(#9 in a series-how politics affect our future)

From the pen of a good friend of mine, Larry Gelbart (brilliant writer of MASH, TOOTSIE, OH GOD, FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, SLY FOX, CITY OF ANGELS, etc.).

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Lest We Forget Iraq Iraq Iraq Abu Ghraib Guantanamo Evil Doers Evil Do Gooders Terrormercials Outsourcing Jobs OutsourcingTorture Quitting International Criminal Court The Kyoto Protocol The Geneva Conventions Leaving Habeas Corpus for Dead Civil War Abroad Uncivil War at Home Sound Bites Unsound Policies Unremorseful Unregretful Unrepentant The Middle East Mess The Middle Class Collapse Predictably Unprepared Perpetually Unequipped Unmatched Ignorance Unbridled Arrogance Unwarranted Phone Taps Unprecedented Powers Compassionate Imperialism Faith-Based Fascism Total Dicktatorship 700 Club 700 Mile Border Fence Over 700 Presidential Signing Statements Unmatched Incompetence Unparalleled Corruption Ethic Cleansing Governor Bob Taft Governor John Rowland Governor Bill Janklow Oversight Overlook Stuff Happens Stuffed Shirts Tailored Suits Tailored Stories 24/7 Spin Cycle Executive Privilege Privileged Executives Wordsmiths Warsmiths Surrogate Samurais Draft Dodging Doges Potomac Pattons A Coven of the Craven Representative Tom Delay Representative Roy Blunt Representative Ken Calvert Representative John Doolittle Representative Jean Schmidt Representative Jim Gibbons Representative Tom Feeney Representative Patrick McHenry Representative Christopher Shays Representative Katherine Harris Representative Barbara Cubin Representative Joe Barton Representative Jerry Lewis Representative Gary Miller Representative Marilyn Musgrave Representative Richard Pombo Representative Rick Renzi Representative John Sweeney Representative Charles Taylor Representative Curt Weldon Representative J.D. Hayworth Representative Don Sherwood Representative John Patterson Representative Rodney Alexander Representative Roy LaHood Representative Bob Beauprez Representative Bob Ney Representative Randy Cunningham Representative Chris Cannon Jeff Gannon Representative Mark Foley Representative Dennis Hastert Representative Jim Kolbe Representative John Shimkus Representative Tom Reynolds Over Paid Over Reaching Over Logging Under Armored Under Suspicion Beneath Contempt Senator Bill Frist Senator George Allen Senator Conrad Burns Senator Joe Lieberman Senator Rick Santorum Senator Trent Lott Senator James Inhofe Senator Pat Roberts Senator Sam Brownback Rubber Stamps Robber Barons Senator Larry Craig Craig Schelske Ken Blackwell Lester Crawford Crawford, Texas Brian Bilbray Margaret Spellings Media Consolidation Homophobia on the Range Fearmongering Smearslinging The RNC The DNC (Do Nothing Congress) DC (Dutifully Corporate) Family Valuables The Far Wrong The Far Righteous Reverend Jerry Falwell Reverend Pat Robertson Reverend James Dobson Reverend Lou Sheldon Ralph Reed Gary Bauer David Safavian Vice Presidential Energy Task Force Seventy Dollars a Barrel Three Bucks a Gallon Record Oil Company Profits Anwar Pipeline Anbar Province Arthur Anderson ABB Adelphia Communications Merck Eli Lilly Mirant AOL Time Warner Kmart Bristol-Myers Squibb CMS Energy Duke Energy Nicor Energy Reliant Energy Dynegy Peregrine Systems Homestore.com Xerox Qwest Tyco WorldCom Global Crossing Global Warming Global Boiling Lee Raymond Exxon Enron Abramoff Tribe Bribes Mike Scanlon Grover Norquist War Profiteers War Privateers Halliburton Bechtel Blackwater CACI Titan Carlyle Group Custer Battles Kellogg, Brown & Root George Tenet Unanswered Questions Questionable Answers Adam Kidan Timothy Flanigan Lawrence Lindsay Jessica Lynch Jim Ellis John Colyandro Donald Keyser Peter Roskam Katherine Gun Garrett Lott Armstrong Williams Talking Points Pointless Talking Chuck McGee James Tobin Thomas Scully Kenneth Tomlinson Allen Raymond Claude Allen Katrina Rita Harriet (Miers) FEMA FISA NSA Cut and Run Run on Cuts Bring It On Dead Or Alive Terri Schiavo Bill Frist, MD John Bolton Diebold Florida, 2000 Ohio, 2004 North Korea 2006 Selective Diplomacy Preemptive War Iraq. Iran? Sleeper Cells Stem Cell Research Darfur Dubai Ports World Swift Boat Hit Men Max Cleland Douglas Feith Mumming the Press Dumbing the Proles Roger Ailes Sean Hannity Bill O'Reilly Fred Barnes Morton Kondracke Brit Hume John Gibson Ann Coulter Laura Ingraham Michelle Malkin Glenn Beck Neil Cavuto Neal Boortz Neil Bush (No Brother Left Behind) Rush Limbaugh David Frum David Horowitz Golden Parachutes Shrunken Pensions Sunken Bipartisanship Bernie Kerik Eminent Domain J. Steven Griles Numerous Convictions Occasional Confessions Social Security Privatization Abrupt Resignations Porter Goss Dusty Foggo Zero Accountability Even Less Credibility Michael Chertoff Homeland Insecurity Ahmad Chalabi Baghdad Museum Tora Bora Taliban Resurgence Iraqi Insurgents General William Boykin General Eric Shinseki General Janet Karpinski General Ricardo Sanchez General Anthony Zinni Mission Accomplished Lawbreaking Lawmakers Impeachable Sources Suppressed Medicare Costs The Donut Hole Intelligent Design Intelligence Failures Ari Fleischer Scott McClellan Tony Snow Tony Perkins Tony Rudy Tony Blankley Tony Blair Downing Street Memo The Late Great Britain Ken Mehlman Dennis Prager Wayne Simmons Frank Gaffney Expiration of Assault Weapons Ban John Ashcroft Alberto Gonzales Alberto Fernandez Danny Diaz William Bennett Stephen Hadley Karen Hughes Bunnatine Greenhouse Richard Grasso Brian Doyle Thomas Noe Ted Van Der Meid Tan Nguyen Michael Gerson Michael Medved Michael Reagan Michael Maloof Michael Savage Aluminum Tubes Rice Yellowcake Niger Valerie Plame Joseph Wilson Scooter Libby Robert Novak Richard Armitage Brent Bozell III Paul Bremer III Gulf II Non-Regime-Changing Regime Changers Neoconmen Ex-Non-Vet Vulcans Playing to an Enraptured Audience Armageddon Uber Alles Paul Wolfowitz Richard Perle David Wormser Elliott Abrams James Woolsey Zalmay Khalizad William Kristol The Coalition of the Dwindling Staining the Course WMD (W's Mass Denials) Mad Cowboy Disease Mad Cowhands Disease Kissinger Redux Duck Cheney Rumbo Blossom (the Turd) George (the Fourth):Son of a Higher Father; Uniter, Decider, Flatulater; Reader of at least three Shakespeares, Camus' "The Stranger" and "The Pet Goat;" Prematurely discharged National Air Guardsman, missing in inaction, who describes members of the political party that successfully prosecuted two world wars as quitters. Billions Missing in Iraq Trillions Missing in D.C. Missing Limbs Missed Lives Iraq Iraq Iraq

