Time for a Grand Inquest Into Bush's High Crimes

[kpete]

Thus, Congress must formally object to President Bush's abuses or it risks by "indifference or quiescence" contributing to the powers of our imperial presidency.

Time for a Grand Inquest Into Bush's High Crimes
Wednesday 25 June 2008

by: Robert Borosage, The Campaign for America'a Future


One of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's first acts upon taking the gavel was to rule impeachment off the table. She wanted Democrats to focus on challenging the president on the war and on kitchen table concerns - from energy to education to health care. With Democrats now enjoying an increasing margin in generic polls and looking towards gaining seats in both the House and the Senate, the strategy certainly hasn't hurt politically.

But the constitutional implications are far more disturbing. This was dramatized as the Congress debated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act reform legislation that will provide retroactive immunity to the telecommunications companies for warrantless interception of the conversations of Americans - and by implication, retroactive acceptance of the president's authority to order such wiretaps.

We have witnessed a staggering abuse of power by President Bush. Even former Bush Justice Department officials now charge him with trampling the Constitution. Bush has claimed the prerogative to declare an endless war without congressional approval, to designate someone an enemy without cause, to proceed to wiretap them without warrant, arrest or kidnap them at will, jail them without a hearing, hold them indefinitely, interrogate them intensively (read torture), bring them to trial outside the U.S. court system. He claims that executive privilege exempts his aides - even the aides of his aides and his vice president's aides - from congressional investigation. He claims the right to amend or negate congressional laws with a statement upon signing them. And much more.

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And there is the rub. According to the leading case on presidential powers, if Bush's extreme assertions of power are not challenged by the Congress, they end up not simply creating new law, they could end up rewriting the Constitution itself. Inaction can alter the Constitutional division of powers by establishing the president's claims as authority that the Congress or the courts may not infringe.

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more at:
http://www.truthout.org/article/time-a-grand-inquest-into-bushs-high-crimes

[Cleita]

1. If Congress is unwilling to do it's job, why can't the States do it?

I think states that have lost a lot of enlisted Americans in the wars would have a right to investigate this Commander-in chief for war crimes. Can it be done somehow? Also, wouldn't Louisiana and Mississippi and others who were left drowning during Hurricane Katrina have a right to investigate this administration for criminal negligence. I don't think Congress is going to do anything so it seems to me that others are going to have to step up to the plate.

[stillcool]

2. Here is some information...

which I don't understand. Maybe someone else can explain what these ballot initiatives mean?

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Efforts_to_initiate_the_impeachment_of_President_George_W._Bush

[Super Soaker Sniper]

3. State Legislators Deal With

state and pretty local issues. And most state legislatures are only in session for a brief time during their term. When they are in session, the issues they are going to take up are already planned for some time. If they put aside the State's business to do what Congress has refused to do they would get run out on a rail.

State legislatures have no jurisdiction over the President anyway. He answers to Congress and Congress alone. With the cowardly Congress seated now it is not going to happen. No way. No how. Not gonna happen. If your happiness for the entire rest of your life was based on seeing Bush impeached resign yourself to being miserable for a long time. Not gonna happen. Sorry, but that is the way that I not only see it, but the way it is.

It is not right. It is an injustice. But impeahment will not happen. Not with this bunch. We may feel outrage. We may scream bloody murder but Pelosi sees us as pouting and stomping our widdle foot. "Aw! The widdle kiddies want impeachment. Well kiddies, we are grown ups and we grown ups do not have to listen to the likes of you."

It makes me sick. When I was a kid I went through several Christmases wanting a pony. Oh yes! THIS Christmas, Santa will bring me a pony! Of course on Christmas morning, there was no pony. But yes siree! I am going to be extra good this year and NEXT Christmas, there will be a pony under the tree for me. It finally dawned on me that there was never gonna be a pony and I stopped expecting one.

Wish for it if you want, but I seriously doubt that Pelosi has a pony for you. Stop doing this to yourself. Bush is going to walk out of the Whitehouse, wag his dick at us and Pelosi and the Democrats are not going to do anything about it.