Bush administration must be held accountable

Bush, Cheney, and the rest of the gang are now out of Washington. Good riddance.

But it must not end there. They have abused their power, and they must be held accountable.

Barack Obama has said that we must look forward, not backwards. But we must not let them get away with their crimes. If we do so, then we show the world that the Bush administration is indeed above the law. And nobody should be placed above the law.

If a Democratic president had committed the same crimes, you better believe that the Republicans would have done something about it. (Look at how they impeached Clinton over a mere sexual tryst.)

House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers has introduced legislation to investigate the policies of the Bush administration. And apparently Nancy Pelosi is warming up to the idea. Fingers crossed.

This needn't distract Congress or the Obama administration from moving forward on all the work that needs to be done to fix the economy, pull our troops out of Iraq, make health care affordable for all, and everything else that we're counting on them to do. After all, they should be used to multitasking.

The president has sworn to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States". Likewise, each member of Congress has sworn to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic."

But talk is cheap.

The Bush administration has torn the Constitution to shreds. Congress and our new President must live up to their oaths and hold the violators accountable. Otherwise, they are not doing their jobs, and should not get any more of our votes.