Could you imagine Bush in a parliamentary system's Question Period?

[Swede]

I hate the fact that he only really gets grilled during the Presidential debates. In the Parliament system each member gets to ask a question of any other member. Could you imagine Harold Ford or Carol Mosley Braun grilling Bush?

[amber dog democrat]

1. If only this could happen

It would be so entertaining seeing him lose ground repeatedly .
Is there anyone WORSE to replace him with ?

[zann725]

4. Then he'd have to wear TWO 'wires'!

Or fire TWO tailors...whichever improves his 'reception'!:)

[Sara Beverley]

27. I can't even imgine Bush at a "real" WH press conference with "real"

journalists asking "real" questions.

[amber dog democrat]

28. the Chimp would be lost with out training wheels

There is not a chance he'd survive being left to the mercies of honest to god members of the press. Mouth of Sauron - McClendan would have to fend the packs of reporters off his master. give anything to see that happen... it'd be a Millie Vanillie moment for sure.

[brainshrub]

2. If you called the Presidential "debates" a grilling...

your standards are pretty low.

I do agree with your point though: I would love to see all Presidents have to answer questions before Congress.

[havocmom]

3. Have thought for about 40 years it might just be a better sysem

(parlimentary) but now more than ever.

Yes, it would be delicious to watch him have to face a crowd that didn't sign his friggin loyalty oath! Even better, with such a system, the puppemasters would never be able to use a spoiled frat brat with no accomplishments of his own for front man!

[Patsy Stone]

5. I would pay to see this

and actually, I've dreamed of it. It would be hysterical...
The minute the "party opposite" started going, Oi,Oi,Oi,Oi, he'd up and walk out. With that petulant look on his face.

[charlyvi]

7. WHAAAT????

I'm the President....I don't have to answer to you....you have to answer to me....I'm the President, I'm the President, terra terra terra....I'm writing your names down....I'm the President! I have a mandate....etc etc etc


Bwahahahahaha.

[Feathered Fish]

6. He would have never been re-elected.

It takes a lot of resilience to last in that sort of forum.

[glarius]

8. I picture him sitting there with Karl Rove right behind him whispering the

answers....Come to think of it Karl couldn't help him there, unless he was elected to a seat in parliament himself....Oh well, I guess old George would just have to depend on himself....It would be FUN to watch!!!
(P.S....We had fun sometimes with Prime Minister Chretien's garbled English, but at least he knew what he was doing!)

[Lisa]

19. could you imagine Bush's face if someone asked him a question in French?

He'd freak out!

Apparently the first time he saw a press scrum (during the Chretien visit to the White House), he was "shocked" and thought the Canadian reporters were being "rude", because they crowded in and asked the Prime Minister unscripted questions. And he probably felt a bit inadequate too, watching the PM responding.

Re: JC's bizarre manner of speaking (someone once claimed that he could speak neither offical language!) ... I suspect he actually pretended he didn't understand people sometimes, and deliberately misspoke, so he would be (as Bush would say), "misunderestimated". During that one-on-one interview on the CBC about what it was like for him on Sept 11th, he didn't make any slips and was very articulate.


p.s. the other good thing about a parliamentary system is that the leader(s) who don't win the election become the opposition, and since they have House seats, they're able to play a key role in holding the government accountable. So under that scenario, after the 2000 election Al Gore Jr. (the Honourable Member from Carthage, Tenn.) would have been grilling "Prime Minister Bush" in Parliament every day, and it would have been pretty obvious over the following months that the PM didn't know what he was doing.

Actually, under our system, there is no set date by which the government leader must be sworn in. The Governor-General (not the Supreme Court) would have made the call, and she likely would have ordered a statewide recount -- the outgoing PM would have stayed in office until that was completed.

[glarius]

21. Chretien's greatest accomplishment IMO was keeping us out of Iraq war!

All the talk about legacy comes down to that, for me....History will show him to be wise and courageous in going against Bush....

[lutefisk]

9. Bush behaves as an effete, ineffectual, yet tyrannical, boy king

He was born into power 500 years too late. He isn't capable of functioning in a republic, much less a parlimentary system.

