The Case for Impeachment: The Legal Argument for Removing President George W. Bush from Office

By Barbara Olshansky and Dave Lindorff

Book Overview

The war in Iraq . . . ? No bid contracts awarded to Halliburton . . . ? Hurricane Katrina . . . ? The CIA leak investigation . . . ? The story gets worse and worse. The evidence is glaring. George W. Bush''s record as a president is abysmal. ????? And it''s time to impeach him. ????? The Case for Impeachment lays out the reasons why in a straightforward, letter-of-the-law manner. Mixing the cold, hard facts with the lies and deceptions of this administration, The Case for Impeachment is a serious consideration of Bush''s high crimes and misdemeanors while in office. This important and timely book will serve as a rallying cry for all those fed up with George W. Bush''s abuses of power. ? It''s time for the American people and Congress to act. With so much at stake, we have a president whose administration stands out in its criminality and disdain for the rule of law. The Case for Impeachment explains the legal history and grounds for impeaching George W. Bush and brings forth more than a half dozen articles of impeachment the likes of: *Lying and inducing Congress and the American people into an unjust war. *Allowing his friends and business cronies to profiteer off the war in Iraq. *Authorizing torture and rendition of prisoners of war and suspected terrorists--a complete violation of the Geneva Conventions, a treaty the U.S. has signed and is therefore part of our law. *Stripping American citizens of their Constitutional rights--holding people with no charge, wiretapping them illegally, offering them no trial, and never allowing them to face their accusers. *Failing in almost every way possible to defend the homeland and our borders. Hard hitting and persuasive in its argument, The Case for Impeachment will be one of the most talked-about political books for the pathetic remainder of the Bush Presidency. ? As timely as today''s headlines, this vital book explains why impeachment should be deployed against the serial Constitution-shredder George W. Bush. The third article of impeachment against Richard Nixon was illegal spying on Americans--a crime indisputably committed also by Bush and his cronies. But this book also makes a compelling case that Bush has arrogantly flouted his oath of office and the laws of the land by committing other impeachableoffenses--telling lies to Congress and the American people to take us into an illegal war, violating the War Powers act, abusing the power of his office, failing to protect the United States, and more. Dave Lindorff (a first-rate independent progressive journalist) and Barbara Olshansky (a dedicated civil liberties attorney), in The Case for Impeachment, have restored this vital tool to the arsenal of democracy. Any American who wants to preserve what''s left of our precious Bill of Rights from further encroachments, and to repair the Constitutional separation of powers vitiated by George Bush, should read this essential book -- which should also be force-fed to every single member of Congress. -- Doug Ireland, columnist for the LA Weekly ? "In the United States, our best journalism is published in books now and talked about on the radio and the internet. If you get your news from a television or a newspaper, you live in another world. This no doubt contributes to how divided we are politically. Dave Lindorff''s and Barbara Olshansky''s book could help bridge this national divide. The genius of this book is in its brevity. Lindorff and Olshansky have boiled the list of Bush and Cheney''s documented crimes down to an amazingly concise summary, one that however gives a real flavor of the goings on in this criminal administration. I work on these issues and still learned a great deal by reading this book. If each of us who knows some of this and is able to process it easily buys ten copies to give to people who get their news from TV, this clear crisp book might just help save this country." -- David Swanson, co-founder AfterDowningStreet.org ? The impeachment of George W. Bush today seems politically unlikely. But Lindorff and Olshansky insist that we not avert our eyes, that it is not OK to tolerate a president who "revokes the basic constitutional rights of American citizenship"--locking people up indefinitely without trial, claiming a right to ignore laws and court orders. President Bush justifies his violations of the Constitution by citing the emergency of a war which is in truth "a police action against stateless terrorists"--a crusade which can thus have "no beginning and no end," Lindorff and Olshansky forcefully argue. If Bill Clinton was impeached for lying about having sex, they ask, how much more dangerous is it to shrug off the corrosive impact of a president who knowingly lied the nation into a costly and counterproductive war in Iraq? The authors then proceed to meticulously document their case that many of the false grounds for war were, indeed, knowing lies. "If we fail to stand up for the Constitution now," they warn, "it may only be a piece of paper by the end of President Bush''s second term." --Vin Suprynowicz, Las Vegas Review Journal

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312360169
• ISBN13: 9780312360160
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
• Length: 275 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.0" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

To Impeach or Not To Impeach

This book makes a very strong case for impeachment of George W. Bush, and I believe that proceedings should be undertaken because it is important that Bush's imperialistic, unconstitutional, even illegal behavior as president not be allowed to pass uncensured by the Congress and the people. To ignore this would set an even more dangerous precedent than his appointment to the presidency by the Supreme Court did.

A Thuderous Cry For Bush's Removal!

