyers, Nichols and Fein's questions loom large on the horizon of "why now?" Why now have these dilettante scholars come forward? Bush has been willfully eroding the Constitution for the last 5 yrs...So, why suddenly have these 2 neoconic scholars had pangs of conscience where they needed to spill all the dirty secrets to the not so informed public? Bush has committed Crimes that qualify as High Crimes and Misdemeanors. I think they still call it Seditious Acts of Treason against the Republic

I saw no outrage, no call for restitution or accountability... Alls I heard was, what a pity these two neoconic interlopers were graced with power they usurped for themselves without a whimper of discontent from the Democrats...almost to the point of shaming the Democrats into action. (which I think would be a mistake!) Thats what I gleaned from the Moyer's interview.

would have these powers, right? I actually happen to agree. No president should have these powers. I think * should be impeached as soon as possible. I was surprised to see these neocons say it so vehemently and with such clarity. It is possible that they would not be saying these things if it looked like a repig was going to become president. In any case, the call for impeachment is welcome, IMO, whatever the motivation.

Removing "precedent" is...

All they require is causing a firestorm in Congress and having Congress put limitations on the (future) of the Executive Branch... The way Bush has manipulated (with his signings and all) and diluted the power of the Constitution, he and Cheney are programed to go scott-free, no matter what we do to them. afaik, the only venue that can possibly threaten them at this point in time is The World Court.

If you have any Free time at all, this is definitely worth your while to read. (if you haven't seen it already). It explains why it's fruitless to Impeach the two thugs in the WH. You need to read it in it's entirety, if you choose to do so.

http://www.tpmcafe.com/blog/coffeehouse/2006/sep/29/the_star_chamber

almost agree, but mostly he just muddles on and on. Sorry, that's just how I think about him. He is a financial expert, and has a lot of pet issues, mostly injustices from the years (centuries) past. I am firmly in the IMPEACH NOW crowd.

It's a fact, Joe Conason used his premise for his new book, "It Can Happen Here."
Another take on Sinclair Lewis' book, 'It Can't Happen Here!..

An old axiom rings true. 'The Law can't compel you to do the impossible'. Right now, with the subversion of our Constitution, it's not possible. Newberry's explanation is dead on balls accurate. If you want to work yourself up into a lather, go right ahead. You'll just be wasting your time and energy on something that because of Bush's tampering with the Constitution, it's not possible. If you have the chance ck out Conason's book. Good Luck, though!

nichols has been on this for years

it took until now for bill moyers to put it on tv

and even now almost nobody else has

discussing what Bush/Cheney have done at this particular time. Could be that since there's no chance of his polls going up...they finally decided it was safe to speak out? The trashing of Dems leaving out the Corporations and Think Tanks who have supported Bush/Cheney Supremacy was odd, also. Although I guess one could think they didn't want to open that can of worms on PBS and since Bruce Fein has been with both AEI and Heritage Foundation he wouldn't be wanting to open that up too much either.

So, trashing the Democrats could be convenient as a way of sidestepping the other reasons for Bush/Cheney's Dictatorial powers. Unfortunately, our Dems do have to shoulder alot of blame for hanging back so long...and not kicking up more of a fuss when they could have done more to at least restrain the Bushie appointments and to have at least READ the Iraq War Resolution Bill.

Hard to know...but I was left wondering about what was going on with the Moyers "Hour on Impeachment."

When Cheney catches on, he'll cancel the 08 elections.

http://www.tuckborough.net/galadriel.html

Tolkien spins in his grave at the thought!


Then Frodo offered to give the One Ring to Galadriel. Galadriel had long pondered what she might be able to accomplish if the Ring came into her possession. But she had grown wiser during her sojourn in Middle-earth, and she was able to reject the temptation of the Ring, for she understood that though she might begin with good intentions she would become a tyrant in the end.

