Impeachment Tutorial
Next to my computer there are only two books: a dictionary and a copy of the Constitution of the United States of America (the Constitution). Atlas Shrugged is on the book shelf for those that were wondering.
Impeachment is a political exercise and a political exercise only.
From Article 1, Section 3 of the Constitution, "Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office, of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to the Law."
The word "judgment" in the first line is understood to mean "conviction" (which occurs in the U.S. Senate). As people should remember from the impeachment of President Clinton, impeachment is not the trigger mechanism for removal from office. President Clinton was impeached by a bi-partisan vote in the House of Representatives, but President Clinton was not convicted by a bi-partisan vote in the Senate (the seven female Senators obviously thinking sexual harassment was not the issue they thought it was when Associate Justice Clarence Thomas was being considered for the U.S. Supreme Court).
I don't know if President Bush "broke the law" when he ordered wire taps on the phones of suspected terrorist. I'm pretty sure that Sen. John F. Kerry doesn't know either. I'm positive that if Sens. Harry Reid and Ted Kennedy say that President Bush broke the law that that does not make it so. And, President Bush saying he didn't break the law does not make it so, either. Conceding for the purpose of this conversation, though, even if the Courts determine that President Bush's conduct was "unlawful", it absolutely does not mean he will be impeached. He will be impeached only if enough Republicans think there is political advantage in doing so (they won't).
Right now, the surveillance-of-suspected-terrorists issue is nothing more than a vehicle for Democrats to raise money from their radical base. Great, the radicals can go to another $1,000 a plate dinner and listen to Gov. Howard Dean call the President a "criminal".
Next to my computer there are only two books: a dictionary and a copy of the Constitution of the United States of America (the Constitution). Atlas Shrugged is on the book shelf for those that were wondering.
Impeachment is a political exercise and a political exercise only.
From Article 1, Section 3 of the Constitution, "Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office, of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to the Law."
The word "judgment" in the first line is understood to mean "conviction" (which occurs in the U.S. Senate). As people should remember from the impeachment of President Clinton, impeachment is not the trigger mechanism for removal from office. President Clinton was impeached by a bi-partisan vote in the House of Representatives, but President Clinton was not convicted by a bi-partisan vote in the Senate (the seven female Senators obviously thinking sexual harassment was not the issue they thought it was when Associate Justice Clarence Thomas was being considered for the U.S. Supreme Court).
I don't know if President Bush "broke the law" when he ordered wire taps on the phones of suspected terrorist. I'm pretty sure that Sen. John F. Kerry doesn't know either. I'm positive that if Sens. Harry Reid and Ted Kennedy say that President Bush broke the law that that does not make it so. And, President Bush saying he didn't break the law does not make it so, either. Conceding for the purpose of this conversation, though, even if the Courts determine that President Bush's conduct was "unlawful", it absolutely does not mean he will be impeached. He will be impeached only if enough Republicans think there is political advantage in doing so (they won't).
Right now, the surveillance-of-suspected-terrorists issue is nothing more than a vehicle for Democrats to raise money from their radical base. Great, the radicals can go to another $1,000 a plate dinner and listen to Gov. Howard Dean call the President a "criminal".
posted by Zack at 7:12 PM
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