Considering the Bush administration's assault on our civil rights, the Constitution itself, American principles as we know it and rampant republican cronyism, there is no shortage of books to read that outline the worst Presidency in American history. In fact, there is a literal litany of them to read and depress one's self over it all. The problem with such a plethora to pick from is you can't read them all and many of them are either too dry, histrionic or too full of legal blather to bother with. Enter David Lindorff and Barbara Olshansky and their book, The Case for Impeachment: The Legal Argument for Removing President George W. Bush from Office. Mr. Lindorff is a thirty-year veteran of journalism and Ms. Olshansky, an attorney, is the Director Counsel for The Center for Constitutional Rights. Together they achieve what few other books can on this subject, mainly a lucid argument for removing the Bush cartel without boring the bookworm to death or burying them in lawyer lingo. Blending a mixture of just enough pragmatic history, clear-cut evidence and easy-to-understand legal language, the authors present a damaging case that clocks in under 275 pages, including the index and ample supporting documents. Whether you need to wrap your mind around the cornucopia of criminality by Bush, or find a friend or family member still in denial and needs help grasping the grisly, grim truth about "Dubya", this book does the trick in just ten easy chapters. While the Internet, through grassroots efforts, has given rise to a thunderous cry for Bush's removal, The Case for Impeachment, gives a mainstream voice to a virulent presidency and a deep demand for the people-powered recall of a would-be dictator. -Frank J. Ranelli Progressive Author, Writer, & Researcher

Serious Book

As one who actually voted for Bush in 2000 and against in 2004, I feel that I gave him an honest and objective look over the last 6 years. I don't feel that all the counts laid out by the authors reach the level of impeachment but 2, at least in my mind do. Most importantly is mis-leading us into a war of agression regarding Iraq. The cost of this war on so many level will be with us for a very long time. When I picked this up I thought it might be a left-wing screed. Far from it, a very serious and worthwhile read.

Lays Out the Groundwork

The authors (Lindorff and Olshansky) believe that articles of impeachment in the book should be an open and shut case, that a prosecutor would have no problem drawing up eg. a FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) indictment, or convincing a jury to convict - if this were a regular criminal matter. They go on to assert that the only possible explanation for President Bush's conditions for appearing before the 9/11 Commission (no reporters, recording devices or notes; that he not be placed under oath; that only a few select members be present) is that he lied. Further, Bush's lies on Iraq have killed over 2,500 troops and an estimated 100,000 Iraqis (mostly civilians), and has cost hundreds of billions. Other charges include violation of signed international treaties that have become the law of the land (eg. Geneva Convention), ignoring or violating acts of Congress through the issuance of "signing statements" in which Bush declared his intention to interpret laws his own way and obey only those he feels like. "The Case for Impeachment" then reviews Bush's early record of business failures, early abuses of law as Texas' governor and resolving the contested Florida votes in 2000, and his administration's emphasis on secrecy, followed by background material on impeachment. Specific charges against President Bush include negligence (ignoring global warming, Katrina foul-ups, no plan or sufficient armor in Iraq, and poor defense of the U.S.), corruption (restricting Iraq bidding to a few U.S. firms, involvement with Abramoff), and illegal acts (authorizing torture, wiretapping, lying about the need to invade Iraq). The authors also believe that other officials should be impeached: V.P. Cheney (awarding contracts to cronies, support for torture, outing Valerie Plame), Secretary Rumsfeld (supporting torture), Rice (lying about the potential use of aluminum tubes), A.G. Gonzales (lying about warrantless surveillance). Lindorff and Olshansky realize no impeachment action will occur under the current Congress - however, they believe setting out the case for doing so will give proponents something to work towards and help bring about political change. Their "bottom-line" is that failure to act may reduce the Constitution to but a piece of paper by the end of Bush's second term. Like a frog that doesn't realize he slowly being boiled, we tend to lose perspective on events that slowly occur over time. "The Case for Impeachment" summarizes a number of alarming acts and clearly demonstrates that action should be taken.

Scary

In moderate tone, this books lists the impeachable offenses, G.W. Bush might have commited. If only 10% is correct, it is scary,in what low regard this president holds the values, which were once cherished by Americans, and which were admired and envied world over. With the flimsy excuse of the "war on terrorism", Bush seems to feel, he is allowed to do whatever he pleases. I suppose, every reasonable person would agree, that World War II was a bigger war, that the one this Draft Dodger wages. Still, I have not read anywhere, that Roosevelt ever condoned torture of POWs. (it surely happend, but the admnistration did not condone it) One might feel reassured, that Bush only has another two years, but will the next President -Republican or Democrat- give up the additional power of the Presidency Bush amassed? On a recent trip to the USA, I was amazed, how little American citizens seem to care! They do not seem to know, that Hitler also started slowly!