Quote:
|
Originally Posted by ratbastid
Bad decisions don't constitute high crimes and misdemeanors, not even the staggering volume of staggeringly bad decisions this president has made.
You want to talk impeachable offenses, you have to get into the civil liberties erosion, the destruction of constitutional rights, and the lies used to get into Iraq. I think any of those could be the foundation of a writ of impeachment.
Whether it would be politically wise for the new Congress to do such a thing is another question entirely, of course. I don't expect we'll see him impeached. I do expect we'll see him go down as the biggest nose-dive the presidency has ever seen.
|
I agree with Rat for the most part....incompetence, dishonesty (lying to the American people, but not under oath) and ideological extremism are not grounds for impeachment.
The Dems can correct many of the actions through legislative solutions and by exposing the lies about Iraq, and at the same time, raise the public trust in Congress
The issues of the excessive use of Executive power through signing statements and the erosion of Constitutional privacy rights and civil liberties by defending it as part of his "war powers" to fight terrorism are far more serious and precedent-setting in the long term and should be initially addressed through open and comprehensive Congressional hearings so the American people truly understand what is at stake. Constitutional scholars are spilt on both these issues and impeachment should be the last resort and based on the rule of law and not ideological or partisan emotions.
If the Dems in Congress preceed in a manner that shows greater respect for the Constitution (as it relates to security needs) and responds to the aspirations of the American people (regarding social issues, energy/environment, economic disparities, fiscal discipline) than I believe Bush and the former Repub Congress have, they will continue to have the support of the people, particularly the growing number of those independents in the middle of the political spectrum.