Impeach Bush?
<p><font face="Times New Roman" color="#ffffff" size="3">Elizabeth Holtzman makes a compelling case for George W. BushÂ’s impeachment due to his refusal to be limit his activities to what is legal under US law in </font><a href="http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060130/holtzman"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#0066ff" size="3">the January 30<sup>th</sup> edition of The Nation</font></a><font face="Times New Roman" color="#ffffff" size="3"><font color="#0066cc">.</font><span>Â </span>She identifies his warrantless domestic spying as the primary reason for impeachment, but also acknowledges </font><a href="http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050718/holtzman"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#0066ff" size="3">allegations of torture</font></a><font face="Times New Roman" color="#ffffff" size="3"> as possible grounds. <span>Â Â </span>I personally thought that George merited impeachment because he unilaterally declared war on Iraq after Iraq submitted to weapons inspections which accurately turned up no such weapons.<span>Â </span>After a series of former-insider books, starting with former Treasury Secretary,</font><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_O'Neill"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#0066ff" size="3"> Paul OÂ’Neill</font></a><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#ffffff">, and former <span lang="EN">counter-terrorism adviser to the Bush White House,</span><span lang="EN"> </span></font></font></font><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_A._Clarke"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#0066ff" size="3">Richard Clarke</font></a><font face="Times New Roman" color="#ffffff" size="3">, all saying that Bush was trying to contrive a rationale to attack Iraq since early in his administration.<span>Â </span>But I digress.<span>Â </span>Ultimately, I am pleased that the topic has some momentum.<span>Â </span>LetÂ’s look at HoltzmanÂ’s case.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" color="#ffffff" size="3">As a result of </font><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Nixon"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#0066ff" size="3">Richard Nixon</font></a><font face="Times New Roman" color="#ffffff" size="3"><font color="#0066ff">Â’</font>s warrantless wiretaps of seventeen journalists, Congress enacted FISA, the </font><a href="http://www.cnss.org/fisa"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#0066ff" size="3">Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act</font></a><font face="Times New Roman" color="#ffffff" size="3"><font color="#0066ff">,</font> which requires judicial oversight of all domestic wiretaps. <span>Â </span>At the time Nixon claimed <span>Â </span>In the Nation article Holtzman debunks all of the AdministrationÂ’s claims for legitimate grounds for by-passing the FISA court during their spying.<span>Â </span>For example, the Bush administration claims that acquiring a warrant would make wiretaps less timely, when, in fact, warrants by be acquired up to three days after the fact.<span>Â </span>All we seek is a balance between legitimate needs to investigate criminal activity and the privacy of US citizens.<span>Â </span>Without this protection, we are in danger of becoming a totalitarian regime, because citizens who disagree with administration </font></p>