There's No "I" in "Government" (But There Is One in "Stupid")

From today's issue of the Washington Times, in a piece by Jeffrey T. Kuhner:

"The Slaughter Solution is a poisoned chalice. By drinking from it, the Democrats would not only commit political suicide. They would guarantee that any bill signed by Mr. Obama is illegitimate, illegal and blatantly unconstitutional. It would be worse than a strategic blunder; it would be a crime - a moral crime against the American people and a direct abrogation of the Constitution and our very democracy.

It would open Mr. Obama, as well as key congressional leaders such as Mrs. Pelosi, to impeachment. The Slaughter Solution would replace the rule of law with arbitrary one-party rule. It violates the entire basis of our constitutional government - meeting the threshold of "high crimes and misdemeanors." If it's enacted, Republicans should campaign for the November elections not only on repealing Obamacare, but on removing Mr. Obama and his gang of leftist thugs from office.

It is time Americans drew a line in the sand. Mr. Obama crosses it at his peril."

So there it is -- the "I" word. You knew it was only a matter of time.

Cesca's been talking about this for quite a while -- predicting that if the Republicans gain control of Congress at the end of the year, you may as well clear your calendar for the impeachment circus to come. A group with the amusingly muscular name "The Sussex County Tea Party Patriots" is already trying to recall New Jersey Democratic Senator Robert Menendez, and if it's even close to successful, you can expect like-minded dingbats across the country to try to pull the same end-run on senatorial terms in the 18 states that allow for recalls. Generally, only the Senate can expel a member, but you can't think they won't at least take a shot at getting rid of people who don't toe their insane party line. The result would be chaos on a grand scale. Think the tea bagger protests are full of unfocused rage and unadulterated crazy? Imagine that crippling the U.S. Senate by tying it up with all kinds of unnecessary distractions.

By now it's not even worth rehashing how using a procedural technicality to pass a bill through Congress isn't just legal and well within the bounds of congressional discretion, it's something that's been done over and over again by the GOP -- who only now, when they're on the ostensible losing end of it, seem to think that there's something grossly unethical about the whole idea. But that doesn't mean the Republicans -- who've raised playing filthy to the level of admirable artistry -- aren't spinning the potential passage of the health care bill (through "deem and pass" or otherwise) as some sort of subversion of Constitutional law and the nothing less than a quiet overthrow of America. It's complete bullshit -- but the ignorant acolytes to the anti-government ethos will lap it up like Soma. There's absolutely no doubt that the Democrats will be facing tough questions for a long time to come -- and may very well pay a hefty electoral price -- if they have to resort to parliamentary sleight of hand to push through a piece of legislation as massive as the health care bill; but the Republicans have proven time and time again that there will never be any compromise with the Democrats -- meaning that this or any other major bill sponsored by the Dems probably wouldn't stand a chance of becoming law through the normal channels. The GOP is looking to thwart the Obama administration at every turn; as a unified party, it's not going to give an inch.

What the Democrats may be about to do to pass health care reform isn't illegal or unethical and therefore isn't by any stretch of the imagination an impeachable offense, but that won't stop some in the GOP from playing it that way. Still, given their often irrational, chomping-at-the-bit hunger to take down Barack Obama, I'm sure the Republicans would've -- and still will -- come up with some other reason he should be run out of office.