Once the Republicans take over in January, I think that they should start making some serious statements about the incompetents running the country. Even though the Senate probably wouldn’t remove, just the threat of it would still be a useful club to get the White House to clean up their mess themselves, to avoid the political fallout.
One of the many frustrating things about the Bush presidency was that he hired morons like Napolitano as well, and the House wouldn’t do anything about it, because they were “Republican” nominees.
Actually, in the Senate, I think we have the best of both worlds. The Republicans didn’t take control, so they can’t be said to be in charge of even one branch of government, but given how many Democrat seats are at risk in 2012, they probably have a working majority on politically popular issues, which means that they can not only force out the Napolitanos and LaHoods, but ensure that their replacements are nowhere near as bad, because they’ll have to get a majority vote of the Senate.
[Late morning update]
Speaking of Senate confirmations, this looks like one that will be DOA, or at least it should be. Actually, I’d like to see a complete overhaul of BATF, but that’s not going to happen until the rest of the Dems are flushed from the Senate and we get a reasonable president.
I’d revel in almost anyone replacing Nappy and the ‘hood, but what exactly would be the justification for impeaching them? Incompetence doesn’t rise to “treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors” as specified in Article II, section 4 of the Constitution. If it did, all the legislative and executive branches, and most of the judicial, would be out (not that I’m saying that would be a bad thing).
Napolitano: America’s loss and Arizona’s gain.
Why bother with Napolitano and LaHood? Although both are clearly incompetent, their actions basically serve to inconvenience and annoy the American public.
Holder, on the other hand, has criminally politicized the Justice Department and has seriously degraded the tenet of equal justice under the law on which a free society so greatly depends.
The house majority must spend their political capital wisely.
I think there is a strong argument that Nappy is promoting policies that violate the Fourth Amendment, which to me meets the bar for “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors”. And yes, I agree that starting impeachment processes on Cabinet members for these things, and the threat of starting impeachment processes on anybody else in the Executive, Judicial, and Legislative branches would likely cause our elected and appointed clowns to start thinking about the laws and the policies they are imposing on us.
Grue:
As someone from Arizona, I completely agree.
teej:
Why bother? Because Homeland Security thinks they can have TSA touch my junk, but Justice doesn’t think that an Arizona Police Officer can ask someones citizenship. If I even wanted to fly, I would pass through a now permanent Border Patrol Checkpoint, and I would be asked my citizenship. A Sierra Vista City Cop can’t ask the same question ~15 miles south? But the FED, can touch my junk!?
The fed can not only touch your junk but pinch and pull it.
I agree with Teej, that Holder is the greater evil and must be dealt with first, but once Holder is shot for Treason, I see no reason not to proceed with impeachment and removal of the Napolitanos and LaHoods. Theres enough political capital to get all of them, plus the attempt will increase, not decrease our political capital, and reduce the polical capital of opponents foolish enough to defend this treason and incompetence.
In WW2 we agreed that Hitler was the greater threat, but that didn’t stop us from going full bore after Hirohito once Europe was freed.
Napolitano: America’s loss and Arizona’s gain.
Yes, I’d like to thank you all for taking her off our hands. Are you interested in a mayor?