Bush Anoints Himself as the Insurer of Constitutional Government-ALL 3 BRANCHES (The Progressive)

[kpete]

Bush Anoints Himself as the Insurer of Constitutional Government in Emergency
By Matthew RothschildMay 18, 2007

With scarcely a mention in the mainstream media, President Bush has ordered up a plan for responding to a catastrophic attack.

In a new National Security Presidential Directive, Bush lays out his plans for dealing with a “catastrophic emergency.”Under that plan, he entrusts himself with leading the entire federal government, not just the Executive Branch. And he gives himself the responsibility “for ensuring constitutional government.”

He laid this all out in a document entitled “National Security Presidential Directive/NSPD 51” and “Homeland Security Presidential Directive/HSPD-20.”

.......................


The document emphasizes the need to ensure “the continued function of our form of government under the Constitution, including the functioning of the three separate branches of government,” it states.

But it says flat out: “The President shall lead the activities of the Federal Government for ensuring constitutional government.”

The document waves at the need to work closely with the other two branches, saying there will be “a cooperative effort among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the Federal Government.” But this effort will be “coordinated by the President, as a matter of comity with respect to the legislative and judicial
branches and with proper respect for the constitutional separation of powers.”


more at:
http://progressive.org/mag_wx051807

[malaise]

1. Good fugging grief

I M P E A C H this lunatic please.

[moodforaday]

51. Could Bush be setting up his defenses

...against Cheney and his pals? Crazy, I know, but saying he's intent on martial-law governance is an equally crazy-but-likely proposition.

Remember that Continuity of Government is Cheney and Rumsfeld, who were preparing for this at least as early as the days of Bush 41. Dubya doesn't seem to be invited to that little benevolent society. if you think of how his secret service stood down on 9-11, practically hanged him out to dry while he was most vulnerable to a potential attack, and how Cheney seems to have been in command on the day, I wouldn't discount that probability.

[Kagemusha]

2. Let me tell you why it got scarcely a mention in the mainstream media.

It is for such purposes that the executive branch exists. My problem with the executive branch is misusing power by using it when it is NOT necessary, not the use of power when it IS.

What gets my hackles raised is when (for example) the federal government wants to use powers reserved for the physical invasion of the mainland when the mainland has not been physically invaded. (i.e. suspension of habeas corpus, declaring citizens on the mainland to be enemy combattants etc.)

[immoderate]

71. This is a good point.

In a national emergency, a real emergency, we would want the president to assume extraordinary powers, and I think this is covered in the Constitution, for times when war is declared.

But what if a fascist gets control of the White House? Well, there's a Constitutional remedy for that. Those founding fathers... they don't make 'em like that anymore.:patriot:

--IMM

[Mojambo]

3. Yeah, and Hitler is Rabbi of the World! n/t

[The Count]

4. Oh, goody! We're safe then. For a minute, I thought he'd be a dictator of something...

As long as he promises to "ensure" that we stay constitutional...we're fucked!

[rucky]

42. and why would he break his word?

Where I'm from, a handshake and a look in the eye is gooder than a silly piece of paper.

did I mention John Boehner is my Congressperson?

[Gman]

5. So in the event of a "catastrophic emergency"

we then live in a dictatorship with both the judiciary and legislative branches sidelined or even abolished until which time the El Presidente decides it's OK.

[Atman]

6. Of course, the irony is that if he does what he says, it's NOT constitutional.

Who is letting him get away with this? Now all he has to do is fake another attack and bingo, the country is his. But how the hell does he plan to "ensure constitutional government" when he has essentially set aside the constitution? We're in big, big trouble folks. Any of you still thinking this freak doesn't need to be impeached, and FAST, really need to wake up to what these guys have planned.

.

[magellan]

35. Who is letting him get away with this is Congress

I'm still trying to figure out whether the Dems are as complicit as the Repugs or just plain stupid. I think it may be a little of both.

[rhett o rick]

44. How are they (Congress) going to stop him? nm

[magellan]

64. Impeach him.

[rhett o rick]

65. Let me get this straight. He takes control of the Country and then

Congress starts impeachment proceedings? That will be a lot too late. His administration already are ignoring Congress and destroying emails, etc.

[magellan]

70. I originally responded to Atman who asked "Who is letting him get away with this?"

I said it was Congress who's letting him get away with this, and then I said in response to you that the way they stop him is by impeaching him. It will be too late if Congress don't get off their duffs and do it. Although I doubt they will, there's still time.

[acmavm]

7. Well, well, well. The first steps to declaring martial law. The elimination of

all opposition to his rule.

