Pretty good little speech. Not his tightest, but poignant.



Even though most former supporters of the President have stopped proselytizing and have stopped actively dogging those without full support for the Administration's policies America still doesn't have the wherewithal to impeach.

you can't impeach for possible bad judgement - danielost

Sure you can. There are only procedural rules regulating impeachment.

Here they are:

WWW Link

What you may be referring to is Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution wherein it is stated;

The President, Vice President and all Civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.

A-ha! So you're thinking, surely President Bush couldn't be convicted of breaking the law!

*Auditoriums packed to the gills with responsible citizens roll out of their seats with laughter*

It's not yet been proven! Bribery? Treason? High crimes? Misdemeanors? We aren't going to impeach Bush over a traffic ticket are we?

There is confusion among people between impeachable offenses and violations of the law.

The key is in focusing upon the last four words of the text. There is no official 'high crime' in criminal law, but there are felonies. There are misdemeanors, but in relation to the way 'high crime' is used this is meant to be interpreted as 'low crime'. In laymens' terms, the last four words mean 'anything great or small'.

That is precisely how then-congressman Gerald Ford framed the issue when he led the attack to impeach Justice Douglas in 1970. He said something akin to this;

"What, then, is an impeachable offense? The only honest answer is that an impeachable offense is whatever a majority of the House of Representatives considers it to be at a given moment in history."

The articles of impeachment are the reasons offered for removal of a public servant. These become the impeachable offenses - their validity in the eyes of the public and voting members of the House and Senate is what determines their viability.

One doesn't have to break the law to be impeached just as one doesn't have to violate policy in the workplace to be fired.

Hope I helped.

That is a damn fine question.

According to our Country's finest documents, however, it is not a question with feasible answer.

This is the point where citizens mumble, "Reform or Revolution?" and receive or fail to pursue either.