Posted on 02/25/2011 5:17:57 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who plans within two weeks to announce if he will run for president, said today that if President Obama doesn't change his mind and order his Justice Department to enforce the Defense of Marriage Act, Republicans in Congress should strike back and even consider impeachment proceedings.
"I believe the House Republicans next week should pass a resolution instructing the president to enforce the law and to obey his own constitutional oath, and they should say if he fails to do so that they will zero out [defund] the office of attorney general and take other steps as necessary until the president agrees to do his job," said Gingrich. "His job is to enforce the rule of law and for us to start replacing the rule of law with the rule of Obama is a very dangerous precedent."
He didn't call for immediate impeachment hearings, but didn't rule them out if Obama balks at any congressional demands to enforce the law.
[Update: A Gingrich spokesman writes to say that Gingrich did not raise the impeachment issue himself. "Gingrich never raised impeachment nor did he say we were in a constitutional crisis," the Gingrich spokesman says. "His remarks, as can be seen in the video, were to illustrate the hypocrisy of the media and the left. He explicitly says that Obama did not intend to spark a constitutional crisis but that the president is acting outside of his constitutional role, but that does not mean that there is a constitutional crisis."]
Gingrich made his comments to Newsmax TV which has become the go-to place for potential GOP presidential candidates to make news. Just this week Mike Huckabee visited and Newsmax says that Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty plan to stop by next week.
The president's decision not to enforce the law that protects traditional marriage was a major policy switch and was seen as a bow to the gay community that has pushed hard to win the right to marriage in many states. Gays have been politically active for Obama, though some have been critical of his defense of traditional marriage.
Just today, the president also gave another olive branch to the community, naming the first gay social secretary for the White House. According to the Advocate, a gay journal, Jeremy Bernard has served in several gay organizations and most recently was the assistant to the U.S. ambassador to France.
Gingrich's call for quick GOP reaction to the Justice Department's decision to stop enforcing the marriage act was seen as a bid for the conservative and Tea Party vote, a base he would rely on if he decides to get into the presidential race.
In talking about the president's action, in fact, he raised Sarah Palin's name and suggested that she would be under fire if she ever decided not to enforce a major social law. "Imagine that Governor Palin had become president. Imagine that she had announced that Roe v. Wade in her view was unconstitutional and therefore the United States government would no longer protect anyone's right to have an abortion because she personally had decided it should be changed. The news media would have gone crazy. The New York Times would have demanded her impeachment," said Gingrich.
Gingrich noted that Obama supported the law during the campaign. "He is breaking his word to the American people," Gingrich said. Also, he added, "He swore an oath on the Bible to become president that he would uphold the Constitution and enforce the laws of the United States. He is not a one-person Supreme Court. The idea that we now have the rule of Obama instead of the rule of law should frighten everybody. The fact that the left likes the policy is allowing them to ignore the fact that this is a very unconstitutional act," Gingrich said.
EVEN NEWT IS SAYING "PRESIDENT SARAH PALIN!!" Rush was doing that yesterday. Guess he'd like to be in her cabinet or in some other high-level spot.
Uh, how many impeachable offenses does that make?
Newt where you been oh yeah thats right you need to use Palin’s name to score some points for yourself. Funny it was a couple of weeks ago you told her she needs to be careful about what she says.
Newt is a globalist please do us a favor, go away ...
How does DOMA conflict(trump?) DADT?
I worked really hard to get Newt elected Speaker and the GOP to win in 194 only to be severely disappointed since.
No GOP should discuss impeachment, on this one Newt - STFU
Our republican house must focus on fixing the country. O will be gone soon enough.
HE HAS A FEW MORE THAN JUST ONE. HOW ABOUT SUBVERTING THE CONSTITUTION, IGNORING THE WILL OF CONGRESS JUST TO NAME A FEW.
HE HAS A FEW MORE THAN JUST ONE. HOW ABOUT SUBVERTING THE CONSTITUTION, IGNORING THE WILL OF CONGRESS JUST TO NAME A FEW.
HE HAS A FEW MORE THAN JUST ONE. HOW ABOUT SUBVERTING THE CONSTITUTION, IGNORING THE WILL OF CONGRESS JUST TO NAME A FEW.
HE HAS A FEW MORE THAN JUST ONE. HOW ABOUT SUBVERTING THE CONSTITUTION, IGNORING THE WILL OF CONGRESS JUST TO NAME A FEW.
But for this all to come together, BO needs to approve a White House hosted gay marriage ceremony for the new social director.
A plump intern with a few cigar tricks and a blow job got Slick Willy impeached....
Too bad ignoring the law and the Constitution, ruining the economy, allowing our allies to tumble and destroying our domestic oil and gas industries doesn’t warrant much retribution.
Lets Go!
He has no shame.
I have learned to sift out the messenger voice and read the words.... to do otherwise is to do exactly what the opposition wants....
Depends on what one considers “impeachable”. The definition has been “adulterated”, much like the meaning of the word “sex”, or even “is”... (thank you Bill Clinton). So many wanted to make his indictment about sex... it was about him bold-face LYING.
Obama has been lying to the public for years (long before the 2008 sham election) - but he hasn’t lied directly to a court/jury.
Bu that being said, he has certainly broken his oath of office - and to me, that should be an “impeachable high crime”. Further, he has now specifically and intentionally given orders to ignore FEDERAL LAW.
Thing is- I thought the US Military takes an oath to defend the USA from enemies, both foreign and domestic... Obama qualifies as both. Does that mean that 100% of our US Military are violating THEIR oath of office by allowing this imposter, Marxist, anti_American to remain in office?
Of course, anyone who says ANYTHING negative about Obama, especially talk of impeachment, is automatically labeled a racist.
Rush found out when he said he hoped Obama failed... clearly targeting Obama’s radical agenda... but that’s ok - Rush is still a racist (according to the divisive Leftists who are the REAL racists).
Are we talking about Pol on the right? Thought so.
HE HAS A FEW MORE THAN JUST ONE. HOW ABOUT SUBVERTING THE CONSTITUTION, IGNORING THE WILL OF CONGRESS JUST TO NAME A FEW.
That bears repeating!
Barry knows he has lost the independent support, so he hopes to mitigate the damage by locking in the gay vote. Of course he risks losing some of the homophobic, black male voters. ...Then there is always the possibility that he is stir crazy, and ready to burst forth from the closet.
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