Immpeachment: Yea or Nay?

Is it worth it to fight losing battles? For example, was it worth it for PATCO to go on strike back in the 80's when Reagan fired them all, while he simultaneously was supporting Solidarity in Poland in its attempt to bring down that government? Is it worth it to hold anti-war marches when one "knows" that some few of the participants will engage in questionable behaviors and that the march will not end the war? Was it worth it for the Bolsheviks to seize power and set about constructing socialism in a country that was 80% peasant? (Some revisionists --see Adam's Fallacy by Duncan K. Foley, a recently published and mostly excellent book on political economy reviewed uninterestingly and off-point by Robert Solow in the 11/16 New York Review--think that the Bolsheviks should have allowed and encouraged capitalism to further and fully develop in Russia to "prepare" for a socialist revolution.) Is it worth it to attempt to launch an impeachment of Bush/Cheney when odds for success are miniscule and blowback might be detrimental?

Outgoing Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) has introduced a bill of impeachment. Those familiar with metro Atlanta politics will know how she is every inch her father Billy's daughter, and his shoot from the hip style. David Corn of The Nation has an anti-impeachment article that considers such a move as disaster for progressives and Democrats. Corn says look what the Clinton impeachment did for the Republicans; this is a bad analogy as it gave us 12 more years of Republican rule and got Bush almost-elected and reelected! Corn thinks the reaction to a Democrat-led impeachment drive would undermine if not destroy this Congress's chances of passing laws favorable to families and workers. Of course, the Democrats aren't as "progressive" overall as Corn implies and they don't have a veto-proof majority or filibuster-ending Senate control. In other words, the more "progressive" the Democrats' agenda the less likely it is to come to fruition and impeachment itself is in the same category.

All of us must consider the probable outcomes of our actions: look before you leap. But the future is unknown and a well-run inquiry of impeachment may reveal much more than we currently know and improve the odds. Recall the 18 minute tape gap. And the biggest reason for pursuing the removal of the ruling junta is that Iraq is only the tip of the iceberg. Rumblings of war against Iran and Syria, the revival of the cold war against a now-capitalist Russia, nuclear proliferation with the enormity of the just passed approval of the Indian nuke deal, etc.

We need to fight not simply over yesterday's crimes but tomorrow's as well. All of our futures are at stake. Corn worries that impeachment will be polarizing and split the Democrats. Duh! I can only speak for myself but I don't care about party affiliation; I care about my and our lives and achieving a peaceful world with our government following sane and humane policies. If it turns out that two-thirds of Democrats are Bush-style warmongers and imperialists, well, that would be the reality and the real battle would be engaged. Let's move things along and find out.