CNN: Congress removes President due to Mental Incapacity

[muriel_volestrangler]

Now that I have your attention, I'd like to point to this fine precedent set by Ecuador in 1997:

http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/9702/06/ecuador.strike.update/

"After six months in office, Ecuador's colorful new president has been fired.

Ecuador's Congress voted Thursday to remove President Abdala Bucaram for "mental incapacity," exasperated by a stint in office in which the president sang and pulled political stunts while the country fell into economic crisis.

Members of Congress voted 44-34 to remove Bucaram, with two congressmen abstaining. Bucaram, who cheerfully had referred to himself as "El Loco," or "the Crazy One," called the vote on his incompetence a "coup by Congress" and said he would not recognize it."

Can we dream of a follow-up ins the US?

[truthspeaker]

1. easier just to impeach him for treason and election fraud

Bush isn't mentally incapacitated, just evil and criminal.

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

2. You don't know how ..

much I was hoping that article was talking about the US . My heart was raging fast - I was preparing for jumps of joy as I read the subject line .

[forgethell]

3. I might be wrong

wouldn't they still have to impeach him to do it? Is there a mechanism for declaring the President incompetent? Seems like long ago that I read that there was, but the cabinet had to do it.

any body know anything about it??

[terrya]

4. I think it's the 25th amendment.

A majority of the Cabinet would have to declare the President either mentally or physically incapacitated. He or she would then (and I may not be right on this...please correct me if I'm wrong) be temporarily discharged as President. The Vice President would then take over as President.

This issue was a storyline on "The West Wing" last season.

[Moderator]

5. I am locking this thread.

From the GD posting rules:

1. The subject line of a discussion thread must accurately reflect the actual content of the message.


DU Moderator