Why the FUCK haven't we heard one word of opposition from the god damn democrats that we sent to Washington D.C. in the last bullshit election. What the hell do those bozos think they were elected to do, kiss his ass for the duration?

Why are the silent during all this bullshit? THIS IS NOT RIGHT.

[TechBear_Seattle]

11. Why nothing said?

One word: Quislings.

[acmavm]

39. Perfect word for it.

[rhett o rick]

45. This is a class fight not a demo vs. repug fight. In a class war between

the rich and the rest of us, who's side will the rich democrats be on? Clue: Not ours.

[MasonJar]

8. IMHO Bush is too late; the citizenery will not stand by as he takes

over. The world and the US are sick of Bush and his cabal. They screwed up by their audaciousness. If the cabal had been more subtle, their takeover might have worked.

[sheerjoy]

17. Then why....

in hell or under heaven can we not get ANYTHING through or passed his veto pen?

No, something is amiss in the wash... Nazi...Mafia... something causes people to back down from this figurehead.

[rhett o rick]

69. They "took over". It may be tough getting them out. nm

[TechBear_Seattle]

9. And now begins the end-game towards fascism

Once this is in place, a concocted "national emergency" from alleged terrorists and....

[Swamp Rat]

10. He'll need a million mercenaries to ensure his safety.

Though, I doubt that will be enough to fend off 300 million furious Americans.

[solara]

14. He's got Blackwater..140,000 - 160,000 mercs - enough to take D.C. doncha think?

Hmmm.. let's see... Blackwater takes over the military command in D.C..... Television and radio communications are disrupted because of a "grave national emergency"...Congress is confined to chambers for their 'security'.....

Nothing even has to happen.. they can just SAY it did and without communications how are we to know? holy shit... I am getting WAY too paranoid.. :tinfoilhat:


INVESTIGATE IMPEACH INDICT IMPRECATE INCARCERATE :banghead:

[crikkett]

36. ...and blackwater's trying to build a base outside of San Diego now...

[solara]

38. Yep they are...and they already have at least one other permanent base in North Carolina

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

I think there may also be one in Illinois and one in Louisiana, but I don't have a link.. if they get the land in San Diego, it could be their fourth permanent base. I wonder why the State Department is funding them.....

There is a book out called "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army", by Jeremy Scahill, which is published by Nation Books. An important read, I think.

INVESTIGATE IMPEACH INDICT IMPRECATE INCARCERATE :banghead:

[rhett o rick]

53. You must be jesting. First of all he has the armed forces (emphasis on ARMED)

he has the National Guard and not least Blackwater. Also, the state patrol and city police will have to take sides. They have internment camps available. They own the DOJ. Also, 25% of the Country would back him for sure plus a large percentage will not want to fight the government. I think they are going to try.

[knight_of_the_star]

57. I doubt the military will be as big as Bush hopes in such a fight

For one, most of our assets are tied down overseas, pulling them out to fight a civil war at home would take time, more time than Bush has to cement such a coup. National Guard can only be under his command if federalized and if he made such a bold move it is entirely possible several governors would say, "Fuck no, we're keeping our guard thankyouverymuch." Local police either wouldn't take sides or would be too internally divided to be of any use. State police would depend on both the rank and file and which way the state gov't goes. Put all that together and the only forces he could genuinely count on are the mercs, and we know even the most highly paid bodyguards can turn on their master, look how many times it happened in the Roman Empire. That and it is possible that soldiers might refuse orders to fire on their fellow citizens once they do get back, or come back only to kick Dubya's ass. That and if he gives nuke launch orders the people turning the key might say no. If chimpy goes for Martial Law it would probably kick-start a civil war that he would not be able to win, he lacks sufficient popular support to make it happen and the assets he would need on his side are questionable at best as far as loyalty to Bush or insufficient to hold down the entire population effectively.

[rhett o rick]

58. While you were looking the other way, he already nationalized the

Nation Guard. Bush won't declare a civil war with everyone choosing sides. There will be a national disaster involving terrorists. He will declare total control as necessary. He will start rounding up dissidents (terrorists) and putting them in interment camps for "processing". The Patriot Act already allows this. The local polices will support him on this. It will work gradually. The media will support his "taking charge" of the Country in a time of need. Protesters will be rounded up and "processed". There will be no civil war. There may be pockets of dissidents rebelling (called insurgents) but Blackwell will make short work of them. With the neocon nazi's in charge there is good reason for paranoia.

[file83]

59. I for one welcome our new Corporate Neo-Fascist Dicatorship Overlords!

Yeah Fascism! (wink, wink)

[rhett o rick]

61. Give the person $500 for saying the magic word. I bombed your google

five times.