Support the Democratic party now, and in '2008 ... ----------------------------------

As her outgoing act as a Congressional representative, Cynthia McKinney announced a resolution in support of Impeachment against President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Secretary of State Rice. The new Congress must take up this challenge. It is their duty. Her remarks are below.

Mr. Speaker:

I come before this body today as a proud American and as a servant of the American people, sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States.

Throughout my tenure, I've always tried to speak the truth. It's that commitment that brings me here today.

We have a President who has misgoverned and a Congress that has refused to hold him accountable. It is a grave situation and I believe the stakes for our country are high.

No American is above the law, and if we allow a President to violate, at the most basic and fundamental level, the trust of the people and then continue to govern, without a process for holding him accountable, what does that say about our commitment to the truth? To the Constitution? To our democracy?

The trust of the American people has been broken. And a process must be undertaken to repair this trust. This process must begin with honesty and accountability.

Leading up to our invasion of Iraq, the American people supported this Administration's actions because they believed in our President. They believed he was acting in good faith. They believed that American laws and American values would be respected. That in the weightiness of everything being considered, two values were rock solid: trust and truth.

From mushroom clouds to African yellow cake to aluminum tubes, the American people and this Congress were not presented the facts, but rather were presented a string of untruths, to justify the invasion of Iraq.

President Bush, along with Vice President Cheney and then-National Security Advisor Rice, portrayed to the Congress and to the American people that Iraq represented an imminent threat, culminating with President Bush's claim that Iraq was six months away from developing a nuclear weapon. Having used false fear to buy consent, the President then took our country to war.

This has grave consequences for the health of our democracy, for our standing with our allies, and most of all, for the lives of our men and women in the military and their families--who have been asked to make sacrifices--including the ultimate sacrifice--to keep us safe.

Just as we expect our leaders to be truthful, we expect them to abide by the law and respect our courts and judges. Here again, the President failed the American people.

When President Bush signed an executive order authorizing unlawful spying on American citizens, he circumvented the courts, the law, and he violated the separation of powers provided by the Constitution. Once the program was revealed, he then tried to hide the scope of his offense from the American people by making contradictory, untrue statements.

President George W. Bush has failed to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States; he has failed to ensure that senior members of his administration do the same; and he has betrayed the trust of the American people.

With a heavy heart and in the deepest spirit of patriotism, I exercise my duty and responsibility to speak truthfully about what is before us. To shy away from this responsibility would be easier. But I have not been one to travel the easy road. I believe in this country, and in the power of our democracy. I feel the steely conviction of one who will not let the country I love descend into shame; for the fabric of our democracy is at stake.

Some will call this a partisan vendetta, others will say this is an unimportant distraction to the plans of the incoming Congress. But this is not about political gamesmanship.

I am not willing to put any political party before my principles.

This, instead, is about beginning the long road back to regaining the high standards of truth and democracy upon which our great country was founded.

Mr. Speaker:

Under the standards set by the United States Constitution, President Bush, along with Vice President Cheney, and Secretary of State Rice, should be subject to the process of impeachment, and I have filed H. Res.1106 in the House of Representatives.

To my fellow Americans, as I leave this Congress, it is in your hands to hold your representatives accountable, and to show those with the courage to stand for what is right, that they do not stand alone.

Thank you, Cynthia McKinney