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George W. Bush: Not a Bad President
by Chris Rowthorn | Nov 15 2006 - 9:03am | permalink
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Traitor: One who violates his allegiance and betrays his country; one guilty of treason.
Treason: The offense of attempting to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance.
-- Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.
-- Article II, Section 4 of the United States Constitution
It is clear that George W. Bush is a bad president. He may have allowed 9-11 to happen because he ignored clear and repeated warnings about terrorist plans. He invaded Iraq based on outright lies, causing the death of over 2800 American soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. He gave no-bid Iraq reconstruction contracts to his cronies, thereby robbing the American public of billions of dollars. He has presided over a regime in which enemies are tortured and citizens are spied on. Thus, it is clear that Mr. Bush is a bad president -- probably the worst president in American history.
But to call George W. Bush merely a bad president is to miss the point entirely. For George W. Bush is far more than just a bad president. George W. Bush's misdeeds go far beyond mere inept statesmanship or run-of-the-mill political corruption. If one looks carefully at the means by which Bush took office, the way he has governed since taking office, and the clearly stated beliefs and aims of his administration, one cannot help but conclude that George W. Bush is guilty of a crime against his country. And that crime is treason.
George W. Bush is a traitor to the United States of America.
Please read the definition of traitor at the start of this article one more time. A traitor is someone who betrays his country, or someone who is guilty of treason, the offense of attempting to overthrow the government. This is precisely the crime that George W. Bush is guilty of. For George W. Bush is the representative of a small group of people and corporations who have made a very public attempt to overthrow the United States government.
The exact nature and membership of this group is debatable and partially hidden from public view, but its existence is beyond dispute and its aims are clear. For the sake of brevity, I will refer to this group as the Bush Group. George W. Bush is the representative and figurehead of this group, but he is by no means its leader.
The Bush Group consists of highly placed figures in the oil industries and related industries, most notably companies like Halliburton and Bechtel, as well as figures in the Carlyle Group, a Washington-based private equity firm. Of course, these are only the most visible and most powerful members of the Bush Group. Other members can be identified by looking at a list of major Bush campaign contributors and recipients of large government contracts since Bush took office.
The companies and individuals who make up the Bush Group used their vast political influence and capital to place George W. Bush in power. They did this for one reason only: to use the apparatus of the government of the United States to channel money into their pockets.
Of course, this would merely be politics as usual if it weren't for the fact that the Bush Group originally took power illegally and has sought to maintain and increase its power by non-democratic means. The Bush Group, acting through the Republican National Committee, local Republican organizations, and various allied groups, used a variety illegal means to insure a Bush victory in the presidential elections of 2000 and 2004. Those who doubt this are urged to read Mark Crispin Miller's book "Fooled Again" or Robert F. Kennedy Jr's article "Was the 2004 Election Stolen?"
After placing George W. Bush in office through illegal means, the Bush Group sought to cement its grip on power by rewriting and reinterpreting American law to make the executive branch of government supreme above the judicial and legislative branches. That is, to make the president the supreme power in the land, unanswerable to Congress, the courts and, ultimately, the people of the United States. Needless to say, this is a stunning violation of both the letter and the intent of the Constitution, and a direct breach of the Oath of the Office of the President, in which the president swears to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.".
What is most remarkable about the Bush Group's power grab is their brazen frankness about their intents and their beliefs. The Bush Group has declared that they are guided by the "unitary executive theory." This term describes a government in which one man, the president, holds supreme power in the land, or, to use Bush's formulation, "I am the decider and I decide." Even the briefest reflection on the term "unitary executive" leads to one simple conclusion: "unitary executive" is a euphemism for dictator.
According to the "unitary executive theory," the executive, or president, has power over the other two branches of government. The most famous example of Bush exercising the power of the unitary executive is in the warrantless wiretapping of American citizens, in direct violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) passed by Congress in 1978.
A clearer insight into the Bush Group's practical application of the "unitary executive theory" can be found in Bush's use of the "signing statements" which Bush routinely appends to laws passed by Congress. Bush's signing statements challenge the validity of the laws in question and declare that the president can either interpret the laws as he wishes or ignore them completely.
