Let's pretend: If you were President of the US for one year...

[WI_DEM]

what would you do? Let's say you are the Speaker of the House and it's the end of 2007 and Bush and Cheney are impeached and convicted and you become president...what would you do. Who would you pick as your VP. Who would be in your cabinet (I'm assuming you would ask most if not all of Chimpy's cabinet to resign).

[blm]

1. First thing, I'd OPEN THE BOOKS on the WH crimes against the constitution for

the last 4 decades, out of RESPECT for government OF the people, BY the people, FOR the people and accountable TO the people.

NO MORE SECRECY AND PRIVILEGE - the cost to this nation and the world is TOO GREAT.

Everything else will work itself out once TRUTH MATTERS to a president.

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2006/111106.html

[Orsino]

27. ...and choose Dennis Kucinich for VP.

Let him crack the whip in the Senate for a while, and position him nicely for the Oval office in '08. John Conyers would be a good choice, too, but I'd hope to keep him busy right where he is.

[RC]

28. Open the books?

Don't think so. You'd be make an offer you couldn't refuse. Followed by a heart attack, stroke or small plane crash. The crimes are bigger than the merry band of criminals of the BFEE.

[blm]

30. In the meantime, many citizens will have learned the truth. Too many to turn back

to the secrecy and privilege practiced by the Republicans and too many Democrats.

NO MORE SECRECY AND PRIVILEGE - the cost to this nation and the world is TOO GREAT.

Everything else will work itself out once TRUTH MATTERS to a president.

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2006/111106.html

[mod mom]

2. I would pick Al Gore as VP and then resign to allow the true president to take over.

[WI_DEM]

3. Good idea.

[Uncle Joe]

17. Sounds like a good plan to me n/t

[Warpy]

4. Dunno, but my Attorney General would be

either Eliot Spitzer or John Kerry. Both men have proven track records of going after the rich and corrupt.

[ProfessorGAC]

9. How About Pat Fitzgerald?

He's got a reputation that's cleaner than a operating room and a conviction trail a mile long. I think i'd pick him. What he did to clean up the cesspool that is Illinois politics is miraculous. He deserves a higher office just as a reward for that!
The Professor

Edited to correct typo in Pat's name.

[Warpy]

19. He also allowed Scooter Libby to take the rap for Cheney

and possibly Stupid. No thanks.

[smokey nj]

15. Russ Feingold would be my pick for AG.

[Warpy]

21. Naw, trying him as Secretary of Labor, head of HUD

head of Health and Human Services, Department of the Interior....

There are other positions he's very well qualified for.

I want someone with a proven track record and pit bull tenacity.

[devilgrrl]

5. My first act... Corporate Personhood.... Outta here.

eom

[RB TexLa]

22. So you would prevent US companies from doing business in

and selling in the EU, Asia and South America? No jobs would be lost in doing that, huh?

[devilgrrl]

29. WHAT?

What's Wal-Mart not being able to claim that it's an individual have to do with the EU?

WTF are talking about?

[MH1]

6. I'd appoint John Kerry as Veep or Sec of State

whichever he wanted. (he probably wouldn't want either, knowing how unqualified I am for the top job, but hey, we're dreaming here...)

We'd set up talks in the Middle East involving all regional players. We would withdraw most of our military from Iraq, possibly leaving a relatively small number there in very specific roles.

I'd push the Congress to fix the corporate tax code to keep more jobs here, e.g. by removing tax incentives for offshoring.

I'd look for ways to make government more accessible and open to the average citizen.

I'd appoint aggressive FCC folks who would make what moves they could to reverse the trend of media consolidation and make it easier for small organizations to get access to the public airwaves.

...and many more...

(dreaming is fun sometimes...)

