Congress, on the other hand, has done virtually nothing to uphold its own authority to curb executive and judicial excesses.
Authority granted to the legislative branch consists of:
Power of the purse, i.e., cut off funds to the other two branches.
Override presidential vetoes.
Advice and consent of presidential appointments of senior administration officials and federal court justices.
Impeachment and removal from office of the president, vice president, court justices and all civil officers of government.
Not once has congress seriously exercised its authority to reign in the president or to call for an accounting by the justices. By acts of omission, congress and its leaders are helping kill the Constitution.
If the Constitutional provision for impeachment and removal from office is not invoked now against Bush and Cheney, it never can be in the future. That provision will be dead forever, never to be used no matter the crime because no president or vice president could ever be such outlaws as these men have been and still are.
The American citizenry is also culpable in this Constitutional murder, either through of ignorance or indifference.
Until recently, there have been few calls for removal of any of the outlaws. Now, some 54% of the populace believe Cheney should be impeached (not a bad sign), but far fewer want Bush dumped.
I’m told by those who disagree with me that “it would take too long,” or “it would only accomplish more bitterness and polarization,” or “it would be more productive to pass some decent legislation.”
I believe there is no more important task for any citizen, elected official or appointed judge than to take all the time needed, endure all the vitriol that can be spewed or forego any single law to keep the U. S. Constitution alive, well and vigorously exercised.
After all, without a vibrant Constitution, there can be no meaning to any aspect of our government.
In short, we owe it to the founding fathers, ourselves and future generations to preserve and protect the Constitution. It’s simply the law.
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