Dobbs: Impeach Bush Over Tomatoes

Thursday night, Lou Dobbs called for George Bush's impeachment over his mismanagement of the Food and Drug Administration which has, in Dobbs' view, ultimately led to the ongoing salmonella scare surrounding tomatoes.

Watch and read Dobbs' comments below (via ThinkProgress):

You know, I have heard a lot of reasons over the years as to why George W. Bush should be impeached. For them to leave the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in this state, its leadership in this sorry condition and to have no capacity apparently or will to protect the American consumer - that is alone to me sufficient reason to impeach a president who has made this agency possible and has ripped its guts out in its ability to protect the American consumer. It's insane what is going on here.

Watch it:

In his "Beat the Press" segment, Dan Abrams mocked Dobbs' conspiracy theory that the government was enabling the salmonella scare around tomatoes. "Ah yes, they are doing it to help boost the sale of avocados in sandwiches instead!" Abrams said.

Watch:

Comments

[KarlRoves3rdchin]

Wow, seems like of most of the posters are really missing the point here, or do not understand the President of the US's oath of office, and/or having a difficult time putting two and two together.

By BushCo gutting the FDA and every other federal agency that is supposed to protect Americans it IS an impeachable offense. Bush once again has shirked his duty and his sworn oath of office.

Under the US law it is considered treason or a high crime to betray a sworn oath of office therefore Bush SHOULD be impeached.

This is what Bush said Jan 20 2001 and again on Jan 20 2005:
"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

This is what Bush said in December 14 2005:
"Stop throwing the Constitution in my face, it's just a goddamned piece of paper!" and “I don’t give a goddamn, I’m the President and the Commander-in-Chief. Do it my way.”

Bush should have been impeached long ago for the many crimes he has committed -gutting US federal agencies put in place to protect Americans is just one MANY offenses.

[youknowwhat]

Absolutely. That last statement should have got him locked up. The Constitution and the US Government are just toys to him.

[Sparty1]

Well he probably thinks they're toys b/c he's too dumb to realize what they are.

[JohnTalbutt]

Don't forget FEMA, a once effective agency, turned into a patronage brothel, before Katrina.

[Meah]

The point has not been missed. Bad tomatoes are only the tip of the iceberg. Impeachment is off the table, isn't it? I want to know how legit it is to do that? Isn't it unconstitutional to block Congress' ability to impeach? As in against the law?

[naijaman]

Lou Dobbs should be taken off the air for his horrible combover.

[Raymondf]

What a rediculous statement.

[ibsteve2u]

lolll..wel­l, as much as I want Bush impeached, I don't think tomatoes are the answer.

A better choice might be to impeach Bush over failing to follow the law and appoint a nuclear terror czar http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2008/06/22/bush_fails_to_appoint_a_nuclear_terror_czar//).

Of course, I can understand why Bush doesn't want one - no doubt it is getting increasingly difficult for this Administration to find Americans willing to lie for PNAC's agenda who a non-Republican Congress would confirm, and a nuclear terror czar would be able to demand access to all of the documentation referencing pre-war WMD claims.

That knowledge in the wrong hands would quite likely jeopardize Bush, Cheney, & PNAC, LLP's future freedom.

[nexus1961]

Bill Maher had it right...
The MOST glaring thing that the shrub SHOULD be impeached for was
SITTING ON HIS BUTT for seven minutes after being told the Towers got hit.
Dereliction of Duty....
Unfitness to Command...
Negligence, Brain-fart, WHATEVER..­...
He showed just HOW unqualified to BE president he was/is, by sitting there with that
stupid "deer-in-t­he'headlig­hts" look on his face.
After that, hell, the reasons ABOUND!!!!
Katrina.. Iraq.. WMD lies.. Plame's outing....
Point blank, I ACCUSE Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Dianne Feinstein, and DAMN NEAR HALF
of the Democrats of total, willing complicity with these scumbags.
" Impeachment's off the table"... my butt... they, along with "smokin Joe Lie-berman" need to be
bounced out of the Democratic Party like a Concert balloon made of FLUBBER!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!

[miles120]

I don't understand why someone like Lou Dobbs isn't considered an idiot by everyone. With a President that has broken domestic law by eavesdropping on Americans without a warrant, ordered extraordinary renditions in violation of international law, executed a preemptive, illegal war against a sovereign nation, the best Dobbs can come up with is disagreeing about the funding priorities of a federal agency? Who gives this bozo airtime?

We're all in trouble if this is the state of national news...

[ibivi]

I totally agree. He gets indignant over contaminated tomatoes???
An impeachable offense??? This gets him mad at the Bushies???
I think he's gone totally nuts!

[AKJM]

You really need to watch Lou's show! Tomatoes are the latest in a series of what Lou call impeachable offenses.

[StanTheManic]

Never watched Lou, it's PAINFULLY obvious. He's already worn out every topic you mentioned.

And to answer your question: "Who gives this Bozo airtime?" -- the very same people who allow you to blog here -- your fellow American citizens.

[miles120]

I take it from your response that you find Tomato Impeachment a stimulating civic conversation? Please don't include me in that group.

[Blackshifter]

Does anyone actually like this guy? I know alot of KO watchers, anderson 360, Hannity, O'Reilly, but I don't know anyone who actually likes watching his show.

