In a democracy, the people are supposed to rule. They serve a function analogous to that of the aristocratic families in ancient, pre-Qin, China. And here is what Menicus says the "royal" families should do if the ruler is lacking:
If the sovereign is making grave mistakes, they admonish him. If they have to admonish him over and over, and he still refuses to listen - they replace him. (10.9)
Cheney is clearly the power behind the throne of King George. And, as the recent series in the Washington Post illustrates, he has run roughshod over the constitution. He has made grave mistakes and he refuses to listen. Time to replace him. And the mechanism is: impeachment. It is legally possible to do so, and articles have already been drawn up. All that we need now is the political will. I imagine the Democratic Party leadership has made a decision to stay away from this; they are likely scared of possible political backlash. But compare the damage Cheney has done to the country - illegal wiretapping, secret prisons and torture, a horrendous and failed war, deeply institutionalized lying and deceit - to the peccadillo's of Clinton. Ask yourself: which is more deserving of impeachment.
Do the Mencian thing: Impeach Cheney Now!
UPDATE: Maybe it is not so crazy an idea. Bruce Fein, a Reagan era Republican DOJ appointee makes the case.
Given the political energy available to the Democrats, impeaching Cheney could possibly be a waste of energy. Right now, the presidency is more or less secured, and wasting their political capital on axeing Cheney would introduce unnecessary risk. It's best for the Democrats to keep the ruinous Republican presidential administration in charge and blundering for as long as possible, to stir up as much disgruntlement with the Republicans so that they can get good policies pushed through after 2008. Besides, this time in the wilderness hasn't exactly caused the Democrats to improve their own inherent power, in 2008, it'll be more of a Republican defeat than a Democratic victory.
Posted by: Inst | June 26, 2007 at 09:23 AM
Actually, I like the "rectification of names" approach that Raum Emanuel is pushing for. If Cheney is really "an officer of the legislative branch" then we should not be funding his office as if it is a part of the executive branch. Honor his own understanding of his "name" and act accordingly. We'll see how far the OVP gets with a budget of about 100,000 dollars a year.
Posted by: Chris | June 26, 2007 at 09:44 AM