"And now at last it comes. You will give me the Ring freely! In place of the Dark Lord you will set up a Queen. And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night! Fair as the Sea and the Sun and the Snow upon the Mountain! Dreadful as the Storm and the Lightning! Stronger than the foundations of the earth. All shall love me and despair!"
She lifted up her hand and from the ring that she wore there issued a great light that illuminated her alone and left all else dark. She stood before Frodo seeming now tall beyond measurement, and beautiful beyond enduring, terrible and worshipful. Then she let her hand fall, and the light faded, and suddenly she laughed again, and lo! she was shrunken: a slender elf-woman, clad in simple white, whose gentle voice was soft and sad.

"I pass the test," she said. "I will diminish, and go into the West and remain Galadriel."


I wouldn't ask such a test of anyone, and I am 99% certain Hillary would fail.

"If she wants to launch a war, she can make up a bunch of bull, feed it to Congress, threaten to accuse them of being wimpier than a girl, and start the $%&%^** bombing! And if the lies come out, it won't matter, because we've already established that under Bush and Cheney."

I'm sure she'll be operating "with the best intelligence we had at that time, but intelligence is never perfect" and "all the experts were wrong, the whole world believed it" etc.

Our right wing comrades have nothing to fear, because Chairman Hillary will only lock up enemies of the State, where they can benefit from retraining and reeducation. They will emerge as productive citizens. Hail to the Motherland, Hail to Chairman Hillary!

:sarcasm:

And it needs to be catchy as we all remember that we coronate our emperors not with the COnstitution we inherit but with the Constitution that we let our Presidents shred,while the COngress critters look the other way.

Swanson hasn't adopted Obama as "his" candidate. I haven't kept up, but here is the link to his homepage; he does have a link to a candidate featured, but it isn't Obama, lol:

http://www.davidswanson.org/

but emperor, not way! We already have an emperor in the White House.

...to get through to you?

Bush and Cheney are NOT going to be impeached!

Bush won both times, he got basically everything he wanted during his two terms and THAT'S IT. That's the end of it. Texans and people from the Deep South in general are good warriors. It's a brutal place to live, and they tend to turn out some very strong people. Lyndon Johnson was tough as nails and so was his wife. So was John Tower. You have to be tough there or the place will just beat you down. I lived there for almost a decade. I know the place well. Why do you think most of the airlines are based there? It's a tough business needing tough people to manage it and there's a lot of cheap land...airline heaven. Arizona is the same way and has almost the same culture.

Have you ever given any thought to the fact that, had Gore won Louisiana, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia that he wouldn't have needed Florida?

Why did he not win those same states that Clinton managed to win during the Nineties?

The National Rifle Association. That's why.

And now the Democrats are busy fighting among themselves yet again, just as they did in 1968 and 1972.

And what's ultimately going to happen because of it? If I had to guess, I'd say Giuliani will win Florida because of all the retired people there from the New York area and will win Ohio because Ohioans hate Hillary. Sure, Hillary Clinton will carry Cuyahoga, Lake, Trumbull, Mahoning, Summit, Portage and Lucas counties but that's it. I mean, it IS Kucinich country...and he'll knuckle under and support Hillary if she's the nominee. The big boys will grab hold of his nuts and twist, just as they always do.

Strickland got elected governor in Ohio as a pro-life, pro-gun Democrat and he's doing very well. His numbers are far better than Taft's and he's odds on to be reelected to a second term. A state with demographics like that won't vote for Hillary.

What the Democrats need is Al Gore, but he's got his hands in other things.

Gore could win Ohio and Florida. Hillary could not and will not, and the Democrats know it.

and New Yorkers (even ex-New Yorkers) are not as enamored with Giuliani as you think they are. And with all the garbage slowly surfacing about Rudy, he may not be in for the long haul.

David you rule man, ROFL
by far the best journal on here, I always look for your new stuff first then I start shuffling through the riff-raff.

Here's a cartoon of Emperor Hillary, in all of her glory

Boy, wouldn't that piss them off?