Ethical Bankruptcy

Turn back the clock a little more than 5 years ago. It’s late January of 2001. President Bush is being sworn in after the Supreme Court stepped in to void a presidential election and install a president of their choosing. The eighteen year old kid in me who just had his vote stolen from him sits in front of his television and watches in disbelief as the smug face of an ineffectual C student-come-president smirks right before taking the Oath of Office required of him. It’s a short oath, but not for lack of consequence. Its brevity speaks volumes to the inherent idea that overly verbose answers and statements tend to mislead. Simply put it is this:

"I, (name), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and I will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Since President Washington, every President has taken that oath. Each one save for Tyler, Pierce and Hoover who affirmed it, swore to uphold the Constitution. The Constitution is the very core of our country’s values. It is a timeline that shows our faults as well as our gains over the course of our history. From racism to sexism to limiting the possibility of creating a dictator in the office of the President, the Constitution and its amendments lays out what we stand for as a people.

With that in mind, I never once thought I’d get to see the day that a sitting President would see the possibility of being thrown in jail like a common criminal. President Bush has made that scenario possible and I must say that I am all for it. During the impeachment and subsequent acquittal (the latter a fact that all too often is omitted from conversation) of President Clinton, I was of an impressionable age but even then realized that what was going on was an ultra-partisan attack meant to create a social divide in my country. The Democrats were in the ultimate seat of power and the Republicans went on an all out smear campaign to paint the Democrats as an immoral party; one that could not rule with the values of American citizens in its sight. After Al Gore won the 2000 election by what turned out to be at the time the slimmest margin of victory ever in a Presidential race, Bush was given the Presidency by what ended up being the slimmest margin of victory in a 5-4 decision.

He had come to power claiming that he would bring dignity to the White House as if it were lacking because his predecessor had gotten a blow job from an intern and that had just never happened before. Ever. Never ever. Among his countless campaign promises that ultimately were thrown on the fire the second he entered into the White House, that of restoring dignity resonated strongest with me. This from a man who executed 152 people in his reign as governor of Texas. This from a man who referred to a member of the press who didn’t write well of him as “a major league asshole” with a smile on his face while waving to a cheering crowd. This from a man who when asked what Karla Faye Tucker would say to then-Governor Bush replied “'Please,' Bush whimpers, his lips pursed in mock desperation, 'don't kill me.'”

Taking the Oath of Office is a big step. Without it one cannot ascend to that post. Taking it however, is just the first step. Upholding it is the second and even more important. Just as they say keeping a secret is the biggest part of it, without respecting that oath, those who take it deserve nothing less than scorn, shame and dishonor. If a President does only one thing in office, I would hope it would be to preserve, protect and defend our Constitution.

Let me be very clear when I say this: President Bush has trampled on the Bill of Rights by shredding any meaning the 4^th amendment held for over 200 years.

By personally authorizing the warrantless wiretapping program that intercepts calls of domestic nature from American citizens, President Bush has signed his name to the commission of a crime against our country. If his need was so great, why didn’t he just propose a Constitutional amendment repealing the 4^th amendment? Why did he not go to the court created by the foreign intelligence surveillance act? After all, they had issued over 19,000 warrants while only denying 4. I’m sure they would have agreed to let him spy with a warrant had they presented their case. There are two possibilities in which I can see them not getting the warrants and while both are equally believable given the current administration’s penchant for bald faced lying. One is that who and what they were spying for was not actually a threat to the United States and might have been just another version of Nixon’s enemies list. The second and also not so unbelievable option is that they would have screwed up the presentation to the point where the court would stare, slacked jawed in shock at their ineptitude.

What’s even more frightening about the entire situation is that Bush has admitted publicly over thirty times that he broke the law. Never in my relatively short lifetime have I heard of someone proclaiming so many times as the President has in the last month that he broke the law.

In an earlier post I’d asked what would happen if President Clinton were still in power and various scenarios played out. Invariably the response would have been that the Republican held Congress would have fricasseed him on a spit on the Senate floor. Are Republicans in this country so bankrupt of ethics that they cannot admit that our President has committed a gravely serious crime? Will this country have to wait until late this year to give control of Congress back to the Democrats before impeachment hearings are brought to the House? More importantly, will President Bush resign his post due to his failure to comply with his simple 39 word oath that he took twice and his complete and utter disregard for the Constitution of the United States of America?

Whatever the answers are and whatever actions come, I know this will resonates with any American willing to step back from the situation that take a moment to grasp the President’s own thirty plus admissions of guilt. Regardless, I am a mix of dismay and elation with the thought that my President might be thrown in jail for his unethical, immoral and most importantly, illegal actions.