Case to impeach

What is more important to the health of our democracy: bipartisanship or accountability? Are we a nation of laws or men? Has the Constitution, that which our elected leaders swear to protect and defend, become a hindrance in the modern world and need to be replaced with a more dictatorial contract with Americans? Public support for impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney is growing. Will the new leader of the House of Representatives ignore the public sentiment and the results of the past election and the remedies provided by the authors of the Constitution in order to promote business as usual in the country club atmosphere that exists in the insular world of Washington? Bipartisanship has been a nonstarter for six years now. The case for impeachment should be quite clear for all: Lying to start an illegal war in violation of international laws and treaties, the arrest and detention of American citizens without charge, violations of the conventions against torture, the issuance of hundreds of signing statements to ignore laws passed by Congress, and so on. Will the new speaker of the House be the enabler of continued lawlessness and the degradation of our founding document? Impeachment is in order. Without the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, we become no more than a banana republic. Wake up, America. If leaders refuse to uphold the law and the people let them get away with it, then we Americans will indeed get the government we deserve. Roy Lehman, Woolwich - Courier Post, December 7, 2006