[indepat]

12. Thank God for our Mein Fuhrer

[EstimatedProphet]

13. Does he not even know how stupid that is?

Hey dumbass, you can't ensure CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT when you take over the entire government with the Executive branch! It is by definition UNCONSTITUTIONAL.

Why the fuck do we have to explain this to you? YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO KNOW THIS! IT WAS FOR THE TEST!

[rhett o rick]

67. You are wrong. Mr. Yoo just said in a recent interview that the Constitution

provides for the Commander in Chief to be in complete charge during a war. They believe their actions are Constitutional. And the SCOTUS will back them up.

[SammyWinstonJack]

15. "This would be easier if it were a dictatorship, just so long as I am the dictator."

gw, 12/18/2000. And he wasn't kidding!

[Posteritatis]

16. Text of the directive's here:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070509-12.html

[Usrename]

18. One more good reason to keep impeachment off the table.

How could the Fuehrer ever be expected to achieve total world dominance with an impeachment going on?

:banghead:

This despot has to be stopped soon, or it will really be too late. The world is watching, and they should be scared.

[rhett o rick]

68. Impeachment won't stop him. How would you enforce it? nm

[BrainGlutton]

19. The wording of the directive seems to vague and technical to be scary . . .

but:

"The document also contains “classified Continuity Annexes.”"

THAT'S scary!

[thecrow]

25. The last paragraph really got me...

(24) Security. This directive and the information contained herein shall be protected from unauthorized disclosure, provided that, except for Annex A, the Annexes attached to this directive are classified and shall be accorded appropriate handling, consistent with applicable Executive Orders.

**************************
So in addition to the Precedent* taking over they're going to have other secret rules that nobody is allowed to know about?
:wtf:

[file83]

60. Double-Secret Probation!

These fuckers have completely subverted our Constitution. It's only purpose now is as a historical document sitting in the museum display.

"Daddy, what's that?"

"An old document from ancient times, son."

[Wiley50]

62. Didn't you get the memo?

us: "We the People...."

Them: uh....Excuse me, but that's the old version

us: Huh?

them: That's the old version. It's been superceded. Didn't you get the memo?

Them: " The new one begins, " We the corporate,the mighty, the megawealthy,
in order to more forcefully impose our ownership upon this planet, all
life forms upon it, and as far out into space as we choose........."

[LiberalFighter]

20. Was Gonzales responsible for the language and purpose?

[acmavm]

21. And not a peep about any of this from the Democrats in Washington.

Amazing.

[Kurovski]

22. How much clearer can it be?

They're taking apart our government, bit by bit.

So when's the big catastrophe they've got planned gonna happen?

[kwyjibo]

23. exactly. Who's gonna set fire to the Reichstag?

[IChing]

24. The Unitary Executive and the Elective Dictatorship

There are a number of issues. One is the unitary executive conception.
The Republican Party happens to be right now in the hands of a very extreme fringe.
That goes from the legal system and the Federalist Society to the executive and so on.

What they basically want, to put it simply, is a kind of an elective dictatorship.
The chief executive should have total control over the executive branch.
And the executive branch should dominate the other branches.
That’s an effective mode of authoritarian control, natural for
those whose dislike of democracy goes beyond the norm.

Those are the limits of discussion here. That’s part of the reason the outcomes
of the debates are so inconclusive. The issues are not discussable.

First of all there is the issue of legitimacy. Invading Iraq was the kind of crime
for which Nazi war criminals were hanged at Nuremberg. They were hanged,
primarily, for crimes against peace, i.e. aggression, the supreme international crime.
Von Ribbentrop, foreign minister, was hanged. One of the main charges was that he
supported a preemptive war against Norway.

It’s kind of striking that at the end of the Nuremberg tribunal,
the chief counsel for the prosecution Justice Robert Jackson,
an American justice, made some pretty eloquent speeches about
the nature of the tribunal. After the sentencing, he said,

“We’re handing the defendants a poisoned chalice and if we sip from it
we must be subject to the same charges and sentencing or
else we’re just showing that the proceedings are a farce.”

So if they mean anything the principles have to apply to us.

[Prophet 451]

26. Endgame

We're getting there, nearing the tipping point. They've spent six years carefully removing any obstacles to their power. Little hiccup in 2006 but they've learnt to get around it by just plain ignoring Congress. They were always after power without limit, forever and ever, amen.

Look for the Reichstag burning. We're drawing to the end of The Long Night now but it's going to get darker before dawn. Endgame is here.

[Crunchy Frog]

27. Does this mean he's planning on dropping a nuke on a major American city

and blaming it on the terrorists, so he can set himself up as dictator for life?

