Why is it so difficult to impeach President Bush for misleading the country into war?

Question

His actions appear to have abused the power of his office without good fact. Why is congress not moving toward impeachment?

Answer 1

Because that's effectively a vote of No-Confidence, which is not grounds for impeachment under the Constitution.

The specific phrasing is "high crimes and misdemeanors".

Now, some Congressional and constitutional scholars point to the original usage of that phrase, as it was interpreted by English courts in the 1700s. Under the "originalist" view adopted by Scalia and Alito, that would mean using the ancient British interpretation, which would cover what you suggest.

However, under a literalist or strict constructionist approach (everyone else on the Bench), it would require some actual crime.

Given that the US Supreme Court has already found Bush to have violated several US federal laws, and given that Bush has publicly admitted violating several other US federal laws, there really isn't a question of whether Bush broke the law. He admits he did. Thus, there is a prima facie case for impeachment.

The only thing unresolved are his affirmative defenses -- namely that he was entitled to violate the law because of power inherent in his office as chief executive. However, like any other affirmative defense, that mut be proven at trial -- it's not grounds to not bring the case in the first place.

So, yes, he could be impeached, for the crimes he admitted committing. But not for what you are suggesting.

The real reason he has not been is because there is no way the Senate is going to vote 2/3 to convict him, given the current political climate. And Bush just appointed the person (Roberts) who would be the Presiding Justice at any impeachment. So, as a political matter, it's a waste of time, regardless of what the law actually says, because it's going to be resolved politically, not as a matter of law.

Answer 2

First of all the Democrats can't pull off impeachment charges as they don't have enough votes to do it as they would need help from the Republicans both in Congress and in the Senate.

Secondly for those that said the Democrated voted as well to go to war, do not forget that Bush and his corrupt Administration created lies to go to war against Saddam Hussein in Iraq and presented those misleading lies both to Congress and the Senate.

If justice is served the PNAC members of the Bush Administration and himself should before the International Courts in the Hague Netherlands and be tried for Crimes against Humanity after he is fiished on January 20, 2009. There is a reason why Bush and his Administration are hated through out the world and that is bcause of their corruption, greed and lies for the past six years.

Personally I use to believe in President Bush and his pack of Liars until I was made aware of what a loser he is and has been all of his life and the idiot ended up as President of the United States. Biggest joke of a President ever in the United States and has done more damage in six years then all the Presidents previous to him as he is a walking Screw Up.

To Dallas G: In 1998 the PNAC wrote the following letter to then President Bill Clinton requesting him to take out Saddam Hussein. You should look whos names were on the letter at the botton.
Source: http://www.newamericancentury.org/iraqclintonletter.htm

Everyone of them is a coward and a good part of these cowards and liars have served on the Bush Administration. So Don't blame Clinton this has been the Agenda of the Bush Administration from the start.

Answer 3

President Bush did not mislead anyone; this is a Democrats deploy from the truth. President Bill Clinton warned Saddam about having WMD on February17 1998, and I'll tell you the exact words Bill Clinton told Saddam on Feb.17,1998 "If Saddam rejects peace then we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program." These words that Bill Clinton said to Saddam gave him plenty time to remove the weapons. President Bush done nothing wrong, Saddam did have these weapons. Also let me tell you Bill Clinton had the chance to get bin Laden while he was President and he refused too. Also bin Laden called President Clinton a weak President, and bin Laden also called the USA a (paper tiger) because we were attacked many times in the USA as Bill Clinton was President and Clinton played the attacks down. Bill Clinton was called weak by bin Laden because President Bill Clinton would not fight back. Democrats sent the clear signal to any and all terrorist that anything they do against us works. Also bin Laden says again he has witnessed the weakness in Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton incapacitated America by weakening the counter- terror organization, overusing diplomacy, and simply ignoring the problem of international terrorism. Bill Clinton was warned by the CIA and FBI about a big attack that was going to take place here in the USA and as usual Bill clinton ignored this.....Before President Bush had taken office Al Gore deleted important info that should have been passed on to President Bush. Bin Laden was behind 9/11, but President Bill clinton allowed it to happen. Also President Clinton was the first President in history to cut the military back so far where we had( NO) protection at all. So I'm telling you President Bush done nothing to be impeached for!!

Answer 4

No, impeaching Bush will not stop the war in Iraq because we have disturbed that country's infrastructure so much that we can't in good conscience leave them in the fix we have created. Withdrawing our troops immediately would be even more harmful, much as we would like to do so. Besides impeachment would take too long and he will be out of office before it could be accomplished and our government has too many things to center its attention on just now. I would like to have seen him impeached about 4 years ago.

Answer 5

Bushonly..... i suppose that you might need to be reminded of the FACT that Saddam Hussien did NOT attack the USA on 9-11 or at any other time. You are letting your closed minded hatred replace rational thought. Just because they are brown and speak Arabic does not mean they are part of anything. As far as Bush being impeached, if anything he can claim faulty intelligence (not his!! lol) for his push to go to war in Iraq. The fact that our Congress voted for War helps his case (even if they really had no choice but to back their president or look bad after he had already pretty much declared war)

Answer 6

Ok, you moron, lets go over this once more and maybe, just maybe it will sink in this time, but I really doubt it. Every single intelligence agency out there thought Iraq had WMDs, we are talking the CIA, MI6, Mosaud, the French intelligence agency and even the Russians. Al Gore, Bill and Hillary Clinton and 98 senators thought the same. The Bill to send troops passed overwhelmingly in the House, too. So everybody, yes I said everybody thought Iraq had them and you want to blame only one man for this intelligence fumble? Iraq had violated what, like 14 UN resolutions and nobody was doing any thing about that. Why is this so hard for you Liberals to understand, it wasn't just Bush, the congress voted to send the troops over there also. Now read this about one hundred times and hopefully something might sink into that thick head of yours.

Answer 7

Well. for starters the same congress that would impeach him initally supported the war. Misleading the nation to war may be unethical, but if congress voted for it then its not illegal.

Besides by the time Bush were impeached his term would be almost over ayway. As it stands he's going be gone in short time anyway so what's the point?

Answer 8

He has broke no laws. He had the same intelligence that Clinton had, he had the approval of 76% of congress who voted for it. We went in with a coaltion of over 30 countries who ALL had the same intelligence from their own intelligence agencies, so if this is misleading the whole damn world was mislead.

Answer 9

Because he was acting on information supplied to him by other countries, our own CIA and Congress agreed.

At the time that occurred everyone in this country believed we were making the right choice.

Now people speak up and change colors over it. Sweet.

Answer 10

There are not enough votes for impeachment to succeed. It would be a waste of time unless more members of congress wake up.

By the way, the UN never passed a resolution that authorized an invasion of Iraq.