Malpractice

The problem with impeachment is that it's simply too hard to do, and it takes too long. An incompetent President can royally screw the economy, national security, foreign relations, and execution of laws enacted by Congress, and still not have committed any "high crimes and misdemeanors." In short, a President can be as utterly incompetent as George W. Bush, and still remain in office.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether the U.S. has been the victim of impeachable offenses or mere acts of incompetence. Perhaps we won't know the truth for decades, and perhaps we'll never know. This administration has, above all, used a variety of devices to obscure the facts. Learning what happened and why, and proving it, will not be easy or fast.

But, are a constituency and a Congress merely to stand by as their country and Constitution get trashed? Whether Bush is a criminal or merely an incompetent boob is beside the point. The point is that he is an incompetent chief executive, and there should be other and quicker ways to give him the boot.

It's time to revise the criteria for which a President can be removed from office. We need to add to the list malpractice, malfeasance and mismanagement. Let courts, congress and historians settle the score as to whether Bush is a boob, a pawn, or a crook. When the country is spiraling towards a large drain hole, establishing the reason isn't nearly as important as stopping the downward spiral. We ought to be able to fire the guy without having to find traces of blood and powder burns on his hands. We ought, as a nation, to be able to say simply and succinctly "Sorry, guy. But, this isn't working out. Good luck in your next job."

So, every year we should have a national "Competence" vote. If we had a parliamentary system, it could happen "as needed." In any case, if the public has decided that "it isn't working out," the President should be given notice, and a new election called for. The President would then stand for a confirmation vote against a challenger two months following a No Competence vote. At the very least, we might then see oil prices declining twice a year, rather than simply in October as the November elections approach.