[Greg Helmsley]

7. Executive Order for a NEW Constitutional Convention

Though the ideals of the constitution are supreme, most items of which is out of date. Hillary Clinton admitted this at one time. Also recognize The World Court, sign the Kyoto Treaty, dissolve the Dept of Defense, repeal Christmas as a federal holiday since it is cosidered a religious holiday as well as repeal Columbus Day.

[CrispyQ]

8. k&r

Excellent suggestions so far!!

[demnan]

10. First thing

I'd get our soldiers out of Iraq immediately!

[Prophet 451]

11. Hmmm

1. Institute mandatory paper ballotting
2. Reform campaign finance to at least remove the most glaring abuses
3. Rollback every single law enacted by the Bush administration (if he was illegitimate, so was every law he enacted and yes, that's symbolic)
4. Ensure that the bastards who voted for the Military Commissions Act are kicked out of office, their benefits and pensions forfeit and barred from ever again running for anything, even dogcatcher and they should count themselves lucky I don't come up with a retroactive law of grossly offending basic human decency to charge them with.
5. Repeal, tear up, burn down and abolish the Military Commissions Act and sow the ground with salt.
6. Enact an interpretation of the 22nd Ammendment that also bans the close family of a current or former president from running for office. No Hillary but also, no GW and no Jeb.
7. Rebalance the tax structure to put most of the weight on corporations and the wealthy.
8. Set up some form of universal healthcare.
9. Call fresh general elections.
10. Peacefully hand over power to the winner of said elections.

The problem here is that there's lots that could be done but I'd be limited by the Constitution and some of the things which I think need doing violate that Constitution.

[Prophet 451]

12. Oh yeah, and 1a is...

Admit the US has lost in Iraq and ask the UN to come up with some way of sorting things out (which also removes the necessity for the majority of American troops there).

[Greg Helmsley]

13. Thats why I would call for a constitutional convention.

So those can be changed.

[Prophet 451]

14. Good idea

First point of business: I want some independant way of picking judges. GWB packing the courts with right-wing idealogues has just pointed out teh problem with the whole system.

[laststeamtrain]

16. My program:

1) Appoint Dennis Kucinich VP & task him with establishing a Dept. of Peace.

2) Work to pass far reaching anti-ignorance laws. A basic grounding in the seven liberal arts is a right & a responsibility of all US citizens. This would probably require revoking the charters of many, many broadcast conglomerates. Recreation is fine. 24/7 stupid is not.

3)Maybe Gary Hart as SoS.

Oh I don't know. It's fun to think about though.

[Prophet 451]

20. Seven liberal arts?

I'm probably going to feel really dense when you answer this but could you specify the seven? I can come up with three off the top of my head.

[laststeamtrain]

26. here's the wiki article link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_arts

It goes back to the middle ages;the first universities.

I like to think of them as the things necessary to know something about in order to be free & stay free. The basics that k-12 ought to be oriented around.

Don't feel dense. Everybody's a work in progress.

What gets me are the ignorant who're proud of it.

[Sugar Smack]

18. Just give bridgit & me 15 minutes!

We'll have the place cleaned up in no time. :bounce: Give us the fucking steering wheel!

[Prophet 451]

23. Few Cabinet suggestions

VP: Dennis Kucinich
Sec of Defense: Colin Powell (if he'd take it), John Kerry (otherwise)
Sec of commerce: Am I allowed to name Warren Buffet?
Sec of State: Barrack Obama (I'd like to see how he does in a high-profile position before any presidential run)
Veterans Affairs: Assuming I'm allowed to name him, Max Cleland
Treasury Sec: No idea.
Education: Hillary Clinton
Attorney General: Pat Fitzgerald
Labour: John Edwards
Health & Human Services: Russ Feingold

[Prophet 451]

24. self-delete, duplicate post

[Occulus]

25. One thing

Work to abolish corporate personhood.

[BushOut06]

31. As little as possible

I'd let Congress do their job, and I sure as hell wouldn't be starting shit overseas. I might try to bang an intern. Like Mel Brooks would say, it's good to be the King!