Donna Norton, Sonoma County PDA — On January 25th, I had a telephone conversation (40 mins +) with a legislative assistant in Conyers’ office regarding impeachment. He had obviously been well-instructed on how to express their current policy. Our conversation included both Bush and Cheney, and took some strange turns, but this is basically the stand they’re taking:
- Impeachment’s not necessary. The next election will take care of EVERYTHING. Just ELECT DEMOCRATS. (This chorus was repeated throughout our discussion.)
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A sitting President is not subject to court actions. Nothing in the Constitution says a President is subject to the law. He finally conceded this remains an “unsettle” question in the courts. (I insisted on documentation to support his statements, and he emailed me a Congressional report, 1978 “CRS Report for Congress” #98-186 A, on impeachment, about 30 pgs.)
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Congress does not have an OBLIGATION or duty to investigate or take any action to prevent a President from breaking the law or abusing his powers. It’s totally up to THEIR DISCRETION.
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It’s okay for their decision to be based on party politics rather than Constitutional considerations because the decision is solely theirs to make.
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The courts can follow up with any illegal acts of the President or Vice-President AFTER they’re out of office, and all will be fine.
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Correcting power-abuse really has no meaning because power is what it’s all about. They all abuse it. So what? It’s just politics.
We both agreed that according to what he was telling me, it boils down to the following:
A sitting President is not subject to the law as long as he remains in office. He can CONTINUE to break laws as long as he remains in office. He can only be removed DURING his term of office (and therefore become subject to the law) through impeachment. Only Congress can impeach, and it’s solely up to their DISCRETION. So, as long as Congress successfully blocks the impeachment process, they are willfully allowing the President to remain completely outside the law, condoning that principle, and, in effect, shielding him from being removed from office so that he will be subject to the law and can be prosecuted. Congress has no OBLIGATION to intervene.
The aide seemed not the least bit disturbed by the gravity or import of my conclusions. It is, after all, just politics. And, by the way, electing Democrats to office will take care of everything (just in case I forgot to mention that).
Congressman John Olver Believes Bush Will Cancel 2008 Elections, Still Refuses to Support Impeaching Him or Cheney. He was originally for Impeachment in 2005/2006. Congressman Olver is more concerned about his pension and job then justice. He does not want to upset Bush by Impeachment. He could be out of a job if Bush seizes ALL power. Bush could end the man’s pension. This is just a thought. With Bush, Anything is possible!!!!!
Bush and Cheney love power! Do you think Congress is Afraid to Impeach Bush and/or Cheney because if they start Impeachment Hearings, Bush will declare Martial Law and declare himself a dictator like Hiltler and Mussolini! Once he is a dictator, he will have no need for any Congress! They will lose their jobs,perks, and great benefits! Has anyone thought this could be a
reason? The Republicans and Democrats seem scared of Bush’s grab and seizure of power! The Congress is losing their power! Bush has seized it!
Cheney has Pelosi on Prozac, didn’t you see her on the “state of the corporation” address? Isn’t Pelosi and Conyers coming up for election soon? Time for a change !!
I could have sworn Conyers was SCREAMING about impeaching Bush for a couple of years….does he think he is fooling anyone?
We all know Pelosi made a deal with Bush.
She will not let impeachment EVER go “on the table”.
So…
The next president and the one after that and so on, will be able to get away with more and more and MORE, and do whatever they want with no one questioning them.
When the Republicans were the Majority, Bush would tell them what to do, and they would “rubber stamp” whatever he wanted.
Once the Democrats lied to everyone, saying how they were going to end the war, which is one reason, if not the only reason they were allowed to win the Majority Nov. 2007, people expected change.
We are not going to get it.
America is a disappointment to me.
I was born here, grew up here.
What a disgrace, no wonder the world hates us so much.
More now, seeing as there are more terrorists than ever before, we all get to look forward to another 9-11, having more of our rights taken away to help fight the never ending “war on terror” and a country that is getting closer and closer to having a civil war, where the fundamentalist Christians would like to kill everyone who will not “convert” because in their eyes, that is the way their god wants it.
So….
I look forward to the day I get to leave this place, in hopes I will not end up living in a place that looks like what Iraq looks like now.
Corey Mondello
Boston, Massachusetts
[email protected]
http://www.CoreyMondello.com
2-1-08
The Department of Justice said Bush is Above The law. Conyers needs to Be Impeached too!
Why have laws? Why have a Congress?