[Texgreen] Immediate Impeachments: Preventing "The Guns of August" in Eurasia

[margaret]

http://tinyurl.com/2by8n3
Global Research=A0
January 20, 2007 /=A0=A0Impeach George W. Bush =A0


Immediate Impeachments: Preventing "The Guns of August" in Eurasia
by Prof. Francis Boyle

The Bush Jr./Cheney refusal to obtain additional authorization from =20
Congress for this substantial enlargement of U.S. armed forces in Iraq =20=

constitutes an impeachable offense under the terms of Article II, =20
Section 4 of the United States Constitution for violating the =20
Constitution=92s War Powers Clause and Congress=92s own War Powers =20
Resolution

If President Bush Jr. and Vice President Cheney are not stopped =20
immediately by means of impeachment, they could readily set off World =20=

War III in the volatile Middle East, Persian Gulf and Central Asia, =20
where two-thirds of the world=92s hydrocarbon resources are up for grabs =
=20
among the United States, Russia, China, and India. The Guns of August =20=

indeed.

On the evening of 10 January 2007 in a nationally televised address to =20=

the American people from the White House, President Bush Jr. announced =20=

that he was going to =93surge=94 an additional 21,500 U.S. troops into =20=

Iraq. Both President Bush Jr. and Vice President Cheney also made it =20
perfectly clear that they would initiate this =93surge=94 against the =20=

manifest will of the American people expressed in the U.S. national =20
elections of November 2006 and without obtaining authorization by the =20=

U.S. Congress.

Both President Bush Jr. and Vice President Cheney invoked the =20
President=92s alleged powers as Commander in Chief of U.S. armed forces =20=

under Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution as =20
authority for their unilaterally determined =93surge=94. But that =
provision =20
was put into the Constitution for the purpose of guaranteeing the =20
supremacy of civilian control over the U.S. military establishment. The =20=

Constitution made it clear in Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 that only =20=

both Houses of the United States Congress acting together had the power =20=

=93To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make rules =20=

concerning Captures on Land and Water.=94 This is popularly known as the =
=20
War Powers Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

Pursuant to its constitutional power under this War Powers Clause, and =20=

acting in order to prevent another Vietnam War, Congress enacted into =20=

law the 1973 War Powers Resolution  over the veto by President Richard =20=

Nixon, which means that it was adopted by at least a two-thirds =20
favorable vote in both the House and the Senate. [For full text=A0go to =20=

original page.]

In specific respect to the 10 January 2007 =93surge=94 of 21,500 more =
U.S. =20
troops to Iraq, the War Powers Resolution explicitly requires that =20
President Bush Jr. obtain additional authorization from Congress before =20=

going forward with the =93surge,=94 which he did nonetheless =
unilaterally. =20
Section 4(a) (3) makes it quite clear that the requirements of the War =20=

Powers Resolution are triggered: =A0

=93In the absence of a declaration of war [which we do not have for =20
Iraq], in any case in which United States Armed Forces are introduced =85 =
=20
(3) in numbers which substantially enlarge United States Armed Forces =20=

equipped for combat already located in a foreign nation . . .=94=A0 [see =
=20
text at original page ]

At the time we had about 132,000 troops in Iraq. Sending in an =20
additional 21,500 troops would =93substantially enlarge=94 those armed =20=

forces. Therefore, the Bush Jr. Administration required further =20
authorization from Congress for this euphemistic =93surge,=94 which is =20=

really a substantial escalation. <b>The Bush Jr./Cheney refusal to =20
obtain additional authorization from Congress for this substantial =20
enlargement of U.S. armed forces in Iraq constitutes an impeachable =20
offense under the terms of Article II, Section 4 of the United States =20=

Constitution for violating the Constitution=92s War Powers Clause and =20=

Congress=92s own War Powers Resolution. </b>(Editor: emphasis added)

The same constitutional arguments apply to the Bush Jr. =20
Administration=92s proposed substantial enlargement of U.S. armed forces =
=20
in Afghanistan by one combat brigade of about 3,500 U.S. troops on top =20=

of the 21,000 U.S. soldiers already there.

Of course the War Powers Resolution also requires express authorization =20=

from the U.S. Congress before the Bush Jr administration=A0can launch a =20=

military attack upon Iran, which it is currently threatening and =20
preparing to do.=A0=A0

If President Bush Jr. and Vice President Cheney are not stopped =20
immediately by means of impeachment, they could readily set off World =20=

War III in the volatile Middle East, Persian Gulf and Central Asia, =20
where two-thirds of the world=92s hydrocarbon resources are up for grabs =
=20
among the United States, Russia, China, and India. The Guns of August =20=

indeed.

Francis A. Boyle is=A0Professor of Law at the University of Illinois. =20=

He=A0is author of Foundations of World Order, Duke University Press, The =
=20
Criminality of Nuclear Deterrence, and Palestine, Palestinians and =20
International Law, by Clarity Press. He is a frequent contributor to =20
Global Research. He can be reached at FBOYLE@LAW.UIUC.EDU=A0

- - -
see full text at original page

WAR POWERS RESOLUTION
Public Law 93-148
93rd Congress, H. J. Res. 542
November 7, 1973
Joint Resolution
Concerning the War Powers of Congress


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