As I have stated consistently since I began my campaign, I believe that the impeachment of Bush and Cheney and their removal from office are imperative for the defense of our democracy. Without impeachment, very precedent, every signing statement, every entrenched corrupt and illegal practice, will take on a life of its own and be with us as long as we live, and beyond.
The only way to wipe the slate clean is to impeach and remove both Bush and Cheney. That will stamp the heritage of this disastrous administration with REJECTED in big red letters for all time. We have to do this for our children, and for their children. We have the opportunity to do this anytime before noon on January 20, 2009.
Impeachment is imperative, and it will be a messy, acrimonious, and partisan process. Senator Obama seems to believe that great evils can always be dealt with by a process of bipartisan cooperation. That ignores the reality of Bush-Cheney and their constitutional crimes, which are staring us in the face. No matter who wins the presidency, it is very foolish to think that an era of good feelings is at hand. Quite the contrary.
The economic crisis is worsening, and the solutions required for our country will be very controversial, as the response to my proposed five year ban on foreclosures has shown. To save our nation in the last depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt had to brave the hatred of Wall Street, and we can thank our lucky stars that he never flinched. Similarly, John F. Kennedy did not negotiate with Roger Blough of US Steel – he forced him to give way to the national interest. Appeasement has never served us well, and there is no reason to think it ever will.
If supporting Senator Obama means buying in to his novel theory that political struggle is bad in itself, I cannot follow that path. I would also urge Maine voters, before they go to caucus, to look at the advisers around the respective candidates. If back in 2000 we had paid less attention Bush’s lips, and more attention to the gaggle of aggressive neocon ideologues around him, we might be better off today.
When I look at Senator Obama, I see first of all Zbigniew Brzezinski and his son Mark. Mr. Brzezinski, whose service under President Carter was a tragic failure, seems to want to crown his career with a final confrontation – not in the Middle East, but with Russia. I believe this is incalculable folly, and I intend to oppose it.
Senator Obama’s lead economics advisor is Austan Goolsbee, a free market enthusiast from the University of Chicago who seems to be a member of the Skull and Bones Society from Yale. Professor Goolsbee is in line to become Secretary of the Treasury. After the two Bushes, perhaps we have had enough of Skull and Bones to last us a while.
Then we have another Obama advisor, Professor Jeffrey Liebman of Harvard, who says he wants the partial privatization of Social Security. I totally opposed that idea when it was coming from Bush, and I will totally oppose it if it comes from Obama.
In short, the impression we gather from looking at Obama’s advisers is not at all encouraging. Underneath the soaring rhetoric, we seem to have some pretty stale and discredited policy proposals. Perhaps Maine Democrats would be well advised to take another look at Senator Clinton, who is certainly more progressive in her health care plan and her approach to foreclosures than Senator Obama. She offers at the very least the stability of a known quantity. In contrast to the mass media, I am not especially alarmed by the prospect of Bill Clinton returning to the White House. But I am deeply alarmed by the thought that Zbigniew Brzezinski might make a comeback, thanks to Senator Obama’s inexperience in foreign affairs.
Editor: For more information or to schedule an interview, contact:
Laurie Dobson, 207-967-0432, 203-964-7022 (cell), contact@DobsonforSenate.com
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