Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Impeachment is Too Good For 'Em.

But I'd take it as a start. From the Daily Kos, a snippet from a Judiciary Committee Report following the 1974 Watergate hearings.



In the [Constitutional] convention George Mason argued that the President might use his pardoning power to "pardon crimes which were advised by himself" or, before indictment or conviction, "to stop inquiry and prevent detection." James Madison responded:

[I]f the President be connected, in any suspicious manner, with any person, and there be grounds [to] believe he will shelter him, the House of Representatives can impeach him; they can remove him if found guilty...

Madison went on to [say] contrary to his position in the Philadelphia convention, that the President could be suspended when suspected, and his powers would devolve on the Vice President, who could likewise be suspended until impeached and convicted, if he were also suspected...

I'll spell out in some more detail over the long, patriotic weekend why I've changed my position on the impeachment issue. The gist of the matter is that this gang of thugs is so far beyond the pale that if they get away with this what hope is there of EVER getting anyone honest in the presidency (or any other office) again. I believe that this is an existential (in both senses of that word) crisis for the Republic.

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