The gutless resolution passed this week and the embarassing excuse for an ethics reform bill passed by the new Congress are just the Democrats testing to be sure the training wheels are off, right? Now that they realize they have enough votes to pass legislation, the House will endeavor to explain to America how pallets of hundred-dollar bills were lost in Iraq and why soldiers were performing sexual humiliation, stress tests, physical torture, degradation and injury on prisoners in Cuba, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Instead of pursuing answers and solutions, Democrats again are fumbling about trying to do no wrong because they can't decide what is right. The resolution passed this week had to be non-binding to keep it from being unconstitutional...

Congress can declare war. If they want to stop funding war, they should rescind the declaration of war, not choke the Treasury. Attempting to drive the occupation of Iraq from legislative chambers is foolish.

The House has the power of impeachment. It has never been more needed. Cheney's role in the Plame leak merits an honest sit down with the Senate to answer a few questions under oath. Many things that have gone on under Bush merit honest sits down with the Senate. Too many. Seat Rumsfeld. Seat Ashcroft. Let them explain how the Office of Special Plans worked and where they got the private contractors whose role in overseas prison abuse has never been investigated because it falls outside the jurisdiction of military courts. Seat Card and ask him about WHIG.

Soldiers, some reservists, are now in prison for obeying orders to degrade and injure prisoners. The bad-apple hypothesis is threadbare. Before any of the torture occurred, the White House and Pentagon were anticipating torture. Bush's lawyers said it was okay to violate Geneva conventions fighting terrorism long before anyone's Geneva rights were violated. Rumsfeld insisted he personally authorize all torture at Gitmo in the declaration that created the terrorist prison there. Rumsfeld asked for torture, and he got it.

Free the imprisoned soldiers and go after the real culprits. Far too many stars have aligned and photographs surfaced and too much of the backstory remains untold and neglected. Numerous well documented incidences of torture happened throughout America's prisons. The problem was systemic and top down; it was not bad apples.

The Senate needs to ask Dick Cheney and those who worked with him in 2001 a few questions, and the House has authority to send an invite. Settling for the Vice President (a non-binding office but for tiebreakers) instead of the President is just the sort of limp compromise Democrats need to feel good about an impeachment proceeding.

If Bush manages to replace Cheney with someone yet more frightening (Rumsfeld, for example), Congress can let Bush serve out his term and attempt to right the wreck he made. If he appoints someone more decent than him, impeach Bush too. Democrats had to drum Agnew from the vice presidency before threatening Nixon with impeachment, so going after Cheney first is a natural. The fact that it is so long overdue is reason to hurry, not to give up. Dick is not getting any harder to impeach, easier really.