Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Impeachable Offenses


 

What is and what is not

I researched “impeachable offenses”, and discovered that at best, it is very vague.

Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution says, “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.”

In his report, Independent Counsel, Starr accuses President Clinton of committing eleven acts for which he could be removed from office by impeachment. Are any of those acts “Treason, Bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors?” Well, that’s up to the members of the House of Representatives. 

According to Constitutional Lawyers, “High Crimes and Misdemeanors” are:  Real criminality (breaking a law); Abuses of power; “Violation of public trust” as defined by Alexander Hamilton in the Federalist Papers. 

In 1970, then Representative Gerald R. Ford defined impeachable offenses as “whatever a majority of the House of Representatives considers it to be at a given moment in history.”   Oh well, that certainly clears that up.

In the past, Congress has issued Articles of Impeachment for acts in three general categories:
1. Exceeding the constitutional bounds of the powers of the office.
2. Behavior grossly incompatible with the proper function and purpose of the office.
3. Employing the power of the office for an improper purpose or for personal gain.

Considering all the above information, it seems to me a good case could be made to impeach the majority of the office holders in the federal government.  But for now, I will consider only the current POTUS.  Not that I actually want him removed from office.  That would mean Joe Biden would become President.  (Be careful what you wish for)
Having said that, there can be no doubt in the minds of a most Americans that Mr. Obama has acted in gross breach of each of these three categories. 

In spite of the shellacking in the 2010 mid-term election, he arrogantly moves his destructive game plan forward actually daring anyone to try and stop him.  He continues to bypass congress and rule by a continuous whirlwind of Executive Orders violating any law he does not like.  He blatantly ignores Federal Court Orders, personally deciding what laws are in his judgment constitutional and dismisses those he decides are not.  He has openly declared war on states rights and ordered his corrupt Justice Department to legally attack those states not in compliance with his personal and political whims, not to mention employing his community organizer mentality to call out union thugs to enforce his game plan for the folks in the street.

And, on top of all that, call me a birther if you like, but I am not convinced he is even constitutionally eligible to hold the office.

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