About that Obama impeachment idea…

from The Orange County Register
August 31st, 2010, 11:15 am ·
30 Comments ·
 posted by Mark Landsbaum


 
     Go figure. We ask a simple question and generate lots of discussion on the blog. So, on the issue of whether President Obama should be impeached, some visitors to the blog have been thoughtful and reasonable, and then there are those others. 
     But the thoughtful-reasonable ones point out that impeachment isn’t intended to correct bad choices at the ballot box. It involves “high crimes and misdemeanors,” a term we suspect this generation was largely unaware of until Bill Clinton came along in the White House, but which some of us recall from the days when Richard Nixon called it home.
     We, for the record, absolutely agree. Impeachment of a president should be done not to undo a bad election’s consequences, but when there are demonstrable “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
     On that score, we offer up just one view on how to understand such a term. You can find it here. And here is an excerpt:
     “An executive official is ultimately responsible for any failures of his subordinates and for their violations of the oath he and they took, which means violations of the Constitution and the rights of persons. It is not necessary to be able to prove that such failures or violations occurred at his instigation or with his knowledge… It is sufficient to show, on the preponderance of evidence, that the president was aware of misconduct on the part of his subordinates, or should have been, and failed to do all he could to remedy the misconduct, including termination and prosecution of the subordinates and compensation for the victims or their heirs… He is legally responsible for everything that everyone in the executive branch is doing.”
     “Therefore, the appropriate subject matter for an impeachment and removal proceeding is the full range of offenses against the Constitution and against the rights of persons committed by subordinate officials and their agents which have not been adequately investigated or remedied.”
     Fascinating stuff. Any way, there’s even a book out in the past week that discusses this very issue. Go figure (again). It’s by David Limbaugh and you can find it here. Here’s a bit about it:
     “Limbaugh issues a damning indictment of President Barack Obama for encroaching upon and stripping us of our individual and sovereign rights. Laying out his case like he would a criminal complaint, Limbaugh presents the evidence—count-by-count—against Obama”
     So, whattaya say? (Please keep in mind, we’re merely asking, not advocating – at least at the moment:

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