Impeachment or Ideas

A few weeks ago, we expressed doubts about the political value of impeaching Bush. As Bush continues to plummet in the polls, and the Democrats toy with the idea of taking back the House, the drumbeat for impeachment has only gotten stronger. This editorial over at Counterpunch reminds us of some of the problems with this political strategy.

“The myriad problems we face today are not of George W. Bush's making alone. He is but the current face on a system that needs a complete overhaul. Giving the Democrats freedom to exploit Bush's unpopularity to insure that the next face is not Republican is what Stephen Colbert might call, ‘rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg.’”

Impeachment is the logical conclusion of the ‘anybody but Bush’ argument. The irony is that rising calls for impeachment come at the very moment when Democrats claim to be trying to think up their own ideas. The author above is right to expect little from the Democrats, but even so there is a political moment here. Impeachment is a test of the Democrats’ self-confidence. They could go for the (in certain ways) less risky impeachment gambit, or make the effort of actually articulating a meaningful alternative. The two cannot co-exist easily. An impeachment would focus most public attention on the legal proceedings and alleged crimes, drowning out discussion of a political future.

Of course, it is conceivable that impeachment might mean something more. As the author says, “for Bush's impeachment to serve as more than a high-profile partisan lynching, it must be seen as a baby step toward justice.” But this is precisely what seems impossible. Not only is the track record of impeachments not all that promising. At present, it is the will for more substantial change that is distinctly lacking.