At last count, Bush had signed 139 signing statements, containing challenges to over 750 individual laws. These signing statements amount to 139 written declarations that George W. Bush and the Bush Group consider themselves to be unconstrained by the laws of the land, the Congress of the United States and the will of the people. Or, to quote Mr. Bush: "(The Constitution) is just a goddamned piece of paper!"
The Founding Fathers took great pains to frame a Constitution that would prevent one individual or one branch of government from taking power over the other branches. In the words of James Madison, "the accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny." Having lived under a king, they created a sacred document that was intended to prevent a king from taking power in their new country.
What the Bush Group has tried to do is install a new king over the United States. They took control of the government of the United States by illegal means and then announced that their man, George W. Bush, is no longer bound by the Constitution. This is not politics as usual. This is a takeover of the government of the United States. This is treason.
Remember that article II, section 4 of the United States' Constitution states that, "The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."
Of course, treason usually involves betraying one's country to a foreign power. But, there is nothing inherent in the definition or legal interpretation of treason that limits the crime to this. In the present case, George W. Bush, acting on behalf of the Bush Group, has tried to wrest control of the United States from the people of the United States and deliver it into the hands of a small group of extremely powerful domestic business interests. Their motivation, of course, is the same as in any normal takeover of a country: to steal the wealth of that country. The fact that the plotters are working from within the country in no way exonerates them from the charge of treason: an overthrow is an overthrow, whether it comes from within or without.
All of Bush's crimes are secondary to this one. And Congress must look beyond craven political calculation to do what is right to answer this fundamental challenge to American Democracy. Now is not the time to think only of maintaining a Congressional majority in 2008. Now is the time to do the will of the Founding Fathers and strike down this vulgar would-be king and the people he represents. Now is the time to try George W. Bush for treason in the United States Congress. Our very Democracy is at stake.
George W. Bush: Not a Bad President
by Chris Rowthorn | Nov 15 2006 - 9:03am | permalink
article tools: email | print | read more Chris Rowthorn
Traitor: One who violates his allegiance and betrays his country; one guilty of treason.
Treason: The offense of attempting to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance.
-- Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.
-- Article II, Section 4 of the United States Constitution
It is clear that George W. Bush is a bad president. He may have allowed 9-11 to happen because he ignored clear and repeated warnings about terrorist plans. He invaded Iraq based on outright lies, causing the death of over 2800 American soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. He gave no-bid Iraq reconstruction contracts to his cronies, thereby robbing the American public of billions of dollars. He has presided over a regime in which enemies are tortured and citizens are spied on. Thus, it is clear that Mr. Bush is a bad president -- probably the worst president in American history.
But to call George W. Bush merely a bad president is to miss the point entirely. For George W. Bush is far more than just a bad president. George W. Bush's misdeeds go far beyond mere inept statesmanship or run-of-the-mill political corruption. If one looks carefully at the means by which Bush took office, the way he has governed since taking office, and the clearly stated beliefs and aims of his administration, one cannot help but conclude that George W. Bush is guilty of a crime against his country. And that crime is treason.
George W. Bush is a traitor to the United States of America.
Please read the definition of traitor at the start of this article one more time. A traitor is someone who betrays his country, or someone who is guilty of treason, the offense of attempting to overthrow the government. This is precisely the crime that George W. Bush is guilty of. For George W. Bush is the representative of a small group of people and corporations who have made a very public attempt to overthrow the United States government.
The exact nature and membership of this group is debatable and partially hidden from public view, but its existence is beyond dispute and its aims are clear. For the sake of brevity, I will refer to this group as the Bush Group. George W. Bush is the representative and figurehead of this group, but he is by no means its leader.
The Bush Group consists of highly placed figures in the oil industries and related industries, most notably companies like Halliburton and Bechtel, as well as figures in the Carlyle Group, a Washington-based private equity firm. Of course, these are only the most visible and most powerful members of the Bush Group. Other members can be identified by looking at a list of major Bush campaign contributors and recipients of large government contracts since Bush took office.
