----- Original Message ----- From: "Andrew Paul" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Killer Bs Discussion" <brin-l@mccmedia.com> Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2006 8:17 PM Subject: RE: Technique
>> Given that, it's unlikely for a politician to say "the >> Constitution is just a piece of paper." It's much more >> likely that they would say "that's not what it means" even if >> it is clear to everyone else that's what it means. >Dan, I find your optimism and faith in politicians heartening, even if I >don't find it easy to adopt such a positive stance, especially about the >current crop of leaders. With all due respect, I guess that you aren't totally familiar with the US constitution. I think that the point about Nixon is absolutely critical. Nixon was as amoral a politician as I've seen. He sent burglers into the Democratic headquarters, for goodness sakes. He argued long and hard with the Congress over "executive privledge" regarding the tapes he had made of White House conversations (virtually all of them in the Oval Office). The Supreme Court ruled against him....and that was that. He gave up the tapes. If he didn't, the impeachment would have proceded very swiftly. The tapes had a "smoking gun" on it. It looked as though most Republican senators were going to vote to sustain impeachement. His chief of staff, Haig, made sure that he Constitution would be followed, instead of Nixon...if he decided to keep power after impeachment. The alternative to the Constitution being supreme would have to be some kind of coup. From what I've seen and heard, the officer corp of the US is dedicated to the Constitution. Colen Powell is probably one of the best heads of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that we've had, but he is not an anomoly. So, politicians would have to either be planning a military takeover or be very detached from the real world to think that the Constitution was no more than a piece of paper. >One question though, is GWB a politician in the sense of the word that >you are using? I have never really seen him as one, but then maybe I am biased. He's actually a fairly good politician. If he were as good a decision maker and manager as he is a politician, the US would be far better off. Dan M. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
