Republicans, Democrats; solemn oaths of office, the US Constitution

Congressional Oath of Office

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter:So help me God”

That oath, uttered by incoming members of Congress, is a very serious promise that they will, without question, follow the tenets of the Constitution in doing what is right for their country. It specifically emphasizes the words I swear, I will defend, I will faithfully discharge, and So help me God.

That’s the oath that these politicians initially take but, when they get all tangled up in the convoluted political process and associated battles, how long is it before they no longer keep those Constitutional principles foremost in their minds? Do these Democrats and Republicans who are engaged in this current conflict over impeachment ever think about, and act in accordance, with that solemn oath they took?

If they really did, would we now be watching and hearing Democrats having a difficult time trying to decide whether they should go forward with impeachment, even when the evidence to support doing that indicates that they should, that they must? And, would Republicans with that evidence of this president’s quite apparent high crimes and misdemeanors before them, refuse to acknowledge them and vow that they will vote no on impeachment, no matter what?

Now, while this investigation is just idling in neutral, the one thing that Pelosi and the House committee chairmen should do is to just STOP constantly talking about impeachment, and indicating yes, no, or maybe it should be done. They only look weak and indecisive.

Some Democrats are strongly pushing for impeachment, others say impeachment will be playing into the hands of Trump and Senate Republicans; while others say “let’s just wait and see.” Enough already!

My advice is Is for all of them to simply zip up their mouths and go about the difficult business of solidifying the evidence they have and gathering even more. Do these Democrats have a specific, coordinated plan or is every committee operating solely on its own? So, just in case Pelosi hasn’t put together a fully coordinated plan, then here’s one that she can use to get this process jump-started:

The plan

Step 1: Continue to carry on various House investigations using the Mueller report and other sources to gather more evidence that will support impeachment. Make sure all of these committee are fully coordinated to concentrate on the same, specific, overall objectives. Time is of the essence but it must be an in-depth investigation.

Step 2: Continue to issue subpoenas as necessary and use the full power of the House to make a strong case when these cases end up in court. Take very aggressive stands. Go after every one of these reluctant witnesses tooth and nail and never let up on the pressure.

Step 3: Do everything possible to have Robert Mueller testify before appropriate committees and, if he insists that it must be done in private, then honor his wishes. Don McGahn must be be convinced, one way or another, to testify because it is his duty as a citizen of this country. His testimony will prove to be invaluable in the eventual removal of Trump.

Step 4: When enough concrete, irrefutable evidence has been gathered that clearly implicates this president in obstruction, then immediately initiate a full impeachment inquiry process.

Step 5: When significant progress has been made have the major committee heads get together and plan the formal impeachment process; then initiate it in the House, win the vote there, and send it to the Senate for hearings, debates, and resolution.

Now, there is one scenario that I don’t hear anyone even talking about and it’s one that could take this issue of impeachment into a completely different, unexpected direction. What if, in this inquiry process, Democrats suddenly, out of the blue, obtain new evidence that is so damning against Trump that it convinces him that he has no choice but to resign. That would be, unquestionably, the best possible result for America. Sure, that’s a bit of wishful thinking but it did happen with Nixon.

This is all so critically important that Speaker Pelosi should put all House recesses, including the one this summer, on hold and have all committee chairmen and members working non-stop. Democrats have Trump hanging on the ropes, ready to go down for the count, and they, at least so far, can’t decide on whether to knock him out with a left hook or a right cross. Well it doesn’t matter, just do it.

Mueller said his report speaks for itself and that there is no need for him to testify before Congress. Wrong! There is every reason for him to do just that to clarify some of the things that are not clear in his report; especially in Volume 2 where he lists ten different points relative to probable Trump obstruction. His comments on the report were just too vague in certain areas and he needs to explain them to a much greater degree.

When Democrats put together the concrete evidence of Trump’s obstruction they should not worry at all about Senate Republicans and the fact that they have said they will vote no on impeachment. All they need do is to know that they have remained true to their oaths and that Republicans, if indeed they remain totally loyal to their president instead of their country, will be violating both their oath of office and the Constitution.

There is another reason why Democrats, armed with damning evidence against Trump, must initiate impeachment and have a vote taken in the Senate. If Republicans vote it down they will be in big-time trouble and here’s why. The vast majority of Americans will be watching and digesting what is going on in extensive House and Senate hearings, all of which will receive massive coverage by the media.

If Republicans use all the power they possess to cover up and try to totally discredit these charges against Trump, they will be showing all Americans who they really are and what they stand for. If Americans haven’t been paying a great deal of attention to what is going on up to now, they sure will be when this trial of Trump gets underway. When every Republican votes no they will also know that this may well be the very last vote they make in this Congress.

Will the American people, becoming fully aware of all the elements of this impeachment process and the extensive evidence presented, then stand by and support Democrats and also castigate Republicans for their disloyalty to their country? I think the American people will do what is right for their country.