If Bush were impeached, would he still be entitled to lifetime secret service protection?

[Kablooie]

Also if he were impeached, would he have any legal recourse to protect himself from punishment if he were convicted of international war crimes?

[William769]

1. He's not entitled to it now.

The law was changed after President Clinton. Presidents will only get secret Service for 10 years after they leave office.

[MrModerate]

2. More importantly, would the Secret Service try to interfere . . .

When representatives from the Hague come to collect him for his war crimes trials?

[Tesha]

5. Yes, I believe they would. And Democrats in government would defend Bush :-(. (NT)

[TechBear_Seattle]

3. It depends on the penalties layed out in the Articles and by the Senate

The only impeachment I am familiar with was the impeachment of Republican Evan Mecham, former governor of Arizona.

After being impeached by the state House and convicted by the state Senate (obstruction of justice and misusing government funds), the Senate then voted on whether or not to prohibit Mecham from ever holding public office again in the state (the measure failed to get the 2/3 needed for passage.)

I assume that if a President were impeached, the US Senate could likewise impose additional penalties such as elimination of SS protection or ineligibility for pension, etc.

[MonkeyFunk]

10. No

the only punishment for conviction on impeachment is removal from office, and a prohibition on holding future office.

[TechBear_Seattle]

12. I sit corrected

However, the laws allowing for security coverage after holding office, pension, etc. are all governed by ordinary laws. There is absolutely no reason why these laws could not be changed to exclude those who have been impeached.

[Massacure]

25. Except laws cannot be applied retroactively.

Congress would have to change the law before they started impeachment proceedings.

[TechBear_Seattle]

26. You do not have that correct

They could not make the law retroactive and require that past security, benefits, et al. must be repayed. They most certainly can change the law to eliminate all future benefit. They do it with Social Security all the time.

[Tesha]

4. There's actually an interesting national security question there.

There's actually an interesting national security question
there.

Even if the country decided that Bush was unentitled to
protection, it still might be in the country's best
interests to provide protection. Ex-Presidents, even
ex-presidents as stupid as this one, know a great
deal about our national security apparatus and I'd
just as soon not have that information fall into the
wrong hands.

Even far-out stuff could be harmful. Imagine, for a
moment, that Bush actually did "Let It Happen On
Purpose"; would you think that if that became public
knowledge (through, say, the kidnapping and torture
of an ex-president), that *THAT* might have a small
infulence on how the world felt about us and how
the world acted towards us?

Exile him to Elba if you wish, but make sure he stays
safely in *OUR* hands (or maybe in the hands of a
court that we support).

Tesha

[tsuki]

9. Elba, naw. Club Gitmo. nt

[Tesha]

13. Yes, much better, thanks! (NT)

[LiberalFighter]

17. If he reveals national secrets, classified information then he would need to be prosecuted

and sent to prison until any secrets he knows provides no harm to the country.

If serious enough then he should be executed. That would give any future Presidents serious thoughts about violating U.S. law.

[Dan]

20. thinking..

if * were kidnapped and tortured.... I would be willing to accept a statement from that particular body, attesting that there was no torture/kidnapping, but rather a legal interrogation of *. I mean you must trust other foreign entities and they wouldn't lie about something as serious as torture/kidnapping. I would accept that if * were subjected to the same degrees of interrogation that he/Cheney have decided is acceptable for our 'detainees', that would be acceptable - and no cause for alarm on the part of the nation.

[Bitwit1234]

6. Probably, President Clinton does, doesn't he.

Now if he was jailed I don't know. I am going to google and find out.

[kestrel91316]

7. He only gets 10 years, Remember, HE and his buddies changed it from

lifetime to ten years so that Clinton, who is still relatively young, would be put at risk of assassination by their RW friends in time.

Bush may come to regret that.

[William769]

8. Clinton does have lifetime protection.

http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/analysis/215

[MonkeyFunk]

11. That's not true

Where do people come up with these ideas?

[kestrel91316]

16. I stand corrected. Clinton is covered for life, but IIRC they HOPED

to do it to him, and couldn't.

[LiberalFighter]

18. The reason why they probably couldn't reduce Clinton's secret service protection

is most likely the result of the Constitution prohibition of reducing or increasing the salary/benefits of any President during their term. They can change it for future Presidents but not current or past Presidents.

[3waygeek]

21. Exactly

that's why * gets $400,000 per annum, whereas Bill only got $200,000.

[ReadTomPaine]

14. His father was one of the few who took advantage of regular NSB style meetings after he left office

... a perk that all former Presidents are entitled to but few if any have ever availed themselves of. Should the current occupant escape impeachment, abuse of this worries me more.

I expect the current Bush political machine will continue Poppy's tradition and use these privileges and the extensive network of GOP loyalist contacts created over the last decade to press whatever advantages they can obtain for themselves and to damage the sitting Democrats who replaced them to whatever extent they can accomplish.

[realbluesky]

15. Yes...in prison

Maybe not secret service, but he would be protected.

[xxqqqzme]

19. he needs secret service from a jail cell??

Hey, a girl can dream.

[Marrak]

22. As a nation, we would save money and lives...

if we used a small-electrified "time-out" pen, kinda like Trent Lott uses to control his goats...

[CK_John]

23. Why do we waste time on such triva, it like what color is Paris Hilton bra, n/t

[Canuckistanian]

24. It's green!

Er, not like I pay attention to this crap. I heard it accidentally while switching channels to CSPAN.

Yeah, that's it.