His body language alone- pinky extended, sneers, etc- tell the story of this fool ruling over us.

[Redleg]

10. I often fantacize about it!

I would love to see Bush be laughed at to his fucking smug face.

[bvar22]

11. I would buy a ringside ticket for that!

[opihimoimoi]

13. Me too,

But the over view tells us of a runaway system which allows for this shit to happen.

We must find a good way to overcome this type of leadership. He is a prime example of a president gone nuts with power and arrogance. Too many examples in our Human History mirror his persona.

[The Backlash Cometh]

12. Just 20 minutes on the british parliamentary floor and they'll

have him crying like a little girl.

[signmike]

14. I'd love to see Judge Greg Mathis

tear this asshole apart, with his Amazing Bullshit Detector.

[bvar22]

15. When does this occur?

I have a link to Parliament TV:
http://www.parliamentlive.tv/

The site appears to have a good archive, but the listings are by Date and time only. I know the PM must appear before Commons regularly, but is there a specific recurring date and time?

[glarius]

16. I think it's daily...like it is here in Canada...

Our Prime Minister and all the Ministers and Members of Parliament are live on TV in Question Period daily...From 2PM to 3PM....

[u4ic]

20. Here's the link

http://www.cpac.ca/forms/index.asp?dsp=template&act=view3&template_id=46&lang=e go to 'watch now' between 2 and 3 EST.

Unfortunately...no archives.

[glarius]

23. I would have loved to see the "pieing" of Ralphie live!

:)

[Blue Wally]

17. He appears before commons all of the time

Because he is a member of the commons. It would be like making the jobs of the president and the speaker of the house unitary. We would have had a long Democratic run with national leaders like Sam Rayburn, Carl Albert, Tip O'Neil, and Jim Wright. Then when the Republicans took over, we would have had Newt Gingrich and Dennis Hastert.

[bvar22]

18. Thanks.

I was under the impression that there was a regular special session where Blair had to take the Hotseat!

My only video exposure to this has been when the US CorpoMedia shows brief clips of some pretty intense direct confrontation. I would still like to be able to view these sessions in more depth by using Parliament.TV:

http://www.parliamentlive.tv/

but I haven't the time to screen all the sessions.
I know that an Article of Impeachment was filed this week, but was unable to find the particular session in the archives.

Thanks for the Info

[anakie]

24. not quite right

the speaker and the prime minister (president) are separate people. The speaker who overseas parliament debate and the prime minister who is the leader of the government and answers questions during question time - which in Australia is every day parliament sits.

[Blue Wally]

26. Yes, but

The prime minister/premier/chancellor sits in the parliament/diet/chamber as a full member elected from a district/riding and is selected by majority vote of the chamber. The speaker is a more ceremonial position. Our Speaker is also the leader of the majorty party in the house. The difference is that under a parliamentary system, you have a cermonial head of state while the prime minister (and his cabinet) are members of the body and chosen by the body to exercise the executive powers of the state while under the US system, the president exercises the executive powers and the congress merely legislates.

[AngryOldDem]

22. I wish our system worked like that

All presidents should have to appear before Congress more than just once a year, and answer for themselves. I think it would make for a healthier democracy.

And, no, I can't imagine Bush having to do a "Question Time" -- as it is, the guy can barely manage a scripted press conference. All the more reason to institute this parliamentary practice, IMHO.

[rug]

25. He doesn't have a shirt big enough.

[charlie]

29. He'd be arrest and deported

after storming out inside of 3 minutes and trying to return with a semi-automatic rifle.

[natrat]

30. time for some revamping

this system is flawed. Founding fathers need to come back and lay down some new law.

[yurbud]

31. Some states should start doing this

If this started at a state level, through the initiative process, legislation, or even executive order, it could create pressure for the idea at a national level.

I have already asked my California legislators to do this to turn the heat up on our empty suit Arnold, who refuses to do meet with real reporters. He just does right wing media and coffee klatch shows.