What would it take?

Last week, at Running Scared, I pointed out that a Federal investigation had concluded that the Bush administration acted illegally, breaking the law by purchasing favorable news and opinion coverage of his "No Child Left Behind" act. No action will come of this and Bush will pay no penalty for violating the law. Today, Lean Left, viewing the escalation of Plamegate to likely include Bush and Cheney themselves in possible conspiracy charges, asks the pertinent question: "Who would impeach Bush?"

[T]he Plame leak may go all the way to Bush

It appears that Fitzgerald is attempting to build a conspiracy case, and that that case may reach into the highest levels of the White House. If the facts support Fitzgerald, then I think we would all agree that such an offense would be impeachable. But who on the Republican side would actually impeach Bush?

Watergate is remembered as an example of the system working, but it is often forgotten that Nixon didn't lose the support of the GOP - and thus the majority of the country - until very late I the game. It was the fact that senior statesmen of the Republican Party abandoned Nixon that proved the final nail in Nixon'’s coffin. But there is no evidence that such statesmen exist on the Republican side today.

Exactly. This is a situation which, I believe, even the founding fathers, with all of their prescient vision, never saw as a possibility in the future. There seems to be no provision for this situation. What if, in addition to breaking the law by purchasing NCLB publicity, Bush is found to have engaged in conspiracy to reveal the identity of a covert intelligence agent during a period of wartime? And what if then, the Republicans stand united and refuse to acknowledge it, say nothing of do anything about it? If the votes can not be mustered in the two house of Congress, a call for an impeachment trial can't even begin, and obviously not a conviction. Unlike the Clinton era, should they all choose to stand united behind their "dear leader", Bush could literally walk down the halls of Congress shooting people and there is apparently not one damned thing that could be done.

This is why it is more critical than ever to have the opposition party regain control of the House and Senate. As I said above, I don't think anyone could have ever foreseen a day when this would happen, but it certainly looks like a distinct possibility now. Are there any GOP statesmen in office who would stand up and move to impeach this President if he were found to be involved in this conspiracy? They impeached Clinton for getting oral sex from an intern and lying about it. But that same party will give Bush a pass for these offenses, if substantiated? (Well, one already has been substantiated, but the new one is still under investigation.)

Where are the statesmen today?