Impeachment Matters
Submitted by paper ballots now on Wed, 12/05/2007 - 4:04pm.
NH Project
The Constitution is not quaint. We the People gave Congress the power of impeachment as a check on the Executive Branch. The Framers intended impeachment's use when appropriate--it's not a tool of radicals.
House Speaker Pelosi has no right to "take impeachment off the table." It's as reckless as saying that the Bill of Rights is off the table.
Here are three reasons why the Dem Leadership in Congress is making a monumental mistake by blocking impeachment hearings of V.P. Cheney and President Bush:
1. People vote for strength, not for a Party unwilling to uphold their Oaths. The Dem Leadership is calculating that they can win more in 2008 by not impeaching which is a delusional assumption.
2. Letting the Administration off the hook will set yet another precedent that future Presidents are above the Law. It will be a worse precedent than Ford's pardon of Nixon and the Dems not pursuing Arms-for-Hostages and the Iran Contra scandal after Reagan and Bush 41 left office.
3. Bush and Cheney are still talking WWIII with Iran. Senator Biden's warning that attacking Iran will cause impeachment rings hollow. What stops an ordered attack in November or December 2008?
The Democratic Leadership's plan is to talk tough about the Bush Administration but be careful that a Court of Law never rules that there has been criminal wrong-doing by the Bush Administration because that would necessitate impeachment hearings. That is why many Dems are supporting immunity for the Telecommunication Companies wiretapping of our phones, emails, etc. without warrants.
My message to Democratic officials is that you are alienating your activist base. The Democratic Leadership's plan to consolidate power by not truly asserting itself will back-fire.
Crimes will go unpunished
Submitted by Frank on Wed, 02/13/2008 - 8:08am.
The biggest criminals in this administration have lots of experience manipulating the law to meet their ends. They could all get jobs teaching up and coming lawyers (future politicians) their methods of using the constitution to suit their own needs, which has been seen during the past 7 years to have a devastating effect on the balance of powers between the three branches of government. It would be exceedingly difficult to prosecute them for these crimes - and would be a continued diversion (which the right would just love) to trying to resolve some of the issues this country and the world now face. The best thing to do is let the criminals off - shun them from politics for life - and get on with restoring the balance necessary for this government to again be a representative government - for all people, not just the far right neocons, and their willing dupes.
Frank
The Question That Begs
As the new democrat majority continues to leave the Bush administration legally unchallenged it is hard not to wonder what the strategy or agenda is. At the very least, the candidates need to be asked, in a public forum, what it is they intend to do to restore the checks and balances that have been stretched and tortured by so many precedents. Will the new president push legislation that will effectively diminish the new power of the office or better yet, will he or she simply insure that the crimes of this administration do not go unpunished?
To Obama's credit he has introduced legislation that dramatically increase the transparency of government and the flow of moneys. That seems to be a reasonable start, however, it is going to take some grand gestures to begin to restore some faith in our leaders and allow the healing to begin.