OPINION — Editorial

Articles of impeachment

Finally, a bipartisan agreement in D.C.

Talk about articles of impeachment. The papers are full of such articles these days, and a lot of them discuss the idea of impeaching the current president of the United States. Most times, those articles mention the name Al Green--no, not that one. The politician Al Green from Houston.

This guy won't quit. Which can be a compliment, oft times. But when you follow a bad idea, maybe over a cliff, stick-to-it-ive-ness and tenacity might just indicate stubborness. Or a penchant for self-destruction.

Once yet again, the politician Al Green (not to be confused with he who sang "loving you forever is what I neeeeeeed") has bothered his colleagues with another impeachment resolution. And once again his colleagues have told him to give it a rest.

Rep. Green, D-premature and reckless, says the Donald Trump presidency is associated with causes rooted in bigotry. He doesn't like it that the president blamed both sides for a white supremacist rally in Virginia, nor the president's infuriating habit of tweeting insulting remarks and videos. But the president of the United States shouldn't be removed for being a bore and being immature. The Constitution mentions something about high crimes and misdemeanors.

Charles Krauthammer (may he get well soonest) noted earlier this year that he didn't believe Donald Trump was fit for office, either. But that didn't mean you remove him from office and take the decision away from voters. That would lead to chaos.

Few of us on the starboard side of politics thought a young U.S. senator from Illinois, in his first two years of his first six-year term, was experienced enough to handle the presidency. But he was elected to that very post in 2008, and nobody dared to try to overrule the voters just because of Barack Obama's inexperience and lack of executive background made him, perhaps, unfit for that office at that time.

Lesson: Congress doesn't remove a president just because members don't like the chief executive.

Imagine that: None other than Nancy Pelosi makes the most sense on this. She said an impeachment effort should wait until there is evidence of an impeachable offense. (Wow!) She and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer issued a statement right before the vote saying, "Now is not the time to consider articles of impeachment." As much as it may have pained them to write that, they know it's true.

The House voted to table this bad idea 364-58, with only Democrats voting to move forward. The question is, what were those 58 thinking? That is, if they were thinking.

If every thing, every tweet, every uncongenial comment is an impeachable offense, then . . . .

We were reminded of a president named Reagan, who was once caught on an open mic saying that he'd outlawed the Soviet Union and bombing was to commence in a bit. It was a bad joke, and he got a lot of grief about it. But he wasn't impeached.

Al Green needs to get a new hobby. Everybody understands his feelings, and his politics. But Congress has more important work to do these days.

Whether times are good or bad or happy or sad . . . .

Editorial on 12/11/2017

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