It's almost impossible to impeach & convict a President & with executive privilege there is so much he can get away with that for the most part US law doesn't apply to him. But is that right or wrong?
2007-12-17 07:50:29 · 38 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Politics
It's reality. When we are powerless to enforce right or wrong, does it matter anymore?
2007-12-17 07:52:23 · answer #1 · answered by Underground Man 6 · 4⤊ 1⤋
The President is the top law enforcement officer in the land. No. The President is NOT above the law. Impeachment for clear offenses is not impossible and the resignation of Richard M. Nixon points to the fact that the Constitution works. He would have been impeached and convicted of high crimes and misdemeanors and chose to end his presidency voluntarily rather than being forced from office. He was a man that got caught in the crossroads of history...doing what most presidents had done to that point and getting caught with his pants down. A zealous congress forced the impeachment hearings. (sound familiar?) and Gerald Ford was sworn in as President.
2007-12-17 07:57:28 · answer #2 · answered by Mike 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The President is the splendid regulation enforcement officer interior the land. No. The President isn't above the regulation. Impeachment for sparkling offenses isn't impossible and the resignation of Richard M. Nixon factors to the reality that the form works. He might have been impeached and convicted of intense crimes and misdemeanors and chosen to end his presidency voluntarily somewhat than being pressured from place of work. He replaced right into a guy that have been given caught interior the crossroads of history...doing what maximum presidents had performed to that element and getting caught together with his pants down. A zealous congress pressured the impeachment hearings. (sound well-known?) and Gerald Ford replaced into sworn in as President.
2016-11-03 21:15:57 · answer #3 · answered by honeywell 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Of course not--this is America, not the Soviet Union. You raise a good point. The impeachment/conviction process was set up by the framers of the Constitution to deal with that very issue. They did NOT want the president to be above the law. At the same time, they purposely made the process difficult so that it couldn't be used simply as a political tool by one faction (party) to "get" a president they didn't like.
The system has worked well for over two centuries--but we may need to rethink it. Bush is the first president to subvert the system, at least anywhere near to this extreme. Of course, he's the first one to every try to this extent.
I'd be very cautious about how to fix this, though. It needs fixing--we do NOT want this kindof arrogant and dictatorial abuse of power to happen again. But our system works well overall--changing it should be done onlly after a great deal of thought and debate.
Here's two things that would help (just my ideas--maybe we can start discussing this on Y/A and the Internet generally):
>abolish or limit signing statements
>amend the War Powers Act to require Congress to reauthorize any vote to engage in military action (if we had that now, we'd have been out of Iraq by now).
Also--somewhere along the line, we all need to take a look at just what is and is not "exectutive privilege." The principle is necessary--the president does need a degree of confidentiality to do his (or her!) job. But it's clear that this is being abused.
2007-12-17 08:18:34 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
It is wrong. No citizen should be above the law. That is why I think "signing statements" on laws are unconstitutional. There is no reason a president should not be able to follow the law at all times. There are special laws that give executives extraordinary powers in times of crisis, so that is not an excuse.
I think that Richard Nixon proved that nobody SHOULD be above the law. Unfortunately, we have not, as a nation, learned it very well.
2007-12-17 07:53:58 · answer #5 · answered by Night Owl 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The great thing about the country is no one should be above the law and that has been proven many times. The system works. If you allow a President to get away with something illegal you are on your way to a dictatorship and police state.
2007-12-17 08:56:04 · answer #6 · answered by Robert S 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He should not be above the law, but in having to protect the people of the US he should be given the benifit of the doubt when it comes to close calls, it is a fine line, a fine line that President Bush has crossed by large margins many times.
2007-12-17 08:05:41 · answer #7 · answered by Scott H 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not impossible to impeach a President. It's just hard to impeach THIS President because Congress and the Senate have supported him.
2007-12-17 07:53:39 · answer #8 · answered by $Sun King$ 7 · 5⤊ 2⤋
no one is above the law.not man made laws or the laws of GOD! we are all subject to them and justice will prevail in heaven but not always on earth where corrupt, sinful, immoral people are set up to judge and rule.money and power corrupts and it seems for the most part those who are the most privileged are the least deserving.because they lack compassion,morals,decency,charity and common sense,values and a relationship with or knowledge of the living GOD!!! to whom much is given- much is expected!! so in the end you will reap what you sow.AMEN
2007-12-17 08:01:55 · answer #9 · answered by dixie58 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
They nor their spouses should be above the law. I think there are some things the current Bush should answer for as well as both Bill and Hillary for their 8 years of law breaking.
2007-12-17 07:55:55 · answer #10 · answered by Carl W 4 · 4⤊ 1⤋
No, they should not. And at times when the Congress and the President are the same party, there should be an oversight committee that is of the opposite party.
2007-12-17 07:55:59 · answer #11 · answered by slykitty62 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