A Commander in Chief who flouts international law by invading a sovereign country, who supervises over massive human-rights violations, who repeatedly lies to Congress and the public, who expresses open contempt for the U.S. Constitution, and orders his administration to spy on private citizens—George W. Bush or Richard M. Nixon? If you guessed both, you're right. Just ask Elizabeth Holtzman, the former New York congresswoman who served on the House Judiciary committee when it initiated impeachment proceedings against Nixon more than 30 years ago. On Wednesday, she'll be at UCLA's Royce Hall to discuss not Nixon but Bush—and her book The Impeachment of George W. Bush: A Practical Guide for Concerned Citizens. Joining her will be the star witness of the Watergate hearings Holtzman helped supervise: John Dean—Tricky Dick's chief counsel and, more recently, author of Worse than Watergate, a book about—you guessed it—Bush. In case you don't remember, Dean is the man who told his boss there was a “cancer on the presidency” and the only way to cure it would be for Nixon to resign. That was great legal advice—if Nixon hadn't resigned, Holtzman and her colleagues would have impeached his crooked ass. This week's event is historic not only because it reunites two of the most crucial participants in uncovering the Watergate affair—but also because both believe Bush should be impeached for committing high crimes and misdemeanors. LA Times columnist Patt “Hat Lady” Morrison moderates the program.
Crimes of the Oval Office: Bush and the Potential for Impeachment with Elizabeth Holtzman and John Dean at Royce Hall, UCLA, Royce Dr. N Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 365-3500; www.ticketmaster.com. Wed., 8 p.m. $10-$15.
Award-winning investigative journalist Nick Schou is Editor of OC Weekly. He is the author of Kill the Messenger: How the CIA’s Crack Cocaine Controversy Destroyed Journalist Gary Webb (Nation Books 2006), which provided the basis for the 2014 Focus Features release starring Jeremy Renner and the L.A. Times-bestseller Orange Sunshine: The Brotherhood of Eternal Love’s Quest to bring Peace, Love and Acid to the World, (Thomas Dunne 2009). He is also the author of The Weed Runners (2013) and Spooked: How the CIA Manipulates the Media and Hoodwinks Hollywood (2016).