George McGovern calls for impeachment: "Nixon was bad, these guys are worse"

If you've been reading this blog for a awhile you may recall that George McGovern is kind of a personal hero of mine. He is the first politician I remember being aware of. In 1972, his campaign was all about ending the Vietnam War, and it struck a chord deep within me: I was 11 years old and campaigning for him. He was such a good man, and Nixon so evil, it all seemed such an obvious choice for American voters. My poor little innocent heart was broken when he lost the general election. Although I've been hooked on politics ever since, George McGovern is the last politician I've believed in so deeply. (I'm sorry Obama fans, I just can't get behind his message of hope. I still feel like he's selling something, rather than inspiring me.)

This morning's Washington Post has an editorial by George McGovern entitled "Why I Believe Bush Must Go: Nixon Was Bad. These Guys Are Worse." An excerpt:

Bush and Cheney are clearly guilty of numerous impeachable offenses. They have repeatedly violated the Constitution. They have transgressed national and international law. They have lied to the American people time after time. Their conduct and their barbaric policies have reduced our beloved country to a historic low in the eyes of people around the world. These are truly "high crimes and misdemeanors," to use the constitutional standard.

From the beginning, the Bush-Cheney team's assumption of power was the product of questionable elections that probably should have been officially challenged -- perhaps even by a congressional investigation.

Impeachment is unlikely, of course. But we must still urge Congress to act. Impeachment, quite simply, is the procedure written into the Constitution to deal with presidents who violate the Constitution and the laws of the land. It is also a way to signal to the American people and the world that some of us feel strongly enough about the present drift of our country to support the impeachment of the false prophets who have led us astray. This, I believe, is the rightful course for an American patriot.

I believe we have a chance to heal the wounds the nation has suffered in the opening decade of the 21st century. This recovery may take a generation and will depend on the election of a series of rational presidents and Congresses. At age 85, I won't be around to witness the completion of the difficult rebuilding of our sorely damaged country, but I'd like to hold on long enough to see the healing begin.

There has never been a day in my adult life when I would not have sacrificed that life to save the United States from genuine danger, such as the ones we faced when I served as a bomber pilot in World War II. We must be a great nation because from time to time, we make gigantic blunders, but so far, we have survived and recovered.

Read the entire editorial here.