Incompetence and Corruption 3/14/07

I would think that even supporters of President Bush are beginning to get tired of the stream of outrageous news coming out of the administration. Just look at the last two weeks:

• The improper firing of US Attorneys directed by the White House
• The revelations of squalid conditions, mismanagement, and neglect at Walter Reed Army Medical Center
• The guilty verdict of the Vice President’s former chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby, and revelations of Cheney’s direction of the Valerie Plame affair
• The revelation of FBI abuses of power in intelligence-gathering

Many Democrats are calling for impeachment, but that requires a high crime or misdemeanor. Proof of such is a high bar. But we can also ask: Can the country really afford this? When we face critical challenges such as the Iraq War, terrorism, fiscal recklessness, and growing poverty, can we afford this profoundly and demonstrably incompetent President? At what point do the President and Vice President do what is right for the country and simply leave office so that others may more competently guide the people in self-government?

Maybe ridiculous. Then again, I like to believe in the power of imagination.