[Mme. Defarge]

48. That is my thought

every time I see those creepy Laura Bush public service announcements urging us to develop an emergency preparedness plan.

[Edweird]

28. 2nd amendment.

[treestar]

29. What's scary is that these asswipes NEED a disaster

To carry out their dictatorial fantasies.

[IDemo]

31. They may not require a second 9/11

A big enough economic collapse could result in massive disorder, including rioting and looting in the worst case. That would play into Bush's hands quite well for justifying martial law, and many would probably welcome the establishment of "order" in the midst of chaos.

[hootinholler]

33. DING DING DING...

WINNER!

:mad: :scared: :grr:

-Hoot

[TechBear_Seattle]

54. An assassin loose in the halls of Congress would do nicely

I mean, it worked in "The Handmaid's Tale." Read the book: in bits and pieces, you will see that the theocracy of Gideon was installed when a terrorist shot up half of Congress during a joint session. A military junta stepped in to "restore order" and "provide for the smooth continuity of governance." The people rejoiced.

[Wiley50]

55. That's Still my Favorite Movie

They could be using just that as a game plan

Chilling

[Marr]

30. It's no coincidence that the stupidest, smallest man we've ever had in the WH is also

the one that's pushed hardest for dictatorial powers. It's no coincidence that we suffered our biggest terrorist attack on his watch. And all those unlikely circumstances surrounding the 2001 elections? Those weren't coincidences either.

Most people have just been in denial as to what we were really witnessing over the past 6 years; a fascist coup.

[CHIMO]

32. Should

Read Chalmers "Nemesis".

Seems like it is all laid out there.

The British decided that in order to keep their Empire they would have to have a dictatorship.

So if the US is to rule with an iron fist they need to quiet the people at home, who would not accept the brutality. Thus in order to rule the Empire you require a dictatorship. Doesn't matter what party is in power.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

34. Why Now???????????????????????

pressure too much for the cartel?????

[Virginian]

37. That scares me.

For the LIHOP and MIHOP, this seems almost a threat that there WILL be another attack so that he can become our dictator.

I can just imagine what rights we will lose without checks and balances.

Who is going to keep us safe from Bush?

[maine_raptor]

40. "as a matter of comity "

You know, I don't think that phrase is in the Constitution. :sarcasm:

Jon Stewart is right; It's going to take Bush publicly sodomizing the Declaration of Independence before we can get rid of these people.

[warrior1]

41. has this been sent

to the Democratic party in congress and they could stop this with an bill. Right?

I believe this is unconstitutional.

[rhett o rick]

43. The Cabal won't give up their power in 2008 without a big fight.

After they went to the trouble of establishing a unitary executive (read dictator) they, the neocon Cabal, will not give up power in 2008. Does anyone here think the neocon's will give a democrat the power to eavesdrop on them? or to undo all the work they have done? Do you think Cheney, Wolf, Pearl, Kristol, Bolton, will bow out peacefully? If they refuse to go who will throw them out? Who's side is the military on?

[rhett o rick]

46. Get ready to rumble. The demos will have to do more than investigate

to stop these madmen from taking over complete control. Everything points to the neocon cabal taking over complete control of the Country and I haven't seen much opposition. The media has completely turned their backs.

I don't condone violence but i don't see these crazies giving up peacefully.

[lonestarnot]

47. And the unitary expletive stinks again.

[Horse with no Name]

49. Oh my.

:(

[jazzjunkysue]

50. "Cause this is MY united states of WHATEVER!" n/t.

[rhett o rick]

52. Is there any organization with a strategy to prevent a complete takeover?

Anyone? Anyone?

[BeHereNow]

56. Yes, it is called "Congress" unfortunately, they are in on it.

What other answer can there be for the deafening silence?
BHN

[MK5]

63. I've always suspected..

..the 2008 elections would be cancelled due to a 'State of Emergency'. Maybe a suitcase nuke, or a 'dirty' bomb smuggled into a major American port..obviously a Dem leaning one. Maximum carnage to the Dem party base and the perfect pretext for his the coup.

Of course, I also thought that about 2006..

[rhett o rick]

66. I believe that the supreme President will temporarily "postpone" the 2008

election until after the threat (yet to be determined) has passed. The SCOTUS will back him up and the corporate media will go along.

[Up2Late]

72. This is a ridiculous "Power Grab," but don't worry, we have 90 DAYS to capture and lock them up...

...if they try this crap.

...The document designates a National Continuity Coordinator, who would be the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism.

Currently holding that post is Frances Fragos Townsend.

She is required to develop a National Continuity Implementation Plan and submit it within 90 days....

<http://progressive.org/mag_wx051807>