The Crash of 29

Gallup's first post-Libby poll has George W. Bush's approval numbers falling to 29 percent, the first time he's been below 30.

More findings: 62 percent of people say it was a mistake to go into Iraq, 60 percent say the economy is getting worse (!), and only 68 percent of Republicans approve of Bush, thanks largely to the immigration fight.

Speaking of the collapsing Bush administration, Megan McArdle argues against the idea of just impeaching these guys and getting it over with.

[Democrats,] you will divide the country. Remember 1998? 2000? The various merits of impeachment will be all anyone can talk about. And all that talk will have the effect of moving anyone who voted for Bush back towards the Republican party. Every vehement attack on Bush is an opportunity for a disgusted moderate Republican to experience a vehement attack on his or her judgement in voting for the bastard. Right now, the country is united in hating Bush. Impeach him, and most of the haters will peel off.

Nixon fell because his behaviour was inarguably criminal, and worse, petty criminal. And he had it all on tape.

Bush's behaviour is not inarguably criminal. Impeaching him will generate a gigantic mess. And the negative feelings about that gigantic mess will almost certainly be laid at the Democratic Party's door. An impeachment is almost the only thing guaranteed to deliver a Republic president and the loss of at least one house of Congress in 2008.

So an impeachment trial would 1)waste Congress's time, 2)take the Democrats' knees out, and 3)humiliate Bush and legions of wide-eyed Republicans. And… what are the arguments against it?