A Texas style impeachment to watch

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Texas House can't remove speaker, attorney general says

Dec. 15, 2007

Craddick's foes strongly disagree; Abbott mum on 'absolute power'

The Texas Constitution protects House Speaker Tom Craddick from moves by foes to "vacate the chair" and kick him out of his leadership position before his term is up, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said Friday.

They can still move to expel him from his legislative office as Midland's state representative with a two-thirds vote, or the House and Senate could impeach him, according to the opinion issued late Friday.

But only the Senate has the power to decide whether impeachment of the speaker would mean his removal – either from his leadership position or from office. The impeachment trial would be by the Senate.

Mr. Abbott declined to address questions over whether the speaker has "absolute authority," as Mr. Craddick claimed, to recognize or decline to recognize any member for any reason – on a vote to remove him from his leadership position, or on any other issue. The attorney general said it was not in his authority to address House rules matters.

Dallas News - Read Full Text

The Democratic leader in the Texas House of Representatives, Rep. Dunnam, is leading the charge to remove Rep. Craddick, and he is also the 'leader' who led a coalition across the border to hide out in Oklahoma in 2003.

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1. Again? Sweet.

They tried earlier this year. Let's hope this time, our Dems succeed. Craddick is a dangerous man.

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2. Sometimes, and I mean sometimes, I think Texas is ahead of the curve.

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3. Politics is a blood sport here

For example, when the folks in my hometown (Amarillo) decided they had had enough of T. Boone Pickens' crony Mayor, Glen Parkey, the citizenry - along with the support of the local paper - ousted that bastard from office. Pickens was so pissed he moved Mesa Petroleum offices to Dallas. That was almost 20 years ago. Yet, the man has been waging revenge on us ever since by trying to sell our water (in the Oglala Aquifer) to anyone but us. We're fighting back tooth and nail.

Texans never forget. They might forgive but they never forget.