[Squalish]

Enjoy his show? No. Watch it? Yes.

There are a lot of people who share a casual xenophobia and an apolitical distrust for authority. They tune out immediately on hearing a Republican vs Democrat shouting match; They've accepted enough of the Republican as well as Democratic talking points (most of the latter actually being true, but the former being poisonous enough to keep them from being partisan) that they don't trust any politician. They tend to *appear* to be right-wingers because they repeat so much of the innuendo & lies that right-wingers spout... but they also accept the war and the myriad failures of Bush as reality. They don't read blogs or much of the paper, they don't read much detailed news period - but what they do hear, they often assume that the truth is somewhere between the partisan extremes. Expressions of outrage (regardless of topic) they tend to highly respect, as long as it isn't coming from someone talking down to them (Olbermann's problem) or someone who is easily identified as an activist.

Dobbs cultures an "I'm the only one with the guts to tell it like it is" persona, and speaks to those people. I know three, and debate one regularly.

O'Reilly and Limbough's attraction run along similar lines, but their deliberate avoidance of talking about the failure of Republicans, along with their over-the-top partisan manipulation, tend to steer Dobbs listeners away.

[Elkanah]

One needs to hear what Dobbs said last night on CNN "The Most Trusted Name in News" regarding the Alex ad' about John McCain staying in Iraq for 100 years.

He called the ad' supercilious and said that McCain's words were taken out of context etc. and most of the commentators's who were with him last night more or less agreed with him.

To read a substantiation of McCain's 100 year statement which was stated on more than one occasion go to the MoveOn.org blog.

It would not have been difficult for Lou Dobb's to get the information to back up the McCain "century in Iraq statement". After all it is public knowledge. He just chose not to do so.

If this is the kind of news Americans are getting from the mass media, it is no wonder that Bush became president and America went to war in Iraq.

Obama has an uphill climb to win the oval office.

[derekc06]

I don't now how steep the hill is. Obama had a 15 point lead in the recent Newsweek poll...

[closetodemfection]

He's got a 2-4 pt lead in every other poll.

[Deaninphilly]

he takes the repub's on as well over their ads, so it goes both ways. O has far from an "uphill" climb. Do come up with a better talking point.

[brighterside]

Why doesn't he just run a story on Dennis Kucinich and his attempt to impeach the president himself? That I think would be a more reasonable story than tomatoes.

[InofTouch]

Aah...if only this were spain

[Bettysdad]

Maybe this is all a plan to trivialize impeachment, so when it's brought up in a seirous context, wingnuts will have an easy time mocking it.

BTW - Dobbs has illegal immigrants taking care of his daughters' horses.

[mcthorogood]

Mismanagement at the FDA is just another example of big-govern­ment-good-­for-nothin­g. Remember last year when China was using lead paint in toys, while several hundred Consumer Product Safety Commission employees sat on their fat asses pushing paper and only one employee actually inspected imported toys? Seems like our government functions more like a front for a criminal enterprise.

[Beachchick]

Big government? Try non existent government.

[Bettysdad]

No, the problems are too-small government, exactly what Republicans want.

Just like Katrina, this isn't incompetence or an isolated incident.

This is ideology.

[miles120]

What do you expect from an ideology that, in the words of Grover Norquist, wants to shrink government to the size that it can be "drowned in the bathtub"? These incidents are symptoms of Republican success; if you don't like it then stop screaming about broken government and pay attention to what is happening.

I'm always confused about how people can believe the Republican ideologues who preach free markets and then deny people the tools they need to make informed decisions. If you don't know that products are safe, then how can you make an economically responsible purchasing decision? How can I choose to pay more for a safe, domestic product if I can't distinguish between that and a dangerous, cheap import? Americans are simply getting played for the enrichment of a few.

[hudsuckerproxy]

Impeaching over tomatoes doesn't quite cut it. Dobbs should invite Vincent Bugliosi on his show to discuss why Bush should be prosecuted for the murder of 4,000-plus American soldiers.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080707/story

[geobushono]

That is an excellent suggestion­..........­..I've heard him a couple times recently talking about his book/case.­/strategy.­........I think he's really going to give it his best shot......­........if he can get into ANY court.

[tropicartisan]

Lou Dobbs is PUTTING THE LIBERALS TO SHAME with his stance against Nafta, Homeland security, poisoned food, poisoned toys, tainted childhood vaccines, and so on... and the true suffering of the middle class. No one can really point to why they say he is wrong. Talk about taking points!

What I want to know is, when did the Democrats start supporting slave labor, filthy food, open borders that NO European country would tolerate for one minute? I don't get it. Oh yes, I get it.

C-O-M-P-L-I-C-I-T

[Deaninphilly]

Tropicartisan, that is the post of the day!

[youknowwhat]

So are you saying that the Democrats do need to impeach Bush for kneecapping the FDA?

[mmerose]

I have one question: what if it's the lettuce?

[luvobama]

Why can't we have a special place for the Dobbs, Billo and Hannity gang. They are all the same. Lonely, bitter, scared, twisted, demented, sociopathic, deviant, real gross and just about as ignorant as they come. They are much like the Paris Hilton, Brtiney Spears and Lindsay Lohans. Tons of fame and no talent. Other than making fools of themselves. Sicko.

[geobushono]

strange bedfellows