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Bush's Worst Appointment
Yet?
Read Jeffrey
St Clair's blazing expose of the new Interior Secretary nominee
, Dirk Kempthorne, and make up your own mind. Even in the dingy
history of Idaho's predators, Kempthorne stood proud as the dingiest
of them all. Now he's poised to seize his place in history. Will
he be the sleaziest Interior Secretary in history, sleazier than
Watt, fouler than Fall?
More on the great Israel Lobby debate! Norman Finkelstein blazes
a new path, asks "Are the Neo-Cons really committed Zionists?" "Bliss was it
in that dawn" Not in Michigan! Raymond Garcia describes
Dem governor's appalling plan to scapegoat youth and teachers. Plus the full print version of Virginia
Tilley's savage dissection on this website of the double-standard
onslaught on Hamas by the US and EU. CounterPunch Online is read by millions
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Now!
Caught Between
an Impeachable President and Weak Democrats
Where
are the Real Leaders?
By BRUCE K. GAGNON
A Washington Post-ABC News poll is showing
that the public is very angry with Congress. They are not doing
their job and the people know it. Nearly two in three Americans
believe the war in Iraq has not been worth it. People see the
economy unraveling around them and they see the Congress doing
nothing but giving more tax cuts to the rich. Gas prices go up
and the oil corporations executives get enormous multi-million
bonuses and federal tax credits.
But the polls are not necessarily
good news for the Democrats. While 55% of the public says they
are open to someone else being their Congressional representative,
they also by a 58% margin say the Democrats have not offered
a sharp contrast to Bush and the Republicans and they disapprove
of the job the Dems are doing.
The Dems strategy is to try
to ride out "the perfect storm" in hopes it will wash
them into control of Congress. Maybe that will happen....but
maybe voters will turn to Independents and Greens this year and
reject both parties.
This is the year that progressive
minded voters and activists need to work together to support
good candidates no matter what party they are with. Greens, progressive
Dems, Independents and the like must cross normal party boundaries
and seek out people who are willing to tell the truth about what
is going on. They must identify and support candidates who are
willing to call for: investigation of Bush and Cheney for impeachable
offenses; cut all funding for the war in Iraqi; immediate and
unconditional withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq; ending tax
cuts for the rich; support for a single payer national health
care program; investment in rail, solar and wind technology in
the U.S. with our tax dollars; major cuts in the bloated Pentagon
budget; and investment in the social and physical infrastructure
all across the nation.
Time is running out. The health
care system, education, roads and bridges are all broken. Jobs
are leaving the country like a roomful of rats running from a
nasty cat. Only with significant federal investment can we hope
to rebuild the country and develop new technologies to deal with
global warming. If we don't demand this now, by getting behind
candidates who will fight for this alternative vision, then we
will head south fast as a nation.
It is great that people are
expressing great anger toward the status quo in the U.S. But
in their desperation, if people just put a bunch of corporate
Dems in power then nothing much will change. And believe me the
corporations now dominate the Democratic party and will be working
hard to put their people in place if the Congress turns over.
This is the year for bold action.
This is the year not to fall for the glad handing from Dems that
will promise they want to end the war in Iraq and then turn right
around and vote for more money for the war. This is year not
to vote for candidates who tell you we can't talk about impeachment
because it is too controversial. The constitution is clear that
when a president oversteps his power we must move toward impeachment!
We need real leaders at this
moment in history. I'm tired of seeing the "entitled kid
princes and princesses get elected who only are looking for higher
office and put serving the people low on their list.
CounterPunch
Speakers Bureau Sick of sit-on-the-Fence speakers, tongue-tied and timid?
CounterPunch Editors Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St Clair
are available to speak forcefully on ALL the burning issues,
as are other CounterPunchers seasoned in stump oratory. Call
CounterPunch Speakers Bureau, 1-800-840-3683. Or email beckyg@counterpunch.org.