Yesterday Dennis Kucinich introduced Articles of Impeachment against President George W. Bush. I wish I could say I was surprised or that this was some how beyond the pale, but let’s face it: in this day an age this kind of thing is par for the course.

The articles revolve mostly around 9/11 and the war in Iraq, but it also contains such gems as “attempt[ing] to destroy Medicare,” “creating secret laws,” and of course, the death of football star Pat Tillman. After having read all 35 of the charges levied by this resolution, I am left scratching my head. Some of the things in the charges are not just “kind of wrong,” they’re firmly in the realm of WTF?!

In addition to the flatly ridiculous, Kucinich also blames the president for failure to respond properly to the Katrina disaster (which was a job delegated to a cabinet level official), failing to get body armor to the troops (which is actually Kucinich’s fault seeing as how it’s a budget issue and congress controls the budget), and violating the UN Charter by invading Iraq (which is an interpretation of the charter that shows clear ignorance of international law).

The thrust of Kucinich’s argument is that the president violated his oath of office – specifically the part that says “faithfully execute the office of the President of the United States” – which is not Treason, Bribery, a high crime, or a misdemeanor.

The impeachment proceedings are going to be laughed right out of congress by both Republicans and Democrats alike, but many of Bush’s strongest critics and anti-war extremists will probably latch on to this and use it as a rallying cry.

As someone who hates extremists on both sides, I’m saddened and disappointed with Mr. Kucinich. This resolution is little more than incoherent repetition of charges that didn’t make sense – much less have traction – the first time the peanut gallery first floated them. It’s almost painful to watch.

If you would like to read the resolution, I’ve uploaded the .pdf here.