I'm against impeachment but in favor of calls for impeachment

[Paranoid Pessimist]

Look at the line of succession and tell me who YOU want as president for the next three years:

1) Vice President Richard Cheney
2) Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert
3) Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
4) Secretary of the Treasury John Snow
5) Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld (just what we need)
6) Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (even the thought creeps me out)
7} The cabinet secretaries in this order: Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Energy, Education, Veterans Affairs, and ... last but certainly least desirable, Secretary of Homeland Security.

So even if there was a mass impeachment (and conviction -- reminder, impeachment is just bringing charges; to get an office holder out of there, you have to try and convict them), you'd have to go pretty far down the list to get to someone who wasn't a major accomplice.

But I love it that people are starting to call for impeachment. Anything that gives the Bushistas a hard time I'm in favor of. I wish someone well known enough that network news can't ignore (but not a Hollywood liberal) would call for impeachment. I'm afraid that nothing short of some kind of a coup d'etat could actually get them out of there, but calls for impeachment and the public speak-out about the clearly criminal activities that should lead to impeachment might dirty up their image and maybe mess with the certitude of those Bush supporters who currently can't even admit that Ken Lay is crooked.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. We'd have to get all the way to Transportation (Mineta)

to find a Democrat.

[unblock]

2. not that actual removal is likely, but the political victory would be HUGE

and would dwarf whatever minor difference there is in one bfee president versus another bfee president.

[lakemonster11]

3. Actually, I think this is the order:

1. Vice President Richard Cheney
2. Speaker of the House John Dennis Hastert
3. President pro tempore of the Senate Ted Stevens
4. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
5. Secretary of the Treasury John Snow
6. Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld
7. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0101032.html

[John Q. Citizen]

4. If we start calling for it now, maybe we'll get it after the mid terms.

Which would significantly change the line of succession.

MLK started calling for civil rights long before he and his movement won any.

[Rick Myers]

5. None of the above.

Ack!

[MarianJack]

6. I'll Take Talk of Impeachment Any Day...

...over the apologizing that the Democrats in congress seem to do when rush limpballs and his ilk have a hissy fit.

[HamdenRice]

7. Once and for all DUers -- line of succession has NOTHING to do with it

This has come up so many times in the last few weeks that I am getting tired of responding to it.

The line of succession has nothing to do with what will happen if Bush and Cheney are impeached. The complete line only applies if everyone were to die simultaneously or before any replacements could be filled.

The most likely scenario is the EXACT same scenario as occurred when Nixon was forced to resign. Because the VP was as corrupt as the president, the VP was forced to resign first.

Under the 25th Amendment, if the VP office is vacant, the president can appoint a successor with the approval of a majority of Congress. This gives Congress veto power over who is appointed the new VP. With Nixon, Congress chose the popular, bipartisan, all around nice guy Gerald Ford, rather than the Speaker, who at any rate was a Democrat and hence from a different party from Nixon.

There is absolutely no doubt that if Bush is impeached, Cheney will be impeached first. Congress will probably choose: McCain; or because of national security concerns (and because he called out the crazies and left) Powell; or if the Democrats are in charge and the republicans have completely collapsed, perhaps even Gore.

Then, Bush will be impeached and removed allowing the new VP to assume the office of the presidency.

[GetTheRightVote]

8. They must be punished since they endangered our nation and broke

the law of the land, so let the winds of change be our fate. NO one is worst then * or Dicky boy.

:kick: