So what happens when a sitting US President lacks the mental capacity to continue?

[NNN0LHI]

in·sane adj.

1 : mentally dis-
ordered : exhibiting insanity

2 : used by, typical of, or intended for insane persons (an insane asylum)

3 : ABSURD (an insane scheme for making money)

—Merriam-Webster


in·san·i·ty n.

1 a : a deranged state of the mind usually occurring as a specific disorder (as schizophrenia) and usually excluding such states as mental retardation, psychoneurosis, and various character disorders

b : a mental disorder

2 : such unsoundness of mind or lack of understanding as prevents one from having the mental capacity required by law to enter into a particular relationship, status, or transaction or as removes one from criminal or civil responsibility

3 a : extreme folly or unreasonableness

b : something utterly foolish or unreasonable

—Merriam-Webster

[Benhurst]

1. Why ask? Just watch what's happening right now. NT

[GoddessOfGuinness]

2. Same thing that happened with Ray-gun

Jack.

[Avalux]

3. As Bush would probably say "what are you gonna do about it?"

Obviously, the man is not qualified for the job and can't perform the duties of president, whether it's due to mental deficits or being raised as a spoiled rich kid who's never been accountable for anything. He has wreaked havoc on our country and the Constitution for the past 6 years and nothing has been done to stop him. Even if people in positions to remove him from office believe he's nuts, nothing's gonna happen, unless of course he himself completely breaks down and becomes incapacitated, or just walks away.

[Cornus]

4. Nothing...

...as has been proven for the past six years.

[Wickerman]

5. Same thing that happens when a president-elect lacks the mental capacity

to start. Sadly.

[BOSSHOG]

6. His supporters rally round

And they are mentally incapacitated as well.

[pitohui]

7. nothing happens, there is no mechanism to remove incapable presidents

we have had many, most famously reagan whose alzheimer's was probably already present in 1980 but which became quite severe in 1987 to no one's great alarm

another famous one would be woodrow wilson's stroke

powerful wives, a nancy reagon or an edith galt, may sometimes have their influence in these situations, in this case of *, where the wife is a dysfunctional drunk and/or drug addict herself, then we are left being ruled by the staffers and by a vice president of unprecendented power

but pretty much we're screwed, as our constitution provides for no way to remove incapable presidents

[sarge43]

17. There is a mechanism, Section 4, Article 25, USC

"Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments, or of such other body as Congress may be law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office of Acting President."

It goes on to detail the procedures when and if POTUS disagrees. Essentially, Congress decides by two thirds vote who's right.

[pitohui]

22. yeah ok there's no PRACTICAL mechanism

you could never get that to work, i understand why it is meant to be difficult because otherwise VPs would be removing presidents and taking the top job all the time -- think poppy bush and his conflicts w. reagan and how he was always being sent to far distant funerals in far distant nations -- but in essence the task is made so difficult that the president cannot be removed

i'm no historian but my understanding is that edith galt and wilson's doctor were sufficient to block the VP from meeting w. the president and being able to make a true declaration of wilson's unfitness to hold office

and all the world knew reagan had alzheimer's, yet somehow poppy was kept away at funeral after funeral...

[sarge43]

23. No mechanism will work if those involved don't want it to work.

Who guards the guardians, especially when the guardians have malicious intent?

[Bitwit1234]

8. I really do think that

bush is mentality unfit for office. No sane person makes the decisions and puts forth the delusional plans he does. And I think the people who are advising him are just as bad. I suggested earlier that some brave citizen or citizen group file a lawsuit to have an independent doctor examine him. He has got to be loosing it.

[pitohui]

10. he never had it to lose

the surgeon general himself could stand forward and announce that he was severely brain-damaged by previous alcohol/drug abuse and nonetheless he could not be removed from office

impeachment for malfeasance is our only option and congress seems to have pulled this off the table

it is not illegal for an elected president to be brain damaged, i guess it is a weakness in our constitution, but i suppose our forefathers assumed that such men would either not be elected or would be pressured to resign in case of obvious mental ill-fitness, they did not foresee the profits to be made by evil men manipulating a puppet from the shadows

[Double T]

9. This is a real problem, one individual should NOT have so much ABSOLUTE POWER.......

specially when HE is truly insane.

[spanone]

11. We end up in Iraq for 4 years.

[KharmaTrain]

12. Who Gets To Determine The Sanity???

Someone would be responsible for rendering this verdict...and who would it be? The corporate media? And whom stands to be the Walter Cronkite in this scenario? While Keith Olbermann speaks the words, his reach is limited...who has the national stature that a Murrow or Cronkite commanded in "the day" as opposed to our confused and conflicted corporate media of today.

Do we turn to the Judiciary? And just how is that done? How is a suit presented...especially with separation of power issues involved?

This leaves the legislative and who plays "honest broker" here? The partisan nature makes this route impossible...as even if there are votes to impeach, there still aren't for conviction. And competency has no play in this matter as the impeachment charges would be best based on true violations of law rather than competency.

We live in an age where logic is seen as a sign of weakness...especially by the "Conventional Wisdom" that is still very weaned to the power, money and access that is still controlled by the executive.

So who can a vast majority of Americans...66% or more...rely on to determine sanity or competency? I'd be curious to see answers. Or crickets.

[Cary]

13. Republicans have an interesting problem.

Absent a miraculous, immediate turnaround in Iraq, I can't believe they want to face this situation with the voters again in 2008.

I get the feeling that Bush doesn't care. He may as well keep rolling the dice for two more years on the remote chance of that miraculous, immediate turnaround.

If nothing else, he's consistent. He talks the talk and then does whatever the hell he wants to do. I'm rather amazed he threw Rumsfeld under the bus.

[mtnsnake]

14. 25 years from now the history books will have him as completely insane

and a lunatic of epic proportions.

Sometimes it's hard to realize just how far gone and out of their mind someone is until after the fact. Most of us know how crazy he is, but I'll bet even we don't realize the complete extent of just how insane this asshole is right now...because him being "President" is all an illusion.

[HamdenRice]

15. Excellent Question. Answer: The Vice President can remove him

This is a little known part of the 25th Amendment. Most people are vaguely familiar with the provision that says that the president may transmit a message to congress saying he is incapacitated, and that the VP then takes over temporarily. This has been used when presidents have undergone surgery.

But most people have no idea that there is a provision that allows the Vice President and the cabinet to remove a president who is incapacitated -- a provision for a legal coup d'etat:

Section 4. Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office.

[Benhurst]

18. I think most of us are aware of the provisions of the 25th Amendment;

but think there is little hope of its being put into effect.

God knows Bush has committed crimes which should have triggered the impeachment process years ago.

And Reagan was practically brain-dead by the time he left office, and no one even whispered using the provisions of the 25th Amendment to remove him.

[Virginia Dare]

21. I could see Cheney doing this actually..

if he presents irrefutable evidence to the Democratic Congress of Bush's mental incapacity, what choice would they have..:shrug:

[bdamomma]

16. nothing will happen, unless we the people do something

do you think if European country had a dysfunctional leader like ours he would still be there? He would be long gone.

[radfringe]

19. they elect him to a second term

[Southsideirish]

20. Like Captn. Queeg on the Caine - a mutiny is needed by inner staffers.