Thursday, March 8, 2007

Constitutional rant: Impeachment

Impeachment, which is not being removed from office but more akin to being indicted, is reserved for "high crimes and treason." I'm gonna wager a guess here that Bush's critics don't meant to refer to only an indictment, so let's discuss removal from office.

Administration of the government, no matter how ineptly performed, even involving the country in a war, is probably not in the "high crime and treason" category (Should we have impeached Wilson? FDR?).

I was taught that there was a precedent set in 1868 with the ever unpopular Andrew Johnson's second removal trial. He was impeached, but not removed from office. The precedent? We don't remove presidents just because the majority in Congress dislikes their politics.

I was also taught that the Civil War set a precedent: when you lose the election, you don't get to leave the Union. This country is a union in perpetuity, Lincoln declared in his First Inaugural.

Until we have proof that Bush is hiding Osama, conspiring with the Taliban or selling arms to Iran, we'll just have to endure the last two years of his presidency.

I have much more to say (believe me), but we'll leave it at that.