The Future is W

If Clinton and Obama remain too cautious to promote impeachment, they must advocate blocking President Bush at every turn. Otherwise, business as usual remains in place and change will be even more difficult for either of them to implement on day one.

Each candidate claims to be best-prepared to lead the nation on January 20, 2009. Clinton emphasizes her experience and Obama touts his ability to inspire cooperation.

But they are overlooking an important data point: how can they know what the world, and our nation, will be like in almost twelve months hence? Do they assume that no foreign power or terrorist group will attack us? Do they assume that President Bush will not bomb Iran - as John McCain seems to want him to do? They talk as if next year the world will be as it is today.

This way of thinking is dangerous, even if understandable. The idea that either Obama or Clinton is prepared to take the Presidential reins and to hit the ground running on January 20, 2009 is absurd. Both camps ignore our current President, who is hardly a lame duck. He doggedly issues signing statements, overruling legislation he doesn't like, such as the defense appropriations bill which forbade permanent bases in Iraq. Unless the candidates, and their fellow legislators, stop him, he is going to guarantee American presence there for as long as he - and McCain - wants.

As long as business as usual remains in place, Obama and Clinton are pushing us toward a future that will be determined by George W. Bush - and George W. Bush alone.

Comments

[gtv]

Dr. Frank

ImpeachBush.com and other progressive groups continue plans to demonstrate in Mid-March in DC. Why don't you get on the agenda as a speaker? You've been spot-on since early in the Bush years.

GTV

[dignityandhonor]

Fairfloss - you know as well as anyone that there wouldn't have been one vote cast to go after bin Laden while Clinton was in office. Even after the first attack on the WTC, the haters on the right would have been screaming "wag the dog!" had Bill pushed for strikes.
And, yes, let's end the hate-driven agenda. I'm supposing you were advocating for the same thing during the impeachment trial.

[Fairfloss]

He is still the President of the United States of America until January 2009!

Glad to hear you admit he isn't a lame duck President, no matter HOW HARD the Democrats have attempted to make him one.

In eleven months, if Obama or the Clintons win, than the Country will be in the hands of the Democrats.

I hope they have half the stones GW has. They will need them. President of the USA isn't a walk in the park or a thrill in the afternoon.

I will support who ever our President is. I am an American first, a partisan second.

[realitytrumpsbull]

Go stand outside Capitol Hill with a Big Sign: Hey, Conyers! You're fired! You'll be out there for 3 minutes before you get picked up...

LOL

Welcome to Halliburton Gated Communities, formerly known as The United States Of America...

[StephieL]

Clinton and Obama continue to evade the impeachment issue, and neither of them have addressed the dismantling of the criminal enterprise which G.W. Bush has instituted, so if either of them gets into the White House, they may continue the "Bush tradition" of signing statements, overruling legislation which they don't like, shredding up the Constitution and maintaining a quasi-fascist government. They continue to harp about "change", but when it comes to policies which would institute real "change", they've remained strangely silent.

If Clinton and Obama are satisfied with maintaining the status quo of quasi-fascism should either of them take over the Presidency, then it wouldn't be much of a stretch for the American people to elect a full-blown fascist government, because they've lived with (and tolerated) quasi-fascism for seven years, and our respective Presidential candidates have no interest in ridding our nation of quasi-fascism before it becomes all out fascism.

It's high time for We, the People, to hold Clinton's and Obama's feet to the fire and demand answers from them about the dismantling of the Bush/Cheney criminal operation, and about the impeachment and prosecution of Bush and Cheney BEFORE they leave office. The "change" which both of them continually prattle about should begin with them telling us about their plans to steer the nation away from the path of fascism and towards a restoration of the nation's Constitutional heritage.

[desmirl]

George W. Bush is being allowed to get away with his mendacity because neither Dingy Harry Reid nor Grandma Pelosi have the courage to stand up to him. They are afraid that if they don't let him have what he wants he will use the 'bully pulpit' to convince the public that the Democrats want to lose the phony "War on Terror." Unfortunately, neither Reid nor Pelosi have enough faith in the American public to believe that when Bush makes his false accusations we can't see through them.

[bluegrasstafarian]

pardon me, Dr. Frank...

[bluegrasstafarian]

You're right, Mr. Frank. The world could change a lot in one year...wouldn't it be lovely if W left a responsible administration with a multi-front war?

Let's not forget about our friends in the defense industry who so objectively understand the costs and ramifications of lengthy, foreign wars....plus there's always that domestic war looming in the future when the emergency state is declared...

[Thorn]

"Promote impeachment"? Do you imagine that process takes a week or two?