Burgess doesn't rule out impeachment to stop Obama's agenda (UPDATED)

Tristan Hallman
thallman@dallasnews.com 11:07 AM on Tue., Aug. 9, 2011  

     Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Lewisville, didn't rule out pursuing an impeachment of President Barack Obama in a town hall meeting.
     The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that when an attendee of the Monday tea party event in Keller suggested that the House use impeachment proceedings to tie up Obama's agenda, Burgess said there is "no question" that such a course of action would accomplish just that.
     When asked about the comments afterward, Burgess said he didn't know what the charges for impeachment would be, but didn't back off his statement.
     "We need to tie things up," Burgess said. "The longer we allow the damage to continue unchecked, the worse things are going to be for us."
     Burgess also defended his vote in favor of the debt deal signed by Obama despite some tea partiers accusing him of caving in.
     UPDATE: When asked to clarify his comments Tuesday, Burgess said he would not advocate for impeachment proceedings.
     "When the gentleman asked me that last night, I was trying to honestly answer his question," Burgess said. He said that he sees more effective ways to tie up Obama's agenda by procedural means.
     Oversight, he added, is the proper role of Congress.
     However, Burgess said that had Obama exercised the 14th Amendment to unilaterally increase the debt ceiling, as some suggested he do, impeachment proceedings were a possibility. Obama was wise to reject that questionably legal option, Burgess said.
     Continued U.S. involvement in Libya without Congressional approval that is required by the War Powers Resolution would have also been an impeachable offense, Burgess said, but Congress already chose its course of action -- an expression of disapproval.
     "Congress kind of passed on doing anything about that," Burgess said. "Does it stick in my craw that the administration thought that it was not necessary to come back to the Congress and talk about what they were doing and what the justification was and where they hoped to end up as a consequence of this? Yeah, it's still bothersome."

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