Impeachment may be on the table after all

( – promoted by buhdydharma )

I could not believe my eyes. Elected officials are finally beginning to seriously contemplate impeachment of the president for abuse of power and violating the Constitution. Concern over “deposed judges” is one of many issues that is causing leaders of both political parties to consider the issue of impeachment. This must-read article suggests that “debate on possible impeachment may gain currency in the days to come.” It evens quotes some high profile Democratic lawmakers, who have been reluctant to press for the impeachment of George W. Bush in the past.  Senator John Kerry, pointing to a clause for impeachment in the Constitution, said this was a “great opportunity to work together to strengthen democracy.”  Not to be outdone, Senator Joseph Biden also got into the act.

“This is an opportunity for us to move from a policy that has been focused on a personality to one based on an entire people,” Biden said.

A powerful editorial also pushed for impeachment.

But if he is reluctant to call it a day voluntarily, the choice will be between banding together and getting rid of him or letting him stay as a lame duck president.

Could it be that the rule of law may finally be defended by members of the Democratic Party and the media?  

Of course, if you peeked at the link, you already know the punchline.  Impeachment is on the table in Pakistan, a so-called fledgling democracy. The irony is overwhelming.

In 2006, after years of corrupt single party domination in the United States, the opposition party gains control over the legislative branch of government. This shift is power comes after a year of disclosures that the president violated existing laws on domestic surveillance, deposed federal prosecutors that refused to do his bidding, attempted to intimidate government critics, allowed fraud and corruption to go unchecked at every level of government, and even manipulated intelligence reports to justify the invasion and occupation of a sovereign country. Much to our dismay, impeachment was quickly taken off the table, allowing the worst president in our history to remain in power and make a mockery of our democracy.

In 2008, the opposition party wins control over the legislative branch of government in Pakistan, effectively repudiating the rule of a self-appointed president favored by the American government. This shift in power comes after a year of intimidation of the judiciary, claims of executive privilege to ignore existing laws and the country’s constitution, and other abuses of power.  The first thing being discussed a day after the election by members of the Pakistani opposition parties, the media, and even leading Democratic Party members in the United States is how to remove President Musharraf from power if he refuses to resign.

So what are Musharraf’s options to avoid a possible impeachment if he does not quit?

It will require a wide split in the ranks of PPP and PML-N – by no means an impossible task ordinarily but quite unlikely given their extraordinary need to do business together, for now.

Bush avoided removal from office by opposition to impeachment hearings by members of the Democratic and Republican parties.  In short, the one issue Bush managed to unite the two parties was opposition to removing him from office.  Sad.  Very sad.

The polls threw up a divided mandate that relegated embattled president Pervez Musharraf’s allies to the sidelines but Pakistanis are hoping that the top gainers – the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) – will look beyond the short term lure of power.

It is funny how the American people were hoping that newly elected politicians would “look beyond the short term lure of power” in 2006 to protect the Constitution and our democracy. The newly elected Pakistani government is at least talking about the possibility of impeachment, which is much more than Speaker Pelosi was ever willing to do.