James Nagy – 3/6/07

This page was last updated on March 8, 2007.

Reasons for impeachment; James Nagy; Beaver County Times; March 6, 2007.

You probably recall most of Mr. Nagy’s letters are simply vehicles to bash Republicans in general and President Bush in particular.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“An equally valid and perhaps even superior way to start returning the troops to their homes is impeachment.”

[RWC] I wonder if Mr. Nagy realizes it takes more than disapproving of a president’s policies to remove him from office. To be removed from office, Article II, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution says a civil officer of the U.S. must be impeached and convicted of “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

“If we define victory as a just peace, only a just war can deliver a true victory. The military cannot properly function with a leader who many believe has committed treasonous acts. Allegations and related problems include generals threatening to resign, the Walter Reed hospital scandal, prisoner abuse and so on.”

[RWC] Mr. Nagy, who are the “many” and what are the alleged “treasonous acts?” Does Mr. Nagy believe “generals threatening to resign” during your administration is an impeachable offense?

“The House of Representatives, like a person, needs to be clean of any sin. If the administration may have committed any sins, as overseer, the House needs to wash its hands of the matter by drawing up articles of impeachment. The choice may be hard but testifying against a crime is a civic duty.

“The House needs to lead by example. Those dragging their feet on impeachment do not support the troops.”

[RWC] Ignoring the ridiculous nature of Mr. Nagy’s wish, let’s look at the required mechanics to get a president removed from office.

First, the House must come up with credible evidence supporting charges of “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” To date, no one has made any credible charges.

Second, the Senate must convict with at least a 2/3’s vote. Since there’s a 51/49 Democrat/Republican split in the Senate, there’s no chance a president would be convicted on purely political charges.

Third, you’d need to impeach and convict the president and VP concurrently to get Nancy Pelosi (Speaker of the House) into the White House. Otherwise, VP Cheney would take over as president.