One Last Thing Before You Go

One last thing before you go
By Harry Lonsdale | www.FightingBob.com

About the time that President George W. Bush started serving his second term, a number of books were published calling for his impeachment. Some grassroots citizens groups also emerged at that time with a similar goal. In 2005, Congressman John Conyers held an unauthorized hearing in the basement of the Capitol to look into the matter.

The “high crime” that each of these efforts cited for impeachment was misleading Congress into authorizing the Iraq war, for which there is ample evidence. In addition, other voices felt that Bush’s famous “signing statements” were an impeachable offense, whereas he swore under oath during his inauguration to “faithfully uphold the laws of the land.”

Sadly, when the Democrats gained control of the House of Representatives in the 2006 election, Speaker Nancy Pelosi took impeachment “off the table.”

But for many of us, Bush and Vice President Cheney still have almost two more months on the table. Famous prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi (of Helter Skelter fame) wrote a book this year titled, The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder. Bugliosi is not only outspoken – he called for imprisoning the five U.S. Supreme Court justices who voted, in Bush v. Gore, to end the recount of votes in Florida in the 2000 presidential election – he is also a formidable prosecutor. During his career, he successfully prosecuted 105 out of 106 felony jury trials, including 21 murder convictions without a single loss, when he worked in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. Bugliosi argues in his book that Bush lied to the American people and to Congress, in leading us into the Iraq war, which has caused the death of more than 4,000 U.S. service personnel. Bush and his co-conspirators Dick Cheney and Condoleezza Rice are therefore accessories to murder and should be brought to justice. Bugliosi further argues that, because every state in the union has suffered military deaths in the Iraq war, all 50 state attorneys general have the power to prosecute Bush and others for those crimes. Any federal prosecutor could do so as well.

There has been no action taken on Bugliosi’s suggestion thus far. I have written to the newly elected attorney general of Oregon suggesting that he take such action, but he has shown no interest. However, there is no statute of limitations on murder, so the sword hangs over Bush and Cheney’s heads.

And in the December 2008 issue of Harper’s magazine, New York City attorney Scott Horton keeps the heat on. Horton cites all of the arguments for bringing Bush and Cheney to justice: the Iraq war, signing statements, torture, firing the U.S. attorneys, spying on church groups and protestors, illegal wiretapping, and more. The crime that most clearly calls for prosecution, according to Horton, is torture.

After reviewing possible remedies – trial before the International Criminal Court, trial before a military court in the U.S., etc. – Horton concludes that the only remedy that is politically feasible would be the creation of a non-partisan national commission, with subpoena power, to investigate the charges, and potentially recommend the appointment of a prosecutor. Criminal charges might or might not follow.

At a minimum, this kind of procedure would get all of the facts out in the open, just as South Africa’s “Truth and Reconciliation” commission succeeded in doing after the fall of the apartheid government there.

Even if no one is prosecuted, future U.S. presidents will be put on notice that they will be held accountable if they violate their oath of office.

The cover of the issue of Harper’s in which Horton's article appears shows a caricature of Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld behind bars. (Suitable for framing.)

Bush and Cheney aren’t off the hook.

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Harry Lonsdale lives in Oregon, and is a retired scientist and two-time candidate for the United States Senate.