http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/24772The Choices Are Not Good, But Impeachment Is the Best Option Now
Submitted by davidswanson on Tue, 2007-07-17 13:41. Impeachment
By Craig Barnes
In May of this year Mr. Bush issued National Security Directive No. 51, giving to himself power to control executive, legislative, and judicial branches in the event of a catastrophic national emergency. The Directive had an apparently benign rationale and normally one would not take notice. But it is worrisome that Bush declared in Directive #51 that such emergency might include “any incident, regardless of location” that would “damage or disrupt” US population, economy, or government functions.
Such “damage or disruption” need not be in the United States. “Any incident” in some foreign country that would seriously “damage or disrupt” the US economy would therefore give George W. Bush, upon his own initiative, the sole right to declare himself in control of all functions of government. How small an “incident” would be sufficient to equal a “disruption?” How small an incident could damage “the economy?” The Directive does not say.
There is no language in Directive #51 that requires Mr. Bush to obtain consent of Congress before he seizes such power and no acknowledgement that under existing law he is already required to do just that. Directive #51 simply ignores the existing National Emergencies Act and in so doing Mr. Bush authorizes himself—or if he is disabled, the vice president—to control all functions of government for the duration of the emergency and “afterward.”
snip//
Regrettably, the unthinkable now becomes thinkable and raises the question: Would Mr. Cheney exploit the broad language of Presidential Directive #51? Is he, that is, capable of planning first, the Directive itself, and second, a “disruptive,” perhaps foreign, “incident” and then seizing power? No other vice president since Aaron Burr would ever even slightly warrant such suspicion. In Mr. Cheney’s case, National Security Directive No. 51, raises the hackles on a prudent man’s spine.
Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney have shown no reluctance to seek power—or to seize power—since their first massive occupation of the hallways of the county court house in Florida in 2000. To think the best of these two who have so often moved us toward the worst is no longer prudent and may even be naive.
The wise course is therefore now to use the Constitution as the founders intended that it be used and to take the initiative to enforce restraint of those who would act like kings, perhaps before it is too late. For these and other reasons, the movement to impeach them both is gaining ground across the country. It is the work of patriots.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
