Serious question re: Bush's alleged mental instability

[ALago1]

Let's assume that Bush's years of alcohol and drug abuse combined with the stress of playing president have caused him severe mental problems and thus cause him to constantly act very erratically and impulsive.

Is there any precedent whatsoever allowing intervention and replacement if his mental state can be detrimental to the country? This is of course assuming his poor mental state can be proven or is obvious.

[shoelace414]

1. that's assuming he's in charge

he already doesn't read the paper. he's in a bubble anything "they" tell him he believes.

[ALago1]

2. Yeah true

He's not "in charge" so one can argue that his mental wackiness is insulated by his minions.

However, the country doesn't want a certified nut as its representative

[Paradise]

3. did you see him in the rose garden today?

a blubbering idiot! :crazy:

[Aunt Anti-bush]

15. Just saw this portion:

"Well, I don't think that person ought to be a member of my Cabinet. I will hire the person, and I can fire the person, which is -- any President would like."

He just sounds more and more rediculous. And the worst part is that the WH website has all of his idiotic speeches there and they aren't edited (not that I'm saying they should be) but they sound like they were given by a 12 year old.

[Paradise]

19. Dumbfounded that he has any credibility left with anyone,

particularly with the "press"?????? :crazy:

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

4. Sure.

If it can be shown, conclusively, that he has become incapacitated by his mental condition(Delusional states, bizarre behavior, paranoid ideations) or has become a danger to himself or others, there are circuit breakers.

Hey, wait! Wait a minute...

[MichiganVote]

5. Bush is not in office to lead the country

He is in office to further the aims of the super wealthy, the oilmen, the Saudi's and to raid the US Gov't treasury. So far, he batting 4 for 4.

[cthrumatrix]

20. exactly...he is a puppet...a sick one...but a puppet

[mandyky]

6. With the GOP in control of Congress

as long as House and Senate GOPs won't do anything, we are screwed. Otherwise, shrub would have been impeached by now!

[ALago1]

7. I know

You're right. I'm just curious as to whether or not a congress can decide to remove the sitting president on grounds of mental instability

[DieboldMustDie]

18. The U.S. Constitution, Amendment XXV states:

Section 4. Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office.

[Doctor_J]

8. IMO, he is heavily medicated

for most of the dog & pony shows. That keeps him from coming unglued, and as long as he doesn't do an "Inspector Dreyfuss" from the pink panther movies, the GOP congress won't do anything about it.

[Disturbed]

11. Foaming from the mouth..

speaking in giberish on TV is about the only way that anyone will act upon his mental state. Woodward claimed in his book that Dumbass spoke in an unkown language for a few minutes but didn't seem to realize it. Then he started speaking in his screwed up English again. This has been reported in other instances by staff members.

[enigmatic]

14. I agree w/ this..

There's no doubt in my mind he's taking some sort of mood-altering medications. I expect that if it got to the point where he was acting too crazy in public they will go USSR on us and keep him out of sight by saying he "has a cold..."

[unblock]

9. this is provided for by the 25th amendment:

4. Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.


so if cheney and a majority of the cabinet want to, they can push shrub aside and cheney would officially become the president. it's not clear that they actually even need any particular medical condition. they could use this clause to effect a coup even if the president were perfectly fit. all the more reason to choose a loyal cabinet.

[unblock]

10. this is provided for by the 25th amendment:

4. Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.


so if cheney and a majority of the cabinet want to, they can push shrub aside and cheney would officially become the president. it's not clear that they actually even need any particular medical condition. they could use this clause to effect a coup even if the president were perfectly fit. all the more reason to choose a loyal cabinet.

[ALago1]

13. Interesting. Thanks!

[salonghorn70]

12. 25th Amendment, Section 4

Section 4
Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office.

[yellowcanine]

16. Problem is Cheney is mentally unstable also. Acting President

Hastert? We have no provision for that in the Constitution. We may be cheneyed.

[carpetbagger]

17. There's a nice paper trail in the last Reagan years.

It fleshes out the whole range of views regarding the declaration of a president as incompetent. The beauty is that the procedure is laid out in unusual constitutional detail in the XXV amdmt.