Posted on 07/03/2007 11:11:13 PM PDT by tcrlaf
In the wake of President Bush's commutation of prison time for convicted felon Lewis Libby and a developing constitutional clash over important subpoenas, influential Democratic activists are pressing Congress to put impeachment back on the table.
Today MoveOn.org, the powerhouse group of 3.2 million political activists, launched an unprecedented petition calling on Congress to impeach Vice President Cheney if he defies congressional subpoenas issued to investigate the Bush administration's purge of prosecutors at the Justice Department.
Leading bloggers have also launched a targeted campaign to specifically lobby Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee to put impeachment back on the table, and as The Nation's John Nichols reports, some members of Congress say it is now time to "reconsider impeachment proceedings."
The Judiciary Committee is led by John Conyers, who introduced a bill last Congress to explore impeachment proceedings. It drew support from about one out of seven House Democrats at the time.
But Speaker Nancy Pelosi said impeachment was off the table during the mid-term campaign, and Conyers later sent an email to his national supporter list echoing the Speaker's promise.
Leaving aside the detailed debate over when, how and why impeachment proceedings would ever begin, Congress should never have taken the prospect of impeachment off the table.
It is a constitutionally protected check against runaway executive power and lawlessness -- problems that Americans are quite familiar with lately.
(Politicians are fond of reiterating their willingness to keep the option of nuclear bombs "on the table" in foreign policy, so surely constitutional oversight and accountability can remain on the table too.) When Congress tries to govern without its full power, the President can act with impunity.
Here's how the New York Times explained Bush's commutation today: Mr. Bush comes at the decision as a weakened leader, with his public approval ratings at historic lows for any president, his domestic agenda faltering on Capitol Hill and his aides facing subpoenas from the Democrats who control Congress.
Those circumstances offer him a certain amount of freedom; as Mr. Black said, "He knows he's going to get hammered no matter what he does."
See? Without further consequences on the table, Bush's historically low support, refusal to work with democratically elected officials in the coequal branch and mounting investigations into serious wrongdoing only serve to give him more "freedom."
And with that freedom, Bush and Cheney are fighting to preserve the freedom of a convicted felon, defy congressional investigations and continue to undermine the law and the Constitution through spying, torture and detention policies. How can they be stopped?
At times like these, Americans might want to consider what the Founders would do?
They are moving from desperate hope to all-out-PANIC!!! mode now....
WHAT? It seems to me he has worked too much with the democRats!
It would be hard to make it more clear than an impeachment was political than by having it triggered by an completely constitutional use of executive reprieve.
Belittle them at our peril. We’re nearing a constitutional crisis. The left will tear this country apart in the coming months if given the chance.
Is this the same “coequal” branch they wanted to “Move on” from impeaching Clinton?
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Actually, it's similar to jury nullification. A jury has the unchallengeable power to decide guilt or innocence, for any reason they like.
And a President has the unchallengeable power to pardon or commute a sentence--for any reason he prefers, or for no reason at all.
And the House has the unchallengeable power to impeach, and the Senate the power to convict--for any reason they prefer, or for no reason at all.
And the only recourse the people would have would be to vote the rascals out at the next election.
“The left will tear this country apart in the coming months if given the chance.”
Sadly, I AGREE, but Ridicule is the knife that cuts a liberal deeper than anything else.
Their fragile egos cannot handle it, and dammit, they just CARE so much!
I think you just answered your own question. ;-)
MoveOn.org .. calling on Congress to impeach Vice President Cheney if he defies congressional subpoenas issued to investigate the Bush administration's purge of prosecutors at the Justice Department...The moonbats don't realize, forget, or don't care, that regardless of what Executive Powers Jimmah ceded to Congress after Watergate all those years ago, that don't mean sqaut in the real world of today. And THAT is what VEEP Cheney and Dubya has been saying and doing since Sept 11. 'WE' are the Executive Branch and we are reclaiming all our Constitutional authority.They always forget that even Lefty 'legal scholars' agree Dubya has the Constitutional authority to fire any of them, any time, for any reason - "Hey, I don't like your tie - you're fired".
Leaving aside the detailed debate over when, how and why impeachment proceedings would ever begin, Congress should never have taken the prospect of impeachment off the table.
Dam straight. Let's 'leave aside' the how and why, like .. uh the Constitutional grounds for impeachment, let's just do it anyway.
It is a constitutionally protected check against runaway executive power and lawlessness -- problems that Americans are quite familiar with lately.
I can't find 'runaway executive power' in the Constitution. Do DUmmies have a different version??? But as to 'lawlessness' they have a point. Philly, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, New Orleans, LA, etc, etc, are crime ridden Quagmires. We need to impeach ... oh wait, those cities are run by Democrats. Oops, never mind.
When Congress tries to govern without its full power,....
Uh, Congress doesn't 'govern', it 'legislates'.
Without further consequences ...Bush's ... refusal to work with ... the coequal branch and mounting investigations ... Bush and Cheney ... defy congressional investigations...
Major brain fart again by the Left. Since Congress is a "coequal" branch, what gives them ANY authority to mount "investigations" of the Executive Branch? Can Dubya investigate Congress? Uh, no. Can Congress 'investigate' a SCOTUS ruling? .. yeah, when pigs fly.
Don't like it, go pound sand.
oh well..
“Today MoveOn.org, the powerhouse group of 3.2 million political activists, launched an unprecedented petition calling on Congress to impeach Vice President Cheney”
God, I wish they would. As I have pointed out on other threads, I’d love to see Dick Cheney, president of the Senate, presiding over his own impeachment. Can you say, “Case dismissed”? LOL
I think you need a basic course in Civics. First of all, impeachment proceedings are carried out in the House, not the Senate. Secondly, during the trial for conviction in the Senate (after the House has impeached), it is the Chief Justice of the US, not the President of the Senate, who presides.
“Sadly, I AGREE, but Ridicule is the knife that cuts a liberal deeper than anything else.
Their fragile egos cannot handle it, and dammit, they just CARE so much!”
That’s why we love making fun of them so much! Wanna drive a liberal berserk? LAUGH AT ‘EM!
These people have been screaming for impeachment since Bush was sworn-in on January 2001..
That’s where you’re wrong, my friend. The Constitution stipulates that the Chief Justice preside over the Senate trial when the President is impeached. That is the lone exception.
The VP was meant to be a backup, with so little actual responsibilty that it never occurred to the Framers he might be impeached.
The Constitution specifies that the president of the Senate preside over impeachment trials, with POTUS the ONLY exception.
Jorge, are you going to get rid of Chertoff and start enforcing the immigration laws that are currently on the books? How about that border fence that the Congress told you to build last year?
I think that with the exception of leftie fund raising, goading them into actually going for impeachment would work out well for conservatives and conservative Republicans.
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