Monday, December 18, 2006

READER UPDATE ON THE IMPEACHMENT ISSUE: THINKING ABOUT WHETHER IT'S A GOOD IDEA, AND WHAT IT WOULD ACCOMPLISH

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By reader "shirt"

[DWT reader shirt is still thinking about whether impeachment, as a practical matter, should be pursued in the new Congress--and also considers what it would--and wouldn't--accomplish.]

As I wrote at DWT 12/12/06:

According to Pelosi and Reid "impeachment is off the table." I beg to differ: impeachment is a constitutional process and you do not arbitrarily discard the constitution.’ Followed by some cheesy snark.

HuffPo poster Joseph A. Palermo felt somewhat the same, but:
. . . If the full House passed one or more of the articles there would be a trial in the Senate that could last for weeks or months. Removing Bush from office would require 67 Senate votes, which is admittedly a tall order. Yet however unlikely such an outcome might be, it would be an exercise in democracy and show the Chief Executive that he can no longer ignore the powers and prerogatives of the Judicial and Legislative branches of our government. It would send a clear message to Bush that he must stop this nonsense about "unitary executives," "signing statements," and "inherent powers."

Palermo seems to indicate that impeachment, even if failing to convict would reign in this monarch. I disagree with that notion: If this Caligula from Crawford regards a 51% majority as a mandate, then he’d view a failed conviction as an affirmation from God and country.

Shirt

3 Comments:

At 4:32 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

A frivolous impeachment for something such as the Clinton dalliance would serve the country poorly. Investigations of this administration into the issues of DIA/CIA intelligence failures, Signing statements, no bid contracts, FEMA, NSA wiretaps, GITMO, and a fiscal accounting of non-military spending in Iraq and Afghanistan -- almost an overwhelming (but incomplete) list – should either reveal a clear pattern of corruption or not. If not, we’ll have to live with our mistake. If so, the American people will tell congress to convict as they did with President Nixon and not with President Clinton.

Bil does pose an interesting issue: he’s not worth impeaching because he’s a dupe being manipulated by Cheney and the Neocons. Excuse me? I’d like it to be very clear that if the President is such a pathetic stumblebum neither stupidity, feigned ignorance, family or all three will protect you from the consequences.

Shirt

 
At 7:29 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Like many of my fellow "terrorist loving" left wing traitors to Dear Leader, I've thought long and hard about the question of impeachment. Beyond the obvious hazards of a Cheney Presidency, which is extremely likely since the Senate is very unlikely to remove the entire Executive Branch while we are in conflicts abroad, there is another danger. What if we go down that road and are unsuccessful in convicting Bush? How is THIS man likely to take that? With the way Bush has acted his entire administration I believe he would see that as a vindication of his actions. All of them. Then what? More of the same? Even worse?

As much as I loathe the man for all he and his supporters have done to this country and the world, I'm not sure it's the best way to handle Bush. I trust the leaders of our party. I know that sound silly but I do. I believe they can, with our help, prove to the American people all that Bush has done. The hearings that are planned in both houses will be thorough. The media will have no choice but to report and I think they are ready to. The next year will be quite interesting.

 
At 8:42 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bush and Cheney need to be impeached or some other mechanism needs to be found to remove them.

Maybe his dad and his cronies can level with the duo about exactly what will happen to them when everyone removes their protection of them the way Native Americans treated renegades.

As for being led into Iraq, don't even try to pull that one. Jr. loved the idea of being a "war hero" without the risk. He was determined to go to war. Bush is not innocent in any way.

If he were being led, he has every opportunity now to throw his advisors under the bus and walk away a hero. He won't cause he ain't.

 

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