The companies and individuals who make up the Bush Group used their vast political influence and capital to place George W. Bush in power. They did this for one reason only: to use the apparatus of the government of the United States to channel money into their pockets.
Of course, this would merely be politics as usual if it weren't for the fact that the Bush Group originally took power illegally and has sought to maintain and increase its power by non-democratic means. The Bush Group, acting through the Republican National Committee, local Republican organizations, and various allied groups, used a variety illegal means to insure a Bush victory in the presidential elections of 2000 and 2004. Those who doubt this are urged to read Mark Crispin Miller's book "Fooled Again" or Robert F. Kennedy Jr's article "Was the 2004 Election Stolen?"
After placing George W. Bush in office through illegal means, the Bush Group sought to cement its grip on power by rewriting and reinterpreting American law to make the executive branch of government supreme above the judicial and legislative branches. That is, to make the president the supreme power in the land, unanswerable to Congress, the courts and, ultimately, the people of the United States. Needless to say, this is a stunning violation of both the letter and the intent of the Constitution, and a direct breach of the Oath of the Office of the President, in which the president swears to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.".
What is most remarkable about the Bush Group's power grab is their brazen frankness about their intents and their beliefs. The Bush Group has declared that they are guided by the "unitary executive theory." This term describes a government in which one man, the president, holds supreme power in the land, or, to use Bush's formulation, "I am the decider and I decide." Even the briefest reflection on the term "unitary executive" leads to one simple conclusion: "unitary executive" is a euphemism for dictator.
According to the "unitary executive theory," the executive, or president, has power over the other two branches of government. The most famous example of Bush exercising the power of the unitary executive is in the warrantless wiretapping of American citizens, in direct violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) passed by Congress in 1978.
A clearer insight into the Bush Group's practical application of the "unitary executive theory" can be found in Bush's use of the "signing statements" which Bush routinely appends to laws passed by Congress. Bush's signing statements challenge the validity of the laws in question and declare that the president can either interpret the laws as he wishes or ignore them completely.
At last count, Bush had signed 139 signing statements, containing challenges to over 750 individual laws. These signing statements amount to 139 written declarations that George W. Bush and the Bush Group consider themselves to be unconstrained by the laws of the land, the Congress of the United States and the will of the people. Or, to quote Mr. Bush: "(The Constitution) is just a goddamned piece of paper!"
The Founding Fathers took great pains to frame a Constitution that would prevent one individual or one branch of government from taking power over the other branches. In the words of James Madison, "the accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny." Having lived under a king, they created a sacred document that was intended to prevent a king from taking power in their new country.
What the Bush Group has tried to do is install a new king over the United States. They took control of the government of the United States by illegal means and then announced that their man, George W. Bush, is no longer bound by the Constitution. This is not politics as usual. This is a takeover of the government of the United States. This is treason.
Remember that article II, section 4 of the United States' Constitution states that, "The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."
Of course, treason usually involves betraying one's country to a foreign power. But, there is nothing inherent in the definition or legal interpretation of treason that limits the crime to this. In the present case, George W. Bush, acting on behalf of the Bush Group, has tried to wrest control of the United States from the people of the United States and deliver it into the hands of a small group of extremely powerful domestic business interests. Their motivation, of course, is the same as in any normal takeover of a country: to steal the wealth of that country. The fact that the plotters are working from within the country in no way exonerates them from the charge of treason: an overthrow is an overthrow, whether it comes from within or without.
All of Bush's crimes are secondary to this one. And Congress must look beyond craven political calculation to do what is right to answer this fundamental challenge to American Democracy. Now is not the time to think only of maintaining a Congressional majority in 2008. Now is the time to do the will of the Founding Fathers and strike down this vulgar would-be king and the people he represents. Now is the time to try George W. Bush for treason in the United States Congress. Our very Democracy is at stake.
posted by Tapir's Rants at